The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Aug 13, 2020

Episode Date: August 13, 2020

-Justin Fields has no reason to play for Ohio State in the Spring-The Lakers path to a title is absurd-Colin's new favorite athlete is Joe Kelly for what he said about the Astros-Zion Williamson might be like this forever-Dak Prescott is perfect for the franchise tag-Colin's NBA Bubble AwardsGuest: Chris Broussard, Fox Sports NBA Analyst 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. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor.

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that doesn't. does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Herd.

This is the Best of the Heard with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a pack Thursday. We are in Los Angeles, and we are live. This is The Heard, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on Fox Sports Radio and right here on FS-1. On an absolutely jammed day, the NBA playoffs, now we're all set. Portland's going to get in. They're the best team not in that we'll get in.

And Joy Taylor is joining me. We got a lot of stuff today. This is really a glorious Thursday. You know, starting about a week ago. We had real shows. No more making stuff up. It feels like we're in this weird limbo space, doesn't it? Like, life is very strange right now. Things are, like, open and stuff is happening.

But it's not, we're not really 100% there yet. It's a very weird space to be in. Yeah, whether you're a political talk show host or a sports talk show host, this is going to be a wild fall. Yes. It's going to be a wild fall. I want to talk about loyalty. I hear that all the time.

Where is the loyal? I've said this several times on my show. I am loyal to one thing, the truth, because I can control it. I can control my values, my standards, and my ethics, and I can control what comes out of my mouth. I love my sponsors, but I can't control them. What if the company gets sold and they can no longer support our show? I love them, but I can't control them. I love my bosses.

What if one of them got a better job or one got fired? I love my affiliates, my radio affiliates, but what if they have to bump them? my show because there's a popular local show. I'm loyal to the truth, which is essentially I'm loyal to me because I can control me. The Big Ten football season will not happen. Potentially it will happen in the

spring, although it's not the spring. It'll be January, February, and March. They have a quarterback named Justin Fields. He's really good. And he does not need to play spring football to be drafted in the top five. 41 touchdowns, three picks. He doesn't need to beat Purdue to get drafted.

If you're the Colts of the Patriots, you've got a pick in the top 5, 6, 7, you're taking him because Trevor Lawrence is taken. The only reason Justin Fields would remain and play is out of loyalty. Loyalty. The coach Ryan Day, good young coach, would love to get January, February games on the schedule now because he'd like him to play before the draft. I don't know if I'd play. And I'm not disloyal, but I'm loyal to me.

Let me give you the argument why he shouldn't play. The one is obvious. He could get hurt. Duh. The second one, January, February, and early March in Big Ten territory is awful weather. His stats. There are no Toledo's now on the state. schedule. It'll be conference games only. His stats will not be as good. Now, I don't think if he has a

30 touchdown seven picks and his stats come down, he's going to drop significantly in the draft, but it may cost him a spot or two, and that's money. He's not going to go up in the draft. And number three is, the Buckeyes are an NFL factory. What if three or four of their players opt out and say, Wyatt Davis is the best guard in college football. What if he says, what's the point of playing against Rutgers in Maryland? They just want to go and get ready for the draft. What about the receiver, Chris Olivay? He's great.

What if he says, why take the chance of a crossing route getting hurt, playing in lousy weather, I'm just going to go to Scottsdale and work out at, you know, an agent training area? Three obvious reasons. Hurt. The season would be in lousy weather. weather, so it's not going to be sunny and there's no Toledo and there's no 600-yard passing game. And number three, the Buckeyes have all sorts of NFL personnel. What have two or three guys on both sides opt out?

You're not going to have as good a team. And by the way, you're not playing for a national championship. And isn't that why Justin Fields went to Ohio State? He didn't go there for the weather. He initially signed with Georgia and then he went to Ohio State. two college football juggernauts that always every year, almost every year, have a chance to win a national title. He doesn't need to play.

