The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 07/02/2019

Episode Date: July 2, 2019

Colin says a "super team" of Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Anthony Davis is not the end of the world for the NBA because teams like that aren't as dominant as people think. He explains why the Warriors are still in a great position to try and win a title. Plus, FS1 NBA Analyst Ric Bucher talks about the latest with Kawhi choosing a team and why D'Angelo Russell could be a problem for the Warriors. 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 SportsRodio.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, crowded, loaded again today, jammed. This is The Hurd on a Tuesday, live in L.A., wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1 News could break today. And we will be live. No tape delay, baby. we are live for news that is breaking. Joy Taylor is joining me.

We had so much fun yesterday. And we still got, we got Kauai out there. We got Boogie Cousins out there. We got a lot of Danny Greens out there. Still stuff that could happen in the next few hours. Lots of moves we made. Just keep speaking that into existence. Now's it during our show.

All right. So let me start with this. And this is a thing hanging over everybody. Who's Kauai Leonard going to pick? On the phone last night, dinner with a heavyweight. here's what I can tell you. Nobody leads. Don't believe what you read on the internet.

Nobody leads. Clippers have had a great meeting. Lakers are telling certain members of the media they lead. They don't know that. And a lot of people I talk to who I trust say Toronto's going to get him for a year. I was last night, I'm texting him on the phone. I'm with executives. I'm with scouts.

I go to dinner. I'm not hearing what everybody's reporting on the wwwbantwbandwidth.com. Okay, let me start with that. But if the Lakers do sign Kauai Leonard, oh, you can just see it coming from Riles. The NBA sky is falling crowd. Oh, my God, there's a dynasty, it's not fair. Ah, shut up.

When did golf explode in this country? When Tiger Woods for a decade seemingly won every major. Highest ratings in NBA history, MJ's Bulls won six of eight titles. The Women's World Cup has a, favorite, the United States that's so dominant, they've allowed one goal and only a handful of good shots against goal. The dynasty of the Patriots is the longest and greatest ever, and NFL ratings are the envy of every league. Come on. You're telling me in the South,

people aren't geeked up for the SEC football season? We all know Alabama's going to win it. They've been winning it for eight years. Saturday mornings, people now are turned off to SEC football. You love what you love. I got buddies in Portland, in Utah, in Denver, in Dallas, in Philly, in Boston, in Los Angeles. They're completely energized today. They all think they won free agency. Just like everybody in the South thinks they had the best recruiting class. That's what we do is sports fans.

We don't follow these sports just for winning a championship. If our team is good, our team is growing, our team is ascending, and I think half the league is, You don't think people in New Orleans are geeked about the Pelicans or people in Memphis aren't geeked about John Morant? And the other thing, even if the Lakers do land Kauai, these dynasties never last as long as we think. Kevin Durant of the Warriors won two titles, ended with two horrible injuries. And oh, by the way, they were lucky to win the second one because they trailed Houston three to two until Chris Paul got hurt. The Healds needed a Ray Allen. miracle shot to win two in four years.

The big three in Boston, one-one. Shack and Kobe broke up early. Stop with the sky as falling nonsense. Plus, because everybody's getting scooped up by all these teams, if Kauai, LeBron, and A.D are together, they'll have no bench and one of the league's weakest fifth starters. They'll be one injury away from being a borderline playoff. team. They got no bench. None. They're going to have the league's worst oldest bench.

Cheapest, worst, and oldest bench. And a weak fifth starter. They still don't have any great shooters. And by the way, Kauai's been hurt before. A.D. has injury issues. And LeBron came off the first and worst injury of his career. One of those veteran players, they've all got a bunch of miles on their legs gets hurt. They're not winning the championship. So you, you, you, 70% of this league this morning minimum in Utah in Denver in Dallas in Philly in Boston in New Orleans they're energized I don't think Maverick fans jazz fans blazer fans sixer fans have ever had more hope I think they're celebrating wildly in Boston today getting kemble Walker and Ennis Canter I think they feel great about it they didn't like Kyrie they like the new guy

so there's no sky as falling nonsense dynasties villains have always worked in sports. The Patriots are working. Bama's working. Mayweather gets huge pay-per-view numbers. So did Connor McGregor. Tiger Woods drove us to TV sets on Sunday. Kauai'll do the same. All right. So the team that's getting buried,

and I think this is all very comical, because I think they're going to be a great team. The Golden State Warriors. By the way, did you see yesterday? Kvon Looney signed. They squeezed him in. Dude took a discount. Took a discount.

So correct me if I'm wrong, but do you remember the team that swept the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals? It was Clay Thompson, Steph Curry, Kvon Luni, Draymond Green, and they're now all back. Clay will just be back in February and March. All right. Okay. So you don't think they're any good. I'll take them this morning with the Kvon Looney signing. I'll take my chances with the Warriors in April and May and June.

Now, DeAngelo Russell got signed, and that's freaking everybody out. Oh, DeAngelo Russell's an attitude. Mark Stein, friend of mine, very respected New York Times NBA guy, doesn't like it at all. DeAngelo Russell doesn't fit there whatsoever. They just wanted to make sure that they did not see Kevin Durant, arguably the best player in the league went healthy, walk out the door for nothing. They got a 23-year-old All-Star, and they will be. trade him. It's just a matter of when. He does not like

to move. Rick Buecker on my show yesterday. He also does not like the DeAngelo Russell acquisition. This ooh, that's the smell of desperation. Oh my goodness.

He does not fit their DNA whatsoever. He's a younger Nick Young. He doesn't play D. He's a me guy. He doesn't play with high basketball IQ. I'm not feeling this whatsoever. If Draymond Green doesn't end up killing him, Steve Kermite,

one of those guys is going to go De Anzalo, come on. It's just, it's not a good fit. Okay. Pump the brakes. He's going to be there three months. There's no marriage here. There's no photo albums here.

They're dating to the trade deadline. Are you telling DeAngelo Russell, a 23-year-old, great ball handler who can hit threes at the trading deadline. Nobody's going to want him. Excuse me. Have you seen the money being doled out to average guys? Nobody's going to want DeAngelo Russell.

By the way, can he be in his best behavior for three months? Do you realize his bad reputation comes from what? His two years were the Lakers. A week ago, who wanted DeAngelo Russell? The Lakers! Even they wanted him back. Everybody's looking for 23-year-old guys who can put it on the deck, create opportunities, and hit a three.

His bad reputation comes from Los Angeles. They desperately wanted him last week if they couldn't get meetings with Kauai. Folks, Boogie Cousins had the worst rep in the league. The dynasty said, you want to play for us? Here's what I know about the NBA. It's a guard wing league. and if you're in your prime and can shoot threes, people will talk themselves into your talent.

And the other thing is, he's only got to be in his best behavior for three months. Even people you break up with the first couple of months always feel great, right? You kind of attracted. It's like, oh, my God, you overlook their flaws. It's kind of cute. She's really attractive. And you kind of know it's not perfect.

And then in about third, fourth month, you're like, I got to get out of this relationship. That's all this is. Steve Kerr makes everybody better offensively. Steph Curry is the easiest start to play with. Everybody wants to make this work, including DeAngelo Russell, and ask yourself at the trading deadline. Will there be a good NBA team at the trading deadline?

That's good. But if they had a scoring guard, they talked themselves into being great. I'll give you one, Philadelphia. They got Al Hortford, and they got M.B., and they got Ben Simmons, and they got Tobias Harris, and they got all these big guys, and they drafted another big guy. You know what? They don't have a dynamic guard that score.

Would they be willing maybe at the trading deadline to send a big out west to get DeAngelo Russell? Who, by the way, over in Brooklyn, they watched him have all sorts of success. People talk themselves into talent in this league. The Warriors said basically, we lost Kevin Durant. Let's just go get an All-Star because All-Stars in our system, the Patriots and the Warriors are great at this. They bring in guys with a little rub. Draymond Green would never be Draymond green outside of the Warriors. Randy Moss worked for two and a half years in New England.

They just make it work. You're dating for three months. Everybody's on their best behavior. Boom, trading deadline. Some team in the NBA is going to be like, you know, if we just had a guard that could shoot threes, and they're going to make a move on him. It is much easier in this league in 2019, 2020.

people still want Andre Iguodala and Kyle Corver. And these guys are close to crushes because they can hit threes. DeAngelo's in his prime can ball handle and hit threes. All good. Everybody's bailing on the Warriors. Trust. Smart. Smart.

Always overtime wins. I still think the Warriors are a top four or five team in the NBA. They're just going to have to wait for Clay to get healthy. the closer he gets to being healthy in February, March, and they watch and they see him every day at the facility. Okay, it's about two weeks out, two and a half. Boom, you move DeAngelo Russell. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it

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

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way.

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? 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, 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. A rep, mom, I'm a one. want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca. and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have 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 run up the court, his fingers why he got the ball like after you go through a training camp with that Izaa 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 podcast or wherever you get your podcasts be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific it's a real living organism it's called who gets the credit and it happens a lot with males I don't know if this is part of the women's

system, but I can tell you for men with egos, alpha males, everybody always wants to get credit. And credit blows up. Boy, it's a lot of it in sports because you get the alpha male and then you get their rich. The coach is rich. The GM is rich. The owner is really rich and the players are now rich and guys got to get credit. Seattle Seahawks dynasty. It was going to last forever.

Oh, Pete Carroll wanted to get credit. Richard Sherman and the defense wanted to get credit. And Russell Wilson didn't say anything, but he wanted to get a little credit. And it blew up. And then the 49ers were Jim Harbaugh. I went to the Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick and everybody wanted to get credit. And Trent Balke, the general manager, wanted to get credit. And Ned York said, what about me?

I want to get credit. And Jim Harbaugh said, I'm tired of not getting credit. And Colin Kaepernick's like, I'm pretty good too. And it blew those two teams up. The 49ers and the Seahawks were humming. They were good. They were young. They had the coach.

They had the and they got blown up because of credit. Magic Johnson reportedly had a positive phone call yesterday with Kowai Leonard. Oh, that's funny. Who leaked that story? And ain't Kauai? He barely talks. That's Magic Johnson. Because Magic wants to get credit.

Why? Because Magic Johnson has a massive brand. And when he quit, it was a really bad look. Remember that press conference when he quit? He didn't tell anybody and he started ad livin? Everybody's like, is Magic crazy? Is Magic nuts? He didn't tell his bosses.

Remember how bad that press conference was? Have you really not told me? No, I haven't. Did you tell Ralph Polico? Nope. Have you had any communication with LeBron about this? No. No.

No. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Magic quit didn't tell anybody. And then the Lakers were able to land Anthony Davis without him. Ooh. It's time for Magic's brand to get a little resurrection so it moves back and he's on the phone with Kauai. He's going to save the Lakers.

Because Rob Polinka badmouthed him. You don't badmouth magic in Los Angeles. So Magic is going to make sure this gets out. So he can say, I got you LeBron and I got you Kauai Leonard. I'm not knocking Magic for this. I'm just telling you how it is. He's got a big brand. I said when it happened, Magic has a right.

He has worked very hard to craft this brand. He has a right to protect his brand. Facebook right now trying to protect their brand from the government. We got companies all over the place trying to protect their brand. Why can an individual? Magic Johnson has a right to protect his brand. It's the strongest sports brand in Los Angeles. I mean, it's the strongest individual sports brand.

Now, the Dodgers or USC, but I'm talking as an individual, Magic's got the strongest brand in the city, and he's protecting it. So he's leaking these stories to let you know, I got you LeBron, and I'm going to get you Kauai. And by the way, this credit thing, why did the Dallas Cowboys break up? Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones. It was a dynasty because Jerry Jones wanted more credit. Why did Tiger Woods and his swing coach and his caddy break up?

Because the caddies and the swing coaches wanted more credit. Yankees, Torrey, Cashman, Randy Levine, Steinbrenner, I got to get more credit. For the record, if you don't live in Los Angeles, this may not be something you're aware of, but Pat Riley, Jerry West, and Phil Jackson are not buds. Why? Because they all thought the other guy were getting too much credit. That's why they broke up. There was always a fight for that.

Now, I'm not in the credit business. That's Visa. Okay? But the sports teams and the GM and the coach and the star player and the owner. So there's all this thing with Magic and this story with Kauai and the phone call. The only reason that leaked because Magic's like, time out. My brand took a little ding here. The quitting, you landing AD without me.

I look crazy and kooky. Magic gets right back in there. I'm going to save the dynasty. I'm actually defending him here. If I had the biggest personal sports brand in a city the size of Los Angeles and it took a ding for about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12 weeks, I'd probably try to protect it too. One more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. We're still waiting for Kauai Leonard. And then Boogie Cousins is the second best. player available, maybe Danny Green third, but most of it is kind of sorted out. So I thought we would play a game on where are teams trending? How should you feel about your team today headed to next year? The game is called Up, Down, and Even. Now that the dust is settling in NBA Free Agency, Colin is going to tell us which teams are trending up, down, or just staying even. It's a segment

called Up, Down, or Even. Wow, Cowherd. How long did it take you to come up with that? About 45 seconds this morning at the meeting. Up, down and even. You give me the team, Goulet. The Jazz. Big up.

I actually thought they did better than any single team. Listen, I watch a lot of jazz games because I go to Utah a lot and ski, and I turn their games on. They needed a point guard who could score. They added Mike Conley. They needed outside shooting. They got Bojan Bogdanovich,

and they lost Derek Fabers, but they got Ed Davis, you know, much cheaper, who's a great rebounder and a tremendous locker room guy. I don't know if they're good enough to win a championship, but you give me a team now with Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingalls, Bogdanovich, Ed Davis, and Rudy Gobert. That is six legitimate NBA players. I also think Quinn Snyder is a tremendous coach. They did really well. I don't think any team upgraded more than Utah. That feels like a 55-win team.

And by the way, Conley, Bogdanovich, and Ed Davis are great. Great culture guys. You want them in your locker room. They're spectacularly cool guys. The Milwaukee Bucks up down or even. I would go slight down, although I still think they're a top six team in the NBA. Listen, they lost Malcolm Brogden,

and they replaced him with Wesley Matthews. Brogden's better than Matthews. Matthews had a torn Achilles. He's never been the same player. They also lost Meritich over to Europe, a big who could shoot. So listen, this team's about Janus and Chris Milton. But they had a lot of little ancillary parts that were very important.

In Merytich and Malcolm Brogden were both important parts. And they're both shooters and they're both gone. And in 2019 in the NBA, I don't think that's a great thing. So a slight, slight downgrade. The Los Angeles Lakers. I think Anthony Davis makes them better. And I thought they did a good job to keep Kyle Kuzma of all their young players, the best leader, the best defender, the most mature.

and he's never hurt. LeBron A.D. Kyle Kuzma, they're going to probably add a J.R. Smith and Andre Aguadala. I'm not even counting Kauai Leonard yet. There's no question. They have two of the top six players in the NBA. Lakers are a trend up, potentially a spectacular trend up in the next 48 hours.

How about the always disappointing Dallas Mavericks? I thought they trended up. I've never understood why this team isn't more attractive. No state tax. Middle of the country. decent winter weather, a very well-heeled owner who supports the players. Nice arena, nice fans, great sports city. They added Seth Curry.

Seth Curry's a real player. Lakers wanted Seth Curry. He's not Steph, but he can shoot. And Christop's Porzingis, when he is healthy, is a spectacular 7-4 slasher. And Luca Donzich may have been the surprise in the NBA last year. So I think things are really, really looking up for Dallas. It makes me happy. I think, to show you how deep the West is,

I'm not sure they're a playoff team, but my gut feeling, if Porzingis is healthy for the season, it's going to be hard to keep them out of the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors. Well, they lie down. I don't think there's any question. You can't lose KD and your best bench player, Andre Iguidala. I think they did a very good job of a life preserver with DeAngelo Russell,

who will get them to the trading deadline until Clay returned. I also think that it did a very good job to get a discount deal on Kvon Looney. So you're going to have by April, by the playoffs, Looney, Dremont, Clay, Steph, and arguably one of the top two coaches, three coaches in the NBA. They also have one of the best GMs who's a dealmaker. So I think the Warriors are not nearly as big a dip down. By the way, the team they'll bring to the court next year by the end of the year is the same team minus Andre Aguadol that swept Portland. So I don't believe it's the end of the earth. The New Orleans Pelicans.

You know, I've never seen a team do that much and that short of time. David Griffin is, I said this yesterday, he's a politician who gets elected into the office. And three weeks in, he's passed like six bills. Zion, Drew Holiday, Lonzo, Brandon Ingram, Derek Favors. And I just think they did a great job. And they also drafted, my scout said Jackson Hayes, was the sleeper in the draft and they got him too. I just think they've done a tremendous job.

It literally three months ago, I'm like, they're owned by an NFL owner. Nobody cares. Now, I live across the country and I care. Plus, they added JJ Reddick. I don't know if they're a playoff team in the West because they're still really young, but they're a fascinating club. Speaking of Reddick, his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers. I will go even.

Okay, they lost shooters. Jimmy Butler and J.J. Reddick are good shooters. Last couple of years, they've given up a lot of shooters. Dario Saraj, they gave up. They've given up way too many shooters. But maturity matters in this league. Chemistry matters.

Jimmy Butler, not the most mature player. Al Horford, maybe the league's most mature player. They'll be one of the best defensive teams. I think they did their locker room a favor. I think at the trading deadline, they're one of those teams. I wouldn't be shocked. If they had a little cash,

they'd go after Danny Green. They need shooters. And I think they'll know that. by the trading deadline. But I'll say even. They got bigger and better defensively and more mature, but they lost some outside threes.

The Houston Rockets. I'm going to go down. I don't like the vibe I get. It's not that they didn't they kept Gerald Green, they kept Austin Rivers, but I got an owner who's not in love with the coach. I got a GM feeling pressure from the owner on the coach. The coach has a brand new

staff because the owner wanted him out. I've got Chris Paul's knee, which is not getting better with age. And I've seen sort of a pattern here. Ball-centric James Hardin looks exhausted by May. So it's a slight downgrade. I still think they're a player in the West, but there's younger teams, more dynamic teams like Utah that I think could unseat them. The Brooklyn Nets up downer even. They're up. DeAndre Jordan does feel like just an older version of Jared Allen. That I don't really get. I guess he's a buddy of Kyrie and KD. Kyrie's absolutely better than DeAngel. Russell. They're a better version. They're way more interesting than they were last year,

way more interesting. And I do think Kyrie generally when he comes to a team's on his best behavior, he was fine in Boston for a couple hours. So I think for a year they'll be more interesting. But I don't agree with Vegas. I mean, they're way more of a favorite than I would make them. How about the Boston Celtics? Downgrade. Ennis Canter and Kimball Walker are a nice kick save, but you lost Kyrie, you lost Al Horford, and you lost Rosier. Terry Rosier. That's a lot of buckets. That's a lot of buckets. Those are a lot of guys that can make shots. And so I think they did a terrific job to save

what could have been an utter disaster. And as Canteraxe ends up being a really nice get, but they're not a championship team. They are not a championship team. They don't have the size. And I don't think they have, you know, I will say this. Jason Tatum's interesting because I love Jason Tatum. I thought last year he plateaued. I think he will work better with Kemba and we'll see a better Jason Tatum. So the downgrade is not horrific. And finally, the Portland Trailblazers. I would say they're actually an even. Now, Hassan Whiteside is better than Myers-Leon. No question. Little immaturity issue last year of a

contract, hopefully he behaves. But they did lose Seth Curry. Now, 10 years ago losing Seth Curry, wouldn't have mattered. In the three-ball era, Seth Curry's a real guy. They also lost Aminu, who everybody told me as I watched him this year, how great he was. So they lost a couple of guys, a couple of good locker room guys, and they gained a little bit of a headcase in Hassan White's side. Now, Damien Liller runs the locker room, so it'll be fine. Their culture can withstand that. I don't think they're significantly better, but I still think they have a great GM, a great coach, and a great star, so I love their culture. I think people Portland, Portland think, oh, White Side's the answer.

There's a reason Pat Riley parted with him. He's a little difficult. Hopefully he's on his best behavior. But Seth Curry is one of those guys that nobody talks about. But when I watch Portland, what did I say all year in the playoffs? They got a bunch of dudes that can get buckets. And Curry was one of those guys that could get buckets. And Amino could get a bucket, and they're both gone.

So there you go. Up, down and even. Tremendous production values here at the herd. Some of the best work we've ever done. We're very clever here. We spend hours on this stuff. Jason Whitlock said something yesterday. Now, he doesn't love LeBron James getting Kauai Leonard.

Here's what Whitlock said yesterday. He thinks it's bad news for LeBron James. And his legacy. Remember, there's a lot of questions about LeBron. Here it is. I just don't know if this will be a good look for LeBron James. If he adds Kauai to himself and Anthony Davis, I think that cheapens his legacy to some degree. I know some people will celebrate what a great recruiter and he restored the Lakers,

but I'm not sure if this is the best thing for LeBron's legacy landing Kauai letter. I disagree on that. First of all, Michael Jordan couldn't win with a second team. LeBron would win a title with a third. I think we'd forget about that. The other thing is, what is Magic Johnson's sort of legacy? Greatest Laker, greatest teammate. And Michael Jordan, greatest player, killer.

And Shaq, dominating physically and all sorts of laughs and fun, big personality. You can't, those are impenetrable legacies. A video could come out, Shaq being a jerk tomorrow. He's still Shaq. We give him a pass. Michael Jordan quit twice. Punch the teammate. Petty Hall of Fame speech. Still the goat. We still love him. We still buy his shoes.

LeBron's legacy is impenetrable. And his brand is mobility. What does he do with his TV shows and movies? Bring stars to sit in a room together. What does he do with basketball? He brings stars to Miami and Cleveland and Los Angeles together. This is his brand. His brand is not an ISO act.

It's not Jimmy Butler. I want to be the man. That's not his brand. LeBron's versatility and mobility. And so I actually think this place right into his brand. And I also think when you're as big. I mean, think about Tiger Woods how popular he was and now how unpopular he was. And then we all sat in the couch and cried as he won the Masters. We generally look back at greatness with great fondness.

And we just forget what a pain in the butt you were. Brett Farv walks into any room in America. Everybody loves Brett Farv. But man, he threw a lot of bad picks in big games. A lot of them. and you screamed at him and you yelled at him, but now you see him do those Ford commercials and those Gene commercial,

you just love you, some Brett Fav. That's just the way it is. And I think LeBron's legacy is cemented and impenetrable, and I really think this plays to his brand. Let's get a bunch of stars to be in my movie, to be on my TV show, to be on my team. This plays right into that, not out of it.

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 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 Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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 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? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam, Ms. Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have 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. everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, 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. Be sure to catch live editions of the Hurst, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Rick Buecker joining us. Senior writer Bleacher Report covered this league since the early 90s. Okay, by the way, Warriors retiring Kevin Durant's number. What do you make on that?

Don't sue us? Don't sue us. Right, right. At the very least, it is trying to wrestle the narrative because I've never seen a team. in all the time that I've covered the league. And if I go back and even prior to that, when I think historically, I've never seen a championship team that was looked at as the model of the entire league fall as precipitously as this one has. The amount of bad publicity that they have received over the last three, four weeks in how they've handled KD's injury, in KD leaving, in Andre Iguodal.

throwing their medical staff under the bus. All of it is... I've never seen it this dramatic. Steve Kerr is run to the internet, love players on Twitter. You think they'd protect him. Yeah, well, and you would hope that they wouldn't... Everything just seems like a massive overreaction. This KD thing being the exact thing.

Why do you have to announce now that you're going to retire his number after, what, three years? He just went out the door. He just left you. This seems so dramatically like, no, no, no, everything's okay. Our relationship with KD's okay. Andre Iguidal has done more for this franchise. You could argue than KD has.

There's no whisper of retiring his number. Let's just go ahead and retire Steph Clay and Dremont's numbers too. I mean, it seems like a massive overreaction to try to create a sense of all is good when clearly all is not. Yeah, you don't like the DeAngelo Russell move. I do not. Look, it's not, people are taking this like I don't like DeAngelo Russell. I actually love the fact that he's restored his image and showed that he can't play somewhat. I'm not discounting that. And I think he could be serviceable in a lot of places. He had a good year last year. He just doesn't fit the Warriors whatsoever. As a ball dominant guy who doesn't play the way they play with a read and react offense and they desperately need defense. He's not. He's not. He's a ball dominant guy. He's a ball-dominant guy who doesn't play the way they play with a read-and-react offense. He's. He's, He's shown mild interest in that end of the floor. It's just it doesn't fit for what they are.

If it's pure asset and they're convinced they have suitors out there, okay, maybe. But as far as him making them significantly better right now, I think they've got a lot of things to work out. Listen, you know, when you have all these stars, guys, try to find that video of Bob Myers when he stuck his foot in his mouth about two years ago. Try to find that and I'll bring it up in a second. You know, listen, everybody wants stars. The downside to having stars in the NBA,

specifically more than any sport. It's the only sport in America that is star-driven. There's stars in football, baseball, but it's really star-driven. You've got to take care of them. They're gassed up. AAU, one year of college, they fire coaches, not players. So one of the things, one of criticism I heard of Steve Kerr about six months ago from somebody who's in the NBA.

He said, you know, Kerr has become like Mr. Pro Player to a fault, watch his Twitter. They're like, we don't doubt Steve Kerr is pro player. He was a player. He's a good dude. But somebody questioned, now I'm not saying I believe this, but they question Kerr's authenticity, very pro player. And so the downside to having stars is you got to be careful what you say always. This little piece of tape would not be a big deal for the average NBA.

team, but it's uncomfortable for me to watch. Roll this tape. And then I heard you tell Kevin Durant he can have whatever contract he wants next year. Yeah, that was just for the media. He can't have anything like that at all. Mid-level. Yeah, mid-level, behind closed doors. Because I think last year he told Steph he could have any contract he wants too. So, well, yeah, that was different. He's been here from the run, you know, the way before days. He's earned it. There ended the Warriors cohesion right there.

And by the way, again, on almost every team in the league, it would just be a joke and you'd move on to the floats and the parade. But I watch that and I'm like, hey, that's not great. No, if you're watching Kevin Durant's facial expression. I didn't like it. No, that was, without question, that was awkward. And it's one thing to have an awkward moment when you're having conversation within the team or in a club. on a stage? And I love Bob Myers.

So again, this feels like to me, when you have these superstars, these are Hall of Fame guys, just like retiring Kevin Durant's jersey, it is a constant PR play. For sure. Well, and what happens is you can start to get glib and you can get a little too comfortable. And now you can start making jokes that. don't land. And when they don't land in public with someone that you're not rock solid with, and with Kevin, that was always the case. He was always an interloper. And that never quite changed. So then to joke with a guy on that level, it's rough. It's a mistake. It would be uncomfortable at a dinner with you and him publicly.

Yes. Yes. It's 10 times worse. That joke having dinner with him, he'd be like, dude, not cool. Line crossed. Or you can, like, you can text him afterward and go, hey, look, you know, that probably was sorry about that, you know, that was probably out of line or whatever. This, this you can't take back.

No. By the way, I trust my source. I'm told Toronto's meeting Kauai today. That, I suppose everything was expedited because originally he was willing to meet with New York and they were given the third as a date and they thought that's way

too late in the process. So now that he's got L.A., if he's got everything in L.A. out of the way. I'm told he does. I would think that meeting today and then being able to wrap this up before the 4th of July is the timeline now. Now everybody is telling me

Lakers have seized control of this. Now, maybe, you know, I'm not foot on the ground locker room guy like you. I'm told Toronto still has a very viable shot. I have been told the same thing. This is what's interesting, and I'm sure you've been through this. I'm sure the viewers have been through this. When you are going to on job interviews,

and you interview in a place and you walk out of it, everybody feels good. That sounds good. Hey, thanks for the time. We'll get back to you, whatever. And you can walk out of it thinking, hey, you know what, we got a shot. And everybody's feeling good. And then you go to the next one, you go, oh, I didn't consider that.

this looks better than this. And it's not necessarily that you lied to the previous place. It's just you were presented with something new and different or you had something to measure by. Until he sits down with everybody, I genuinely believe Kauai Leonard has not made a decision yet. And it's really hard. And look, we do this. Who's in first? Who is in second?

And there may be some real legitimacy to that and who's in the position, but that those positions are still flexible and movable. And I think that's the case here. I still, from everything that I've heard, I have to believe that Toronto has the opportunity to make a convincing case and still keep him. Remember, Pact 12 schools overlook Kauai. He didn't have a choice.

He was traded out of San Antonio. I can make the argument. This is the first time the big boys have shown him love. Could this just be, and I wouldn't blame him, whoever shows me the most love wins. The difficulty here is that we don't know what the motivation, the primary motivation for Kauai Leonard is. Now, we're all assuming that it's, well, he wants to win. Well, if he wants to win, he's staying in Toronto.

Does he want to go home? Well, then it's to L.A., and it's one of those two teams. Does he want to play with another superstar caliber player? Well, then it's going home and it's going to the Lakers. So it just depends on which one is his priority and then how does everything else stack up. And that's what has made predicting what Kauai Leonard is going to do the most difficult thing. Because I've heard people say, Kauai is the kind of guy who says, oh, you want to play with me? Cool. You don't want to play with me? Cool. I'm going to do what I'm going to do.

and which would lead me to believe he's good with going to the clippers or the raptors. On the other hand, I've also been told after winning a championship and being the lead dog and carrying that weight, he's like, you know what, I wouldn't mind having somebody else who knows how to carry that weight

on the championship level, right? In that case, there's really only one play, I mean, I guess you could make the argument that Kyle Lowry and those guys carried the weight with him, but true superstar, I can lean on somebody else. That means he's going to the Lakers. You know what's interesting is Joy had a story earlier today where LeBron

did not sell Kyrie on the Lakers, that he knew he was interested. It was not a big sales pitch. It's very funny. Rich Paul's been telling me all year. He's been, and I've been saying, Rich, give me a break on this. All year, Rich, and that's LeBron's guy, and we get along really well. But I have been on him all year. I'm like, stop telling me LeBron doesn't have any sales pitch. And he has said all year. He has guaranteed me. He goes, LeBron's not doing that. He is not. And then I see Joy's story earlier and I'm like,

is it possible? Is it possible that LeBron now moving to L.A., a lot of business, got a lot of heat for controlling the cabs and making deals and liking Shabazz Napier in Miami? Is it possible that

LeBron is really disengaged on even the Kauai stuff? LeBron has not recruited as much as people have made it out to be, historically has not done it. Now, and it's, this is what makes it difficult working with LeBron at times, because he has sort of a passive aggressive approach. He does. You have to guess at what he really wants. And if you don't deliver that, then you might be in trouble and you might be at cross, uh, cross purposes with him. But he's not going to tell you directly and some of that people have suggested is because now he's on the hook for this is what

you asked for. I mean, David Griffin went through it with Cleveland where he's like, I got this idea, I got this idea. And LeBron was like, oh, you can't do that. And David Griffin goes and do it. It wasn't like, hey, can you do that? Or hey, this is what I want. It was, oh, you can't do that. Well, ultimately, it's still a matter of it has to work out. What David Griffin's doing has to work out. And if it doesn't, LeBron can say, I never signed it. I never signed off on that. I never asked for that. So it removes him from being directly responsible for whatever transpires unless it goes south and then he's going to let you know I'm not happy with this. It's a tough, it is a tough spot to placate LeBron without knowing exactly what it is that he wants.

Well, what it does is what you said. It creates confusion. I've also said for years, Aaron Rogers is a little passive aggressive and what does it create? confusion. Sure. Greg Jennings. Jermichael Finley. Mike McCarthy. Kobe Bryant never had passive aggressive.

He didn't like Smush Parker. He did like Derek Fisher. Michael Jordan punched the teammate. When you're passive aggressive, it creates confusion. Sure. The bronze created it. Aaron Rogers in Green Bay has created some of this. Is Aaron on my side?

Does Aaron like me? Is Aaron mad at me? It's a reality of that sort of personality trait. Well, yes. And what it does, the troubling part is then there's no accountability. Like I want a guy who says, this is what I want,

and I go get it, and then if it doesn't work, they're willing to accept, okay, he gave me what I wanted and it didn't work. That's on me. If you can get people to do things and try to please you,

and then you can kind of sit back and say, well, I like that or I didn't like that, based on how it turns out, not what you initially wanted. Well, then you're in the driver's seat. You're never culpable for when things go south.

Rick Buecker. You're in town all week. I am here all week. Well, there's a lot going on in this big city. There is. A lot going on here. Good fish in the city. Good fish.

We've been talking fish all the... Joy, I'm working with a couple of weirdos, she says. 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. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice 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. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

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

What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of. 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? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rep, 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. 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 7, Marquis come up to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog.

You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.