The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 07/11/2019

Episode Date: July 11, 2019

After all the dust has settled with NBA free agency, Colin gives you his Top 10 NBA Teams. The Los Angeles Lakers new team makes for a great movie poster but the movie itself might be lacking with so many specialists. The NFL world is constantly shifting towards a safer environment overall for all players expect Running Backs. Kawhi Leonard's basketball career hasn't been as weird and nontraditional as you may think, and The Dallas Cowboys need to understand that Dak Prescott is a good not great Quarterback but deserves the money for keeping you relevant.Guest: Nick Wright Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert 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 a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

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This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Thursday. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on Eye Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Looking at my guest list. Just got in the chair a little late today. Joy Taylor is joining me in a Thursday. Joy, how are you?

I'm great. Good morning. Well, we've got the dust has settled in all this free agency stuff. We also have some good NFL stories. We have a breaking NFL story I'll get to in about five minutes here. We've got some football stuff seeping in, and we'll kind of segue into football here in the next couple of weeks when camps open. But the dust is settled with all these free agents, and everybody now is, you know, making lists and who's good and who's not. And, you know, Buky Cousin said yesterday, this team on paper is unbelievable.

This is a great. Now, remember how players see basketball. Players love Russell Westbrook. He doesn't play winning basketball. Players love Ile Iverson. He doesn't play winning basketball. Players love talent. You know, they like guys in the gym.

Players never brag about Kiki Vandeway or Alex English. You know, players just like talent. Coaches like fit. That's what coach is like. Coaches like stuff that fits together. It's a big crossword puzzle. Bill Belichick isn't enamored with talent. Bill Belichick's enamored with what fits with Tom Brady.

players love just talent guys who can play even if they're way past their prime as i've said the lakers are a movie poster i'm not sure if it's going to be a good movie but it's interesting frank vogue yesterday is talking about the lakers roster i'm just not as high on it as everybody else is i think the clippers are better the warriors are better i think the jazz pieces fit better i think i think denver could be better i think the lakers again i'll it's a i would say strange if the lakers were a movie, they would have two stars and seven Christopher Watkins. That's what it would be. It's a lot of strange.

You ever go to a circus as a kid? And there was a trapeze and there was the giraffe. And then on the corner, they had the tent where the guy was seven fingers and the bearded lady. There's a lot of that with this Lakers. You have guards that can't shoot Rajon Rondo. You have a two guard in KCP two years ago that had somebody personal problems. He wore an ankle bracelet. Javelle McGee is fun but quirky.

Boogie Cousins struggles to get along with people. You have a great defensive big in AD, an atrocious one in Boogie Cousins. You have Danny Green, who by the way can shoot but can't create anything. It's a roster full of size and shooters. But the juice is all LeBron James. He's the juice. He hopefully makes it all work. But if you just start looking at this thing, there's a lot of weird.

And because they waited for Kauai Leonard, they got a lot of used parts. A guy's past their prime, got to overpay for guy, weird body guy, Jared Dudley, Quinn Cook, too small guy, KCP, too much drama guy, boogie can't defend guy. It's an odd part with two stars. It reminds me a lot, to be honest with you, of that Seattle Seahawk team a couple years ago that didn't have an offensive line, didn't really have a go-to running back, didn't have a respectable tight end, had a couple of decent receivers, and it was Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner on each side of the football.

bunch of strange. And Russell Wilson was the only guy that had any juice. And the whole season, he led the team in rushing. He let it in touchdowns. He left Russell Wilson let it in everything. And he was just trying to make all these weird disparate parts work. And by the way, they were nine and seven because Russell Wilson's amazing. He's unbelievable. He's one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL, not just at his position in the league. And he got to nine and seven, but it's the only year he didn't make the playoffs. It's the only year. Because he was the only guy that really had any juice. And then Bobby Wagner was the one guy in the defensive end that had juice.

Then it was a lot of guys you were hoping. You just lost Richard Sherman. And he was at the end of his career and they were injured. It didn't work. And that's what reminds me of. Like, I'm not, I think it's a great movie poster. Utah's pieces fit. Clippers pieces fit.

Philadelphia pieces fit. I think Boston pieces fit. Warriors piece is fit. Even DeAngelo Russell, I think,'s fit. I was thinking about this this morning. You have so many. strange pieces. They're just too small, too old, can't defend, defends great, defends atrociously, shoots but can't create. Your best ball handler, Rondo, can't shoot. Your best shooter isn't really

a great ball handler or creator, Danny Green. So remember, players love Westbrook, because players love guys who can ball. They go into a gym, they sit down, they watch and they're like, look at that guy. Michael Jordan loves Westbrook. Michael Jordan's a horrible general manager. Remember that? It's terrible. Players like one thing, coaches like fit. That's what coaches like. They like fit. That's why Brad Stevens is obviously a great coach,

but the Kyrie thing didn't work because Kyrie didn't fit the other pieces, though Kyrie was easily the most talented. And in the end, it didn't work for either person. So I never, how many great players in NBA history have been great GMs? Larry Bird, that's about it. So what players see is the movie poster. I get it. I like movie posters.

I like movie trailers. What the coach see, what the GM see is usually, can these pieces work? And when you waited for Kauai forever, you know, you ended up kind of taking some odd players. You overpay for Danny Green and Warriors didn't really want to pay Quinn Cook. And Jared Dudley's kind of shot, but he's a good guy and a good leader, but he can't defend. And either can boogie cousins and there's injuries and boogie's not getting a lot of offers I was told. And then suddenly he became a Laker. And Javelle McGee, I like actually.

I think he's funny and quirky. But he's a little different. And as one NBA executive said about this team, It's LeBron A.D. and a bunch of, I think Joy said this, specialists. There's a lot of specialists. Specialists work for Russell Wilson in Russell's prime because he's filthy good. LeBron's not in his prime. LeBron's in his 17th year.

So once again, yesterday it was funny because Frank Vogel, I had her story three days ago. LeBron is the point guard. Frank Vogel's like, no, he's not. Here's Frank Vogel. Very positive. You know, it became very clear that, you know, I was, going to have the support of my best player in LeBron. There is no decisions made on our starting lineup,

no imminent plan to start LeBron at the point guard spot. A lot of different lineups and combinations have been discussed, but it's really way too early for any of that. He'll be a primary ball handler in our system, the same way he has been his entire career, but we're certainly not going to ask him to do anything that he hasn't done his entire career. So this is interesting.

So it would be like saying with Russell Wilson, Well, he's not going to be a running back for us, but Russell Wilson led the Seahawks in rushing. So what you're saying is, well, we're not going to ask LeBron to be a true point guard, but he's going to handle the ball all the time. Well, hell, he better. He's the only guy with juice on this offense. I mean, Anthony Davis, he doesn't create shots for others. Danny Green doesn't create shots for others. Rondo's passed his prime and can't shoot.

Jared Dudley, similarly, Quinn Cook, too small. There's one guy. This is Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. He's the juice. And Russell and his prime made it happen. But even that team had a low ceiling. So I just see the Lakers as odd, disparate parts that make a great movie poster. But I don't think it clicks.

Maybe it does over time. They make moves at the trading deadline. But don't be confused. I read on Twitter about a week ago, it was a funny line. They said, God, this team would have been great four years ago. Four years ago, Boogie didn't have two injuries. and LeBron was in his prime. And four years ago, Danny Green's young and you're like, okay, now, this is not.

This is old in weird spots and can't shoot in weird spots and shoot and can't do anything else in weird spots. So I like four or five teams better than the Lakers. Even though I do think they're really talented. We'll see how it plays out. Now, we're getting to a point now where some NFL news will start breaking here. And here's the story. And the world is changing in the NFL for one position.

Actually, the world's changing for every position, except one position, running back. If you look at what's happening in football in the National Football League, everything's safer, right? There's less hitting in practice. There's less practice. You can't hit quarterbacks. You can't hit wide receivers and tight ends above the shoulders. They're thinking about taking away the kickoff. If you talk to coaches inside the league, the Rams barely hit during the regular season.

I was talking to a USC coach last journey. like by September, we stop hitting at practice. The game is getting safer, obviously, because it needs to get safer. New rules, new equipment, less hitting, less practice. Melvin Gordon running back for the Chargers one year left in his deal said, I'm not showing up. I want a new contract. Now, I don't like guys breaking contracts,

but here's what's interesting about the running back position. It is the last inevitably violent position in football. Everybody's getting hit less. less hitting at practice except running back. And Melvin Gordon's entering the last year of his deal. He's a two-time pro bowler. He's very, very good. And he's sort of saying what Lavian Bell did.

I'm getting up to be like 28. I don't want to practice as much. And I don't want to get hit in the off season. And if you don't get the right pieces around me and I don't get the right money, I don't want to play. Running backs in the NFL are the only position no longer protected by rules they're no longer protected by the culture of the game. Quarterbacks now, bubble screens, three steps, get it out, don't get hit.

Those don't get hit as much. Wide receivers. I mean, there are so many rules now about when you can hit a wide receiver, and the answer is almost rarely. Tight ends don't get banged up as much. Offensive linemen don't grind like they used to. It's more of a passing league than a running league. It's just holding your block for a second and letting a guy go.

So here you have a running back. It's the one position in the NFL. running back with a timer on it. And Melvin Gordon played four years of college and got hit for four years. I mean, he was the guy at Wisconsin, right? And they run the football. Then he goes to the Chargers, and he's the guy for four years that gets banged on. So he's now a couple years away from the cliff year in the NFL for running backs,

28 years old. He's one year away from the cliff. This is the position with a timer. Even Todd Gurley, you watch him. Uh-oh. Uh-oh, it's getting close. Watch out. We thought he was in his prime.

So running backs have become the break pads of the NFL. You can buy the very best. There is a timer on brake pads. And you're seeing it now with Ezekiel Elliott. You're seeing it with running backs around the league. They want to get paid and they want to get paid early. And if they have a year left on their contract, they're looking around the league. Everybody's taking shots now.

Everybody's getting hit less. Everybody's protected more. Everybody practices less. except my position. I don't like it. And I got to tell you, I don't like breaking contracts, but we have a little culture trend here in football happening right now. And running backs, they're the brake pads.

And the league is absolutely going out. And by the way, the football, NFL footballs never had less hitting, especially dangerous hitting. I mean, there's just never been less. Practices, fewer, practices less hitting, quarterbacks. Offensive guys, you can't tag anymore except running backs. So Chargers have a little dilemma on their hands.

Listen, he's a great player, and I would love for the next three years, front-load the contract, I'd love to have Melvin Gordon, and I'd love to pay him. But I think you're going to see more and more of this. And though I don't love breaking contracts, we talked about this yesterday. Sometimes professions move toward you. Sometimes your profession moves away from you, and running backs are in a very strange position right now. Want 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. 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. 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. SportsSlice 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 Slices Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network. work 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. 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 Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert 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? Quarterback on office, Blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifferts show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Orsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives of Housewives show. I think it looks like to be interesting.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to. to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Kawhi Leonard's contract came out yesterday, new clipper, three years, two clippers, than a player option. A lot of us see, I said this yesterday and got some pushback.

I said, folks, if Kauai Leonard wins next year, like he's in the LeBron Michael class, right? Like you, why, I mean, he's only scored 8,000 points. Well, so what? If points mattered, we'd talk about Carl Malone on the show all the time. I'm talking about Carl Malone. It doesn't matter. We talk about titles. At 27, he's ahead of LeBron and Michael.

Okay, at 27, Michael Jordan and LeBron combined had a title. He's got two. Been the MVP of both. If he wins this next year with the Clippers and I think they should be favorites, what are you going to say the next morning? Three titles, three different teams, MVP of each? How is he not in that class? and you're like, well, he's good.

The problem with Kauai is the narrative that he's a weird guy. And we think that his path has been like circumvented and odd. No, it's not. Let's take a deep breath and go back and look at Michael Jordan's path to greatness. First four or five years, fired coaches, got teammates traded, impossible to play with. Then he breaks his foot. Then he wins titles. Then he quits to play minor league baseball.

There's the gambling stuff. surfaces, then he wins again, and then he quits again. That's linear? That's traditional. Well, what about Magic Johnson? What about Magic Johnson? Maybe the second best player I've ever seen. Magic Johnson gets drafted into one of the great rosters in the league. That's rare, and they win immediately. And then it starts to get bumpy, and he gets Paul West head fired.

And then there's the tragic Johnson finals, and people sell their stock on Magic. And then he comes back, and he's dominant. And then all of a sudden, at 32 years old, he's got to retire early. What? That's not usual. Look at LeBron James. Out of high school, he's unbelievable. But for seven years, Cleveland can't get him anything resembling an All-Star. So he holds a press conference to announce it gets crushed, and even though he's the best young player, becomes the league's villain, goes into a final against Dallas, and appears afraid to post up J.J. Berrea. Goes mental. Then comes back, tweaks his game, and for the next five years,

six years, best guy in the league easily. Then his superstar, Kyrie Bales on him. He ends up in Los Angeles on a terrible roster. That's traditional. But the difference is this. Magic got a coach run. Michael got coaches run. LeBron got coaches run.

Kauai couldn't. His coach was a legend. Popovich. So he couldn't just get a coach fired. Instead, he kind of had to engineer a way out and go through Canada. He's ahead of LeBron. If we're talking about titles here, and you folks are obsessive on this stuff,

I'm not. I think Dan Marino is one of the best quarterbacks I've ever seen. Never won a title. I think Charles Barclay is one of the ten best basketball has ever seen. Never one of title. I'm not obsessed with titles. You are. And if you're obsessed with titles,

you can't now say they don't matter. Kauai wins a title next year. Third title, third team, MVP. Is LeBron done that? Is Michael done that? Did Bird do that? Did you do that? Did Will do that?

Did Kareem do that? Did Kobe do that? No. You're obsessed with titles. Third team, MVP. He'll be 28. Six peak years left. He's not as strange as you think.

His path isn't as weird as you think. By the way, he's not that weird. He's just quiet. You do get Megan Rapino taking controversial stances, or LeBron or Muhammad Ali are unique. Most athletes are quiet. Mike Trout's quiet. Pulisic's quiet.

Brooks Kefka's quiet. Tom Brady doesn't want to do politics. Like I don't think Kauai's that crazy. I read a story yesterday in the ringer. He's the most powerful guy in the NBA. This idea that he's a weirdo, I don't know. Looks like he's pretty smart to me. Engineered his way out of San Antonio.

Then engineered his way to the Clippers with Paul George was on the phone and nobody knew it in the league. He's quiet. Aren't most business people quiet? Belichick's quiet. Belichick doesn't leak stories before they come out. You don't hear anything about Belichick. I don't think his path is that zany.

I think if you go look at magic and LeBron and Michael, there's all sorts of crashes, controversies, messes, unpredictability. It's never a traditional white picket fence. Go to a prep school, then go to college, then get a great job at IBM and get a watch 40 years later. It's not the way it works for NBA stars. They get a lot of pushback. Some are villains.

overcome it. Some had bad coaches. Some guys got to run out. You find me the star. I mean, by the way, you want to know the two stars where it was just perfect Utah. They never want a title. Same coach, same arena, same teammates, same guys, no controversy. Couldn't win. Now that, that, that, that, that you want that? I'll take Kauai. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are true. 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 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, 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 of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know, that's a lot.

to break down. Georgia accusing Kelly of sleeping with a married man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewise franchise.

The drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. By the way, the Dak Prescott story is funny because there are pro football focus is something I rely on. They are unemotional and analytic. It's not a bunch of commentary. Nonsense. I don't believe an opinion from anybody. But a pro football focus has a couple of numbers that are frightening. Last year, Prescott, with a great running back,

good receivers, amazing offensive line, and an offensive-minded coach threw for 3,800 yards and 22 TDs. Those ranked 15th and 16th, respectively among quarterbacks. That's with a lot of help offensively. Here's the other one. In the most predictive aspect of quarterback play, meaning this will tell you what your quarterback is. Pro Football Focus says the ability to avoid throws graded negatively by pro football focus. He was 25th among qualifying quarterbacks a season ago, and meaning he's got a lot of negative throws. He leaves a lot on the table.

But DAC is the ultimate NFL dilemma. He's good enough at quarterback. He's good enough to win a division. He's done it twice. He's good enough to go 32 and 16. He's good enough to win the locker room. He's always available. He never gets hurt.

He's good enough to unseat Tony Romo. And that's a dangerous place to be. Now, Kansas City had a quarterback good enough Alex Smith. Good enough to win a playoff game. Good enough to win the division. Good enough to win games. Good enough to get everybody a contract extension on the coaching staff. Nobody gets fired with Alex Smith.

And then they rolled the dice and they went to Patrick Mahomes. And that's good. And so, by the way, the Raptors were good enough with Dwayne, Casey, and DeMardar Rosen. They were good enough. They were a number one seed. And then they fired the coach and they got rid of the player and they won a title. And the Warriors won 73 games without KD. They were good enough.

And they went and got KD and became a dynasty. It's a really, there's also an ethical thing. And this is, this is, you wouldn't think billionaires care about this. But there is a little ethical thing with Dak. When somebody comes to your business and you feel like, I mean, Dak Prescott increased the value of the Cowboys, and this is a reasonable to think, $200 million.

When Tony Romo got hurt and they went into the tank, people started taking the Cowboys off television. They started taking the Cowboys. Listen, the Lakers for the last four years, until LeBron showed up, were off television. Like, networks didn't fight for the Lakers until last year with LeBron. So LeBron brings more than just excitement. LeBron gets on television.

You sell more jerseys. You sell more tickets. Dak Prescott, there's an ethical thing here. Does Jerry Jones feel like, okay, I got him in the fourth round. he saved our franchise $100, $200 million. He kept us on television. I can see if I owned a team, I'd be like, I'm going to pay him more than the market suggests. Cross my fingers, the salary cap goes up.

Now, that's why I'm not a billionaire. Because ethically, I would feel somehow I owe him a little bit. Like things are too good for us. He saved the franchise. They're sort of a saved the business fee that's unspoken and not negotiated that I would feel I owe him. See, I'm not even looking at it from that perspective. Well, that's fair. I think there's

things that you can help him with off the field. You know, those are the endorsements that you get him and the business adventures and introducing him to people for the future. I just don't, are you planning on drafting another Patrick Mahomes? You feel like that's what you're capable of doing? I like my scouting department.

Very talented. I mean, you must love them. Almost as much as Gwen Stefani. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and New Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. The dust is settled. The draft's over. Summer League's going on. Free agents are done. So I'm just going to put mine on record, just so if I'm wrong, you can rip me. So I'm just going to tell you who I think the best 10 teams in the league are as of today,

and you can hold me accountable to it. Here we go. Number 10. I think Boston's about number 10. I don't think they can win a championship. I think they lost too much offense. They lost Al Horford. Very good playoff guys. They lost Kyrie Irving. Their most talented guy. They lost Terry Rozier. Marcus Morris. I think they lost too much offense.

So I think they're good. I think they'll get to the playoffs. I think their chemistry will be better. But chemistry gets you so far. Toronto had great chemistry for years. Then they got Kauai Leonard and won a title. You need a guy. And so I think Boston's not a championship team.

And they're a good team. They're number 10. Number nine. I don't think the Rockets are a championship team. You know, they kept Gerald Green and Austin Rivers. but in the end, we've got a coach who had to fire all of his coaching staff. We've got an impatient owner. I'm hearing a lot of rumors to keep the team relevant,

but we now have a pattern where James Hardin is great in January and looks exhausted by May. I don't think it's a championship team. I think the West has gotten better. I think it's a very good team that could win a playoff series, Hughes to 9. Number eight. Portland Trailblazers. I think they could be a championship team.

They're not today. I think they'd have to move Hassan White side at the trading deadline and get like a Kevin Love player, a four that can hit a jumper. Again, they lost a lot of offense. They lost Seth Curry. They lost Canter. Aminu, Harkless, Myers-Lennar. They lost a lot of points.

They still have a great backcord, and they got a bunch of bigs, but I think they have to move one right now. And I love their coach and I love Neal O'Shea, their GM. I think Portland's really good. But they've got to make a move at the trading deadline to get more points. That could be trading Hassan Whiteside's expiring deal for Kevin Love. Something like that to me. Okay, now I think you're going to move up in that top five be a championship.

team right now I have Portland at eight. Number seven. Denver Nuggets. Again, I don't think they're a championship team, but I think they're very, very good and they're getting very, very close. The Joker is, you know what he is? If Arvita Sabonis would have played in America in his prime, that's what he is.

He can dribble it. He can he's the best passing big man in the game easily. The best passing guy on his team by a mile can shoot it. Jamal Murray. He's a very good number two. Deep, excellent chemistry. Probably need one more guy, Denver at number seven. Number six. Philadelphia 6. I don't think they're a championship team, but I think they're pretty darn close.

They're going to be great defensively. They're massive. But again, it's a shooters league. Like Boston, they let too many points go. I got J.J. Reddick, those are gone. I got Dori Arsar Sarch a couple years ago. He's gone. He's got Jimmy Butler's points. He's gone. Now I got Ben Simmons who doesn't shoot. They drafted a kid out of the University of Washington who can't score and beats fantastic. Cross your fingers on his health. And I like Al Horford. They built a team to beat Millwall. Milwaukee and Janus. They're huge. They're tall. They're physical. I don't think they have enough shooters. I have them at six. Number five. Now I get into teams that I think can compete for a championship. I think Utah is pretty good. I thought Utah was good last year. And I go to Utah a lot and I talk to Quinn Snyder about this. They needed two things. They needed an offensive-minded point guard.

They got Mike Conley. Maybe the most underrated guy in the NBA. And they needed shooters. And they got a guy, Bogdanovich and Conley. They also, Derek Favors was getting expensive. and they went and got Ed Davis, who's sort of a 90% of it cheaper version. I love their chemistry. I like their bench. I like their coach. I love their back court. Donovan Mitchell gets better.

They got enough shooters now. I think Utah is a championship team. Again, they'd need a break. They'd need the Lakers to be a little dysfunctional. They'd need somebody for the clippers to not quite play as well as you think. Number four. This is where I think Joy and I, this is where the Lakers are interesting, a great movie poster. I don't know if they're a good movie.

Yes, they have LeBron and yes, they have A.D. So they're going to be a really good championship level, capable team. But there's a lot of guys that can't create, a couple of guys that can't shoot, two or three guys that are great defenders, two or three that can't defend, several guys that are too old. I think Rondo's shot. Boogie Cousins, you cross your fingers. KCP's never been dependable.

Quinn Cook's too small, but I kind of like him. Danny Green's good, but not if you're paying him 27 minutes a night. I'd like him at 19. They're good. They got LeBron and AD. New coach. Who's the point guard? There's a lot of interesting there.

I don't see a lot of great. Number three. Warriors. Listen, they got to the finals. They were 38 and 5 last couple of years without Kevin Durant. Yes, Willie Colley Stein. They got their big. They got Looney and Willie Colley Stein.

They got their bigs. They'll get Clay. They already have Steph and DiAngelo. They've got their guards. They're not great at wing. Their bench won't be as good. But I'm sorry. New Arena, New Energy.

Draymon, Looney, Steph, Clay, DeAngelo, Willie Colley Stein. I'm sorry, that to me is a championship team. And I don't buy into DeAngelo Russell's not going to work. Why does everybody think Westbrook's great in Miami, but DeAngelo doesn't work with this system? DeAngelo Russell's an all-star level player. Maybe not an all-star in the West, but he's good,

and he can make plays. And Steph Curry works with everybody. I like the Warriors. Number two. Milwaukee. Now, I don't think they're going to be, I don't love losing Malkin-Rogden. And Wesley Matthews is good, but never been the same player post-ACL

But they're young and getting better. So Janus is just going to get better. Chris Middleton is just going to get better. They have now Lopez brothers. One of them is a good shooter. They have a very good coach. They have a very good culture. And I think in the East, to be honest with you, they're going to win a lot of games by 15.

And they're not going to have to play Janus 82 games. I think Milwaukee has got everything I like. I would like one more shooter. But the East is easier than the West. And I think they can stay healthy. They can rest people and win 55 games. Number one. Clippers, not overwhelming, but it looks like everything fits. I get a great coach. I get a great bench. I get depth. I get Lou Williams can shoot. Patrick Beverly can defend.

I get two of the top three two-way players in the league. To me, this just feels like everything kind of fits. Unlike a lot of people, I don't think they should be an overwhelming favorite. Lou Williams is old. Patrick Beverly's got a lot of wear on those tires. Paul George has a history of getting banged up, not being great in great spots. But if you're talking about owner, GM, bench, culture, coach, stars, depth, that's the best team in the NBA, the L.A. Clippers. There you go. By the way, I only think about five teams can win a title. Utah's the last Clippers are first.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Nick Wright via the Coward Global Satellite Network calls first things first. Let's start with my Laker rant because you like them more than I do, and what am I saying that you don't agree with? Well, I don't know, two movie stars and some Christopher Walkins and some Bing Rames and some, oh, that's Pulp Fiction, maybe the greatest movie ever. So a couple movie stars

and Chris Walken and some other odd of these can actually turn out okay, Hollywood, L.A. Colin Coward. But this, you just threw out there, LeBron's never played well with Biggs. Well, when the best big you've ever had is Zedrunas Ilgousis when you're 23, maybe that has to do with it. It's not a perfect roster, obviously.

But Danny Green is a great addition. And if Kyle Kuzma can get back to, rookie Kyle Kuzma from three point land, 37% instead of inexplicably 31% last year, then they have adequate shooting. I don't love Rondo at all. Boogie, I think you have to just basically say anything you get from him is a bonus. But this team, it's not about getting to 58 wins and the one or two seed in the West. Take the clippers out of it for a moment.

Go through the West. You tell me a playoff series where someone can go toe to toe with LeBron or, AD. Utah's got a great starting five. They do. I want to see Boyan Bogdanovich against LeBron. Oh, I saw that in a playoff series a couple years ago. Donovan Mitchell. Okay, see him go toe to toe. The Rockets. I like the Rockets a lot. But Hardin and Chris Paul against LeBron and AD. Denver. Yokich is a great story, and they lost in the second round last year. Yokic in his series against AD and LeBron. Clippers and Lakers are clearly the two best teams in the conference because they have the best duo was in the conference. And in the

playoffs, that's what will matter. They might end up being the third and fourth seed respectively, but that will not matter. I think you're overselling how much discord there is on the roster. Now, real quick, all of that assumes LeBron plays at an MVP

level. All of that assumes that he has the best year 17 anyone has ever had. Yes. I will bet on that and we'll see what happens. I was saying about Kauai Leonard is we like our stories to work perfectly. I read the first chapter, the second chapter, the third chapter.

There's a little conflict, the fifth, sixth, the book's over, and the good guy wins. We like our books to be like that. And we watch Magic's career. We watch Michael and LeBron, and we see them be really good and really talented, then great, then amazing, then dominant, then mogul. And then Quay Leonard comes out. And we didn't watch him in college.

And he won early in San Antonio and didn't get along with a coach. Goes to Canada and it's weird feeling. And I'm sitting there looking, dudes 27, two titles, best player and both, could win a third, and I don't have a problem if he does saying, okay, he's in the Magic Michael LeBron conversation, best two-way player in the game. His path is sooner and weirder, but is it that strange? He just didn't want to be with a heavy-handed coach,

and he engineered a trade, hung out in Canada for a year. I think Kauai could be an all-time great in a year. Okay, pump the brutes. Like, listen, I got no problem with, I got no problem with the path. And I think your point that what is the traditional path? There are even Larry Bird, one team, great or, man, they drafted him a year when he had a year left in college, sat on his rights. That's not a traditional path. So I understand the lack of a traditional path part of it. But all time, great. Just, just calm down. I saw, I heard you, I was listening. You already are giving him next year's title, which is very kind of you. It can go right alongside the third straight finals MVP. You gave Kevin.

Duran a few months ago and the third trade title he won in Golden State that never happened. But like he was the unquestioned best player in the playoffs this year. That first finals MVP, he was not the best player on the Spurs that year. He might have been the best player in the finals for the Spurs. It's arguable, but someone had to win the finals MVP. He's been the unquestioned best player on a team two years in his career, the year two seasons ago, when that spurs team looked awesome, and then Zaza Pachulia maimed him, and then this season with the Raptors.

LeBron, meanwhile, in 16 straight years, has led his team in points and assists. Let's give Kauai a little more time before we put him with LeBron and Magic and Larry, assuming we're not just going, we could assign him the next three straight titles, in which case he's already there, but I'm not ready to do that yet. I want to segue to something because two big NBA topics, we talk. touched on, but I want to talk about DAC because there's this thing about the NFL. I always say, don't try to get happier than happy. If you die happy, you've done a great job.

It's hard to be happy, right? Kids, job, profession, bosses. And I look at DAC, he's good enough. He wins divisions, 32 and 16, good enough to win the locker room, gain the trust of his owner. But Andy Reid had a quarterback that was good enough. He rolled the dice, got Patrick Mahomes, and they're going to win Super Bowls. So I'm kind of going against the grain here. What I say is, don't try to get happier than happy. Good enough. Dak checks about nine out of the 10 good enough boxes, does he not? Yeah, he's good enough. He's good enough to get you beat if you pay him $30 million a year. You can't pay him $30 million a year.

I want everyone to get paid, and if he gets it good for him. But I heard Joy's point earlier, which was you had him on this very cheap contract and you couldn't put the pieces around him. Well, maybe, or despite having an all-pro running back, the best offensive line in football, an all-pro D-tackle. This year, an all-pro wide receiver at the deadline, the quarterback wasn't good enough. He's played 48 games for the Dallas Cowboys. The first 16 and the last eight were very good.

The middle 24 were not very good. And if you want to bet on the come and pay him like he's a franchise quarterback, okay, I feel like he's more likely going to be in the Matt Stafford ilk, which is, yeah, he is pretty good and we're scared to let him go. But the moment you pay him, your team has a hard ceiling. There's three ways to win Super Bowls in this league. Have a superstar quarterback that's paid, have a cheap quarterback on a rookie contract or the one way that the Patriots get to a Super Bowl every other year,

a superstar quarterback that's not paid that well. The one way to absolutely guarantee yourself your drawing dead is to pay a good, not great quarterback, great quarterback money. I'd make Dak play this year out. You can hold the franchise tag over him, and I would make him prove it to me because I'd be afraid to commit myself to him for the next five years. By the way, quickly Russell Westbrook to the heat, you like it. It's interesting.

I'd rather him go to the Spurs. I think the Spurs can create an interesting package. Demarta Rosen. It's an expiring deal. The Thunder want to get off money. And I think Russ would work there. But yeah, listen, earlier today on the show, I said the Nets could be a team that could win the title. That's only if Kevin Durant comes back way early.

If he doesn't, there's only two title contenders out east, the Bucks and the Sixers. If the heat got Russ, they could immediately be the third best team in the conference. Now, can you win a title with him as your best player? No. But in the last 25 years, only Michael, Kobe, and Steph have been a guard as the unquestioned best player on a champion. If you're under 6-6, 6, 6, you really can't be the best. And Kobe and MJ were 6-6. Be the best player on a champion in today's NBA.

You've got to be a wing. So Russ can be the co-star, but that would need Jimmy Butler to take a major, major leap. but it would make them interesting, and Pat Riley is always about the team being interesting, and then you see if you can develop a young player or bring someone else in. By the way, I just want to put this up. Best teams in the NBA, first things, first co-host.

I'll put it up on the board. We don't have a ton of time, but he's got Bucks, Lakers, clippers, Sixers, Rockets, Jazz, Nets. I don't see Denver anywhere. I don't see the Warriors anywhere. Your Lakers are way too high. Outside of that, I'm good with it. Okay.

Okay, so real quick, listen, again, the Nets should have an asterisk. That's if Kevin Durant comes back on the timeline Kobe did, 240 days, he'd be back Super Bowl weekend. But so just remove them if Katie's not good. The Nuggets would be the next team. That's fine. But the Nuggets are not going to beat the Lakers of the Clippers in a playoff series. And then the Warriors, what Warriors? What defense?

They were a bad defense last year and their defense is going to get worse. Steve Kerr is beside himself, that Iggy and Sean Livingston are gone. You really think DeAngelo Russell making $27 million a year is going to go over well when Draymond Green's making 18 and they have not given him a contract extension. We don't know when Clay's coming back. The Warriors can be interesting. They cannot win a title. No, they shouldn't be on that list. That's why they're not on that list.

You, of course, I would imagine, have the Pacers and Lakers neck to neck and neck. But that's your thing. Okay, I got to go. Something different about you. look fantastic. I can't figure out what it is, but there's something has changed recently. It looks very, very... Thank you so much. And congrats to your wonderful daughter about her trip to South Africa. It's a really, really cool thing. Congrats to you and your family.

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