I mean, the NBA's number one pick is going to be a kid named James Wiseman. He played three games at Memphis, and then he bowed out. He'll go number one. Talent's talent. Colin, Justin Fields, he needs to start another year. Kyler Murray only started for one full year. He went number one, and he's a baseball guy. Mitch Trubisky, who's not nearly.

the prospect of Justin Fields only started for one year at Carolina. 13 starts. Justin Field has 14. And Justin Fields is a way better prospect. 6-3, 225, ran for 10 touchdowns, big arm. I mean, he's the, if it wasn't for Trevor Lawrence, he's the number one pick in the draft. There's three quarterbacks next year in the draft. He's going to be one of them. So the idea that you go back because of loyalty, loyalty to who?

Ohio State? You didn't even go there initially out of high school. You went to Georgia. What about loyalty to your talent and your body and your career and your family and loyalty to generational life altering money as the number one, two or three pick? I hear this loyalty factor all the time from college students. They go to their message boards. Oh, you have no loyalty.

You don't care about us. No, you don't care about Justin Fields. Justin Fields has rights too. And by the way, January, February, and March is the time where quarterbacks go and work out with Jordan Palmer at his camp. They go down to Arizona and Florida. That is a crucial time that you get physically ready for the combine of the draft. Really? You think beating Maryland is going to be a difference?

The kid threw for 41 touchdowns and had three picks last year. He's a top five pick. and he is a great prospect. I don't think he's as good as the kid at Clemson. He may not be as good as the kid at North Dakota State, but he's really good. Look at him. Big arm.

He is the current NFL. That's what NFL quarterbacks look like. And let me just throw this out there. Fans would be bad at Ohio State, but the dude's in that locker room. Here's the downside to being a Buckeye fan today. Ohio State's got 50 NFL guys in that locker room. Some will get drafted this year. some will get drafted next year, some will get drafted

the next year, and some are now freshmen. They got 45-50 dudes in that locker room we're going to play in the NFL. Maybe a little higher or a little low, but it's around there. You don't think they get it? Why did they go to Ohio State? You don't go to Ohio State to beat Purdue. You go to Ohio State to win national championships.

That's why you go to Alabama. You don't go there for the hot football weather when it's 98 degrees in Tuscaloosa. You go to Alabama? because you win a national championship. That's why you go to Clemson in a small town without much to do beyond football. Let's be honest about it.

If you went for reasons beyond football, everybody would just go play at Florida. Or Austin, Texas. There's a lot of good college towns. A lot of good party college towns. You go there to win national championships. Justin Fields can't. So I totally understand,

although Buckeye message board guys won't, I totally understand. understood if the state today Justin field said I'm out and there's no I came here to win titles we can't I'm out I'm not playing in February against Purdue um I'm sure that'll land well in Buckeye land okay so the playoffs are set in the NBA not officially but they are and they're really good the western matchups are crazy good I'm going to just suggest to you that Portland will end up being in the playoffs really good team I think they'll beat the Lakers I really do so Portland plays the OKC Houston, Denver, Utah, Clippers, Dallas first round, Milwaukee, Orlando.

The West is loaded. The Eastern stuff. I mean, those are great playoff matchups. And those are fantastic. That's the best first round I've ever seen. That's as good as a first round matchup is going to get. Even though Dallas won't beat the Clippers, Dallas will score $1.15 tonight. The Eastern lineup is pretty good, but it feels like I kind of know that Boston's going to win.

I kind of know that Milwaukee's going to win. You know, I think Toronto is going to hammer the nets. And 76ers are limping into that series against the Celtics. I'd probably take Miami over Indiana. But I don't think there is a path tougher for Lakers than the one they're going to get. They're going to get Portland. Then they're probably going to get Houston. Then they're going to get the Clippers.

It is a three-point shooting league. Do you want to know the three top teams in the bubble in three-point shooting? Houston- Portland Clippers. They're going to get all three. If they got a break in Oklahoma City, young, feisty, and good, upset Houston, it wouldn't be that big of a break because Westbrook is hurt, not at 100%. And they got three guards, Oklahoma City's all guards, that can play and shoot. Dennis Schrooter, CP3, and Slay, Gilgis, Alexander.

So if that's the break that you get Oklahoma City, playing with house money, maybe you have the coach of the year, has some size in the front court, and a bunch of dudes that run around young, energized, and can shoot. It is now officially a hot take, as they call it, to say the Lakers are going to win the championship. That you could not have a tougher path. I like the Lakers. I really do. But seating matters, path matters, schedule matters.

I think the Buffalo bills are really good. But if you told me over the next 10 years are going to get to the Super Bowl, I'm going to have to suggest to you that Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes probably not going to let that happen because you may have to beat both. I don't think that's going to happen for Buffalo as much as Josh Allen's got talent. It matters who you play. I think this is as tough a draw as the Lakers could get.

And when Avery Bradley opted out, and when Rondo was injured, we came on the air that day, Joy and I, and we said, this is not insignificant. This is a real story. Avery Bradley is their best defensive guard. They have nobody to guard these guys. Nobody to guard Dave.

Harden. Potentially Chris Paul. They don't have anybody to guard these guys. So not great if you're a Laker fan. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now.

The Houston Astros won a World Series a few years ago against the Dodgers, and the Dodgers are still bitter, but they have a reason to, because Houston, you know, cheated in stuff. They knew what pitches were coming. They were banging on drums and banging on garage cans. And they had this whole system worked out that eventually got their GM and their manager fired. But players did not get fired. They had immunity.

They were rats. And they got immunity. And Joe Kelly is now a Dodger. and it just drives him nuts. The snitches and the rats over for Houston. It should be noted now. Houston is 8 and 10 so far. It's amazing when you don't know when the pitches are coming

and what kind of pitch is it. You're not as good. Jose Al-Tuvres is hitting under 190. And the Astros were first in baseball and hitting last year. Another 15th. It's just amazing when you don't know exactly what the pitch is that's coming. It's crazy how that works.

Must be a nutty coincidence. And Joe Kelly is now a Dodger pitcher, and he got into a scrap a while back about a week or so, maybe two weeks ago against the Astros. He threw it him over their head a couple of times. Love him for that. And he went on a podcast this week, and he's still banging on the Astros. The people that took the fall for what happened is nonsense. Yes, everyone's involved.

But the way that thing was ran over there was not from coaching staff. It was ran with coaching staff. Yes, don't get me wrong. But they're not the head boss in charge of that thing. It's the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little and they don't have to get fine. They don't have to lose games.

He's not wrong, by the way. Now, I've said this before. I'm not a big snitch person, but I would be more likely to snitch as a mobster than I would be a baseball player. Because if you snitch in the mob and you call the feds, at least you can go hide. You can move to a boring town. The food's not as good. There's no juice to your life. but as a mobster, I could rat on guys to the feds,

and a lot of guys have, and they just moved to a city. I'd call the feds and say, listen, get me a nice place in Malibu, looking at the water, I'll sell everybody out. And I don't see myself as a snitch. In baseball, I would not rat. Because in baseball, if you rat, people just throw at your head for years. In fact, you could end up on the team that your former team hates, and people would throw at you and you could be in the sport for 15 years.

You're ratting the mom like that picture of me. You're gone. You're disappear. You go live in Arkansas or something like that. But in baseball, you can't. And that's why the Astros are getting exactly what they deserve. They never considered while they cheated the repercussions. Here they are.

The ball is hard. And guys throw at 98. and they can throw it at you in sometimes a little high and endangrous spots. Here's more from Joe Kelly. When you take someone's livelihood to save your own ass, that's what I don't like. Cheating, they cheated.

Everyone who knows are cheaters. They know they're cheaters. It's over. That's been they're done with. But now they mess it up by going and ruining other people's lives. So they f*** it up twice. When you taint someone's name to save your own name, I think that that is one of the worst things you could probably.

do. It just really freaking bugs me. I think I'll be irritated forever. He is not wrong. Joe Kelly of the Dodgers. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Chris Broussard joins me, our Fox NBA analyst, former New York Times sports writer. All right. The Lakers Path. Lord, without Avery Bradley and Rondo, their guard short. It's going to be Blazers, rockets, potentially OKC, the Clippers. I said, Chris, it's almost a hot take to say the Lakers would get to the finals.

I just don't, I think paths matter, schedules matter. I don't, it's just too hard of a path to me. So you don't see them getting to the conference finals? That's where I have them bother me now because the Clippers are a better team. But I have them getting to the conference finals. Look, let's assume they meet Portland. By the way, I'm hoping to see Portland and Phoenix in the play in. Devin Booker against Damien Lillard, the two best guys in the level thus far. I would love it. Okay, but let's say it's Portland.

Portland is cute. Dame Lillard is phenomenal, but they'll go six. Maybe they push it to seven, but they will not beat the Lakers. And then, Colin, remember, look, this Russell-Westbrook injury, we don't know yet how long it's going to keep him out.

I don't think he would be out in the second round, but if he can't play most of the first round, or if he's hampered badly in the first round, O KC could beat Houston. Oh, yeah. They've beaten them twice out of three times this year. They've got the perimeter, you know, Dennis Schrooter, who was my pick for six man of the year.

You got Chris Paul, obviously, and Shea Gilgis Alexander, who's at a great season. They can match up with the small ball, and then they've got an advantage with Stephen Adams as a big man over Houston. So don't be surprised if, the Lakers somehow met OKC, which would be easy for them in the second round. Houston would give them problems, but I don't think they beat the Lakers. So, Colin, I think the Clippers have a tougher, tougher role.

Dallas is very good. They've been the best offensive teams analytically that we've seen historically ever. But look, I think they'll take the Clippers five. I don't think they have enough yet for the Clippers. And then Denver. Denver is a tough team. Kids. So, yeah, they've got depth galore.

They will have some of the same issues as the Clippers, though, in that they've got so many players who have been out, Will Bart and Gary Harris, starters who have been out that they've got to work back in, and then they've got to cut their rotation, just like the Clippers do. So look, while I say that Dallas and Denver are very good teams, and I think that's a tougher role to hold than what the Lakers have,

I firmly expect Lakers Clippers in the Western Conference Finer. What's wrong with Milwaukee? Are they an automatic to the Eastern Conference finals or the NBA finals? They've been my pick, Colin, and I make my official, you know, playoff picks right before they start. I am really leaning toward going with the Raptors now. And I like Boston, too, but I think Toronto, they're so tough. They've got the depth and versatility. They don't rely on just one guy, even though Pascal Seaccom is their star, they're well-coached. Milwaukee, I think, a few things.

One, down the stretch. And let me throw this out there, three and four in the bubble, but four and eight in their last 12 games. I know that's going way back into March. But still, they were showing cracks before the lockdown even began. I think there's a couple issues. One, at the end of games, as great as Janice is, and he was my MVP vote, and he will win it, and he deserves it.

But at the end of games, teams can box in the paint. And if you keep him from getting to the rim, they pretty much have to rely on somebody else to beat you. Like he's not a great jump shooter. We all know that. So now is Chris Middleton? Can you count on him to beat you winning for you if you're the bucks? Right?

How are the role players going to react? And here's the second thing. Now they are the hunted. They are the favorites. It is a lot different playing with expectations than it is when you're the young upstart that nobody expects a lot from or you haven't yet separated yourselves on the pack. Now that they are the hunted, how's Kyle Corver going to respond? Eric Bledsoe, Brooke Lopez, guys who are veterans but are role players.

Now it could go one of two ways, Colin. What do we always hear about role players? They play better at home. Why is that? because they feed off the home crowd. Now there's no home crowd. So some role players won't have that boost and play better. Others will because they don't have the away crowd working against them.

So it's going to be interesting to see what role players step up. But I am concerned about Milwaukee and beginning to lean toward Toronto. By the way, the Houston Chronicle just reported that Westbrook is going to miss the first few playoff games and possibly longer. So here's, you throw Westbrook and a new coaching staff beyond Dan Tony. You put Hardin together. And then you got COVID. They're back a few.

And now you have separation. That is not good for Houston. So as Chris said, how long is he out? According to the Houston Chronicle, a first few playoff games and possibly longer. God, Houston can't get a break with injuries. Chris Paul, a couple, they can't get a break. By the way, Zion. Now, I'm not, I am a, I'm a quality guy over a quantity guy.

And if you told me Zion's going to give me 53 games a year, 507 a year, I'd be like, I get 65 from Kauai. Shack only gave me 65 a lot of years. Zion to you, first season over, how do you view it? Colin, I am concerned. I am madly concerned about Zion Williamson. because for you to be off for four months and then come back and you can't make it through a week of practices, and I know it was just cramps, but still, you couldn't make it through.

And then you can't play eight seating games, and the five that you do play, you're on minutes restriction, and there's no injury. It's just he's out of shape, basically. He's on, you know, he's overweight, if it will. I think that somebody in the New Orleans organization has got to have the guts to sit down with Zion and say, look, we got a lot of work to do. You can be tremendous. We see that. You score a point a minute.

You're doing that at a rate nobody but Will Chamberlain's done, basically. But we've got to be able to keep you on the floor. I think he needs to lose weight. I keep saying it. I know I'm not a doctor, but we, what do we wait? He hasn't been able to. to play three months straight of high level basketball in his life. People keep saying we've never seen anything like Zion,

so we don't have a comparison to measure it by. What we do see is that he can't stay on the floor. He cannot stay on the floor. That's fair. And I mean, come on. I'm scared. He's 20 years old and he's low managing. Yeah.

So I think this is a huge offseason for him. I think he does need to drop 25 pounds. I think Charles Barkley's the best comp. And Barclay said it. He said Moses Malone told me I was fat and lazy. Now, can Lanzo Ball say that to Zion? Can Brandon Ingram? I don't think so.

Can David Griffin know? Can Alvin Gentry? Somebody's got to say it. Well, those HR departments are busy if you're just telling people they're fat and lazy. That's a heck of a workplace. Okay. I love Dave. That was a different day, right?

That was a different day. It was. So Dame is amazing. So I said yesterday, he's still got five years left of his prime. And I think a lot of Dame, the problem he has, he went to a high school. He wasn't controversial. He goes to Weber State. He goes to Portland, which is geographically remote.

They've never even had an All-Star game. They don't have a hotel big enough. And he doesn't talk a lot. He lets his game do the talking. And, you know, it's a really good franchise. But, you know, Iverson, Georgetown, controversy, unique, style. But I put their numbers up next to each other, and that's with Dame having four more prime years, and I'm like, they look the same to me. They're look, and people are like,

you're out of your mind. Why, why is it there? Are you about to go there? I'm not saying he's there yet, but I'm saying Chris, it's not that far off in three years. This kid offensively is the best shooter right now outside of stuff in the entire sport. All right, let me get, I think there's a lot to unpack there. Number one, and I was talking with a scout in the league about this just yesterday, Damien Lillard and some of these other, C.J. McCollum, Damian Lillard was never, you know, given the superstar treatment growing up, right? You said it. He went to Weber State. He stayed there three years, I believe. And so he's, he can handle the criticism when a coach tells him do this. He doesn't have that ego where he can't hear, you know, the criticism or can't be

coach a lot of this generation's players who grew up as aAU superstars who went to as you said the huge schools they can't take the criticism i had a scout tell me he sat down with players and say he said they said what do i need to work on and he said well you need to lose some weight and they've cut him off they won't talk with him you don't have to worry about things like that with guys like dame lillard who didn't get that superstar treatment so that's one thing I love about it. Now, as far as Alan Iverson, you really want to say he's better. I'm saying, I'm saying in three years, I'm looking at those numbers, Dame's got three to four great years of prime shooting left. Dame is great. There's no doubt about it. Let's see if he

continues. But remember, Alan Iverson won what? An MVP. His MVP, he led the league in scoring several years. He's the best pound for pound score, inch for inch. we've ever seen. There's no doubt about that. And he got a team to the finals. They lost in five games. He did have a great coach in Larry Brown, but they were the one team that got a game from the Lakers that year. Nobody else even beat them, including Tim Duncan Spurs. So I will not go there just yet.

But here's the other thing. Dame now has reached that level, Colin, where now we're looking at, okay, are you going to win? Even if you don't win a championship, will you get close? every year you need to be close. And so I think he's reaching that superstar level. But slow down on, and are you saying he's the best six-footish player ever? Iverson and then Dave.

Let me guess, Isaiah Thomas. Because there's a guy named Isaiah Thomas. I like Isaiah Thomas. I don't think he shot like this. And I liked him. I liked him a lot. Well, nobody at that time shot like this. But Isaiah is the only person alive that can say,

I beat Jordan, Bird, and Magic in their. prime. They all had top 50 teammates. Isaiah didn't have one top 50 teammates. No, I get it. I like Isaiah. You're just trying to marginalize me that I don't like Isaiah Thomas. I love Isaiah Thomas. All right. He's the best small player ever. If you don't count Steph as a small guy. Yeah, I don't. All right. Good seeing you, buddy. All right, my man. 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 Zion Williamson's rookie year's over. So it's over.

And I'm going to read you the numbers. They're pretty good numbers. They're about what we predicted before the season. 22.5.6 rebounds, two assists, and he shot 58% from the field. He didn't play much. 24 games. What if this is what he is, special but infrequent? You know, I used to have this, I used to do this all the time with a friend of mine, Joe.

And he said, would you rather go to, 12 NBA games and have bad seats or two and have great seats. And I was always like, oh, I take two. If you put me on the floor for two games, I'd take that over 12 in the upper deck. And I said, to me, it's just an argument over, would you rather eat once at a great steakhouse or four times at, you know, shaggy's down the street, which has health violations? Give me quality over quantity. What if this is Zion Williamson?

He's great, but infrequent. He's a 53 a game guy every season. All right. I mean, Kauai Leonard, last two years, his average 60. You wouldn't take him? Shaq in his prime was playing 66 to 69. You wouldn't take him? I'm a quality guy.

Kansas City won a Super Bowl. Mahomes missed two games and was hurt for three others. Like, everybody gets caught up in, well, he's not there. Shack didn't even like to practice. Shack missed all sorts of games. You know, this goes to my Tua argument. I think Tua is going to be a really special NFL quarterback. If you told me today, two is only going to play for the next eight years, 13 games a year,

it's not ideal. It would be great if everybody's LeBron. They play for 17 years and get hurt once. But that's not the way the world works. Some people get sick more often at work. Some people have underlying medical issues. Some athletes, you know, they get banged up more. If Zion is as good as I think, these are his rookie numbers,

22 a game, six rebounds, 58% shooting. If he becomes, I mean, can we add five, six points on? I think we can. If he becomes a 27 point a game, nine rebound guy, never great defensively, but just hell of fun to watch. And I get him for 58 games a year. You do realize Adam Silver is trying to reduce the number of games in the NBA season, which I wholeheartedly agree with. I have no idea with the NBA travel and the 7,000 calories a player can burn in a two-hour, three-hour NBA game, why you'd play 82 games. You want him healthy for the postseason. Play 65, 68. Boom. Let's get to the playoffs.

Three game first round, five game second round, seven game conference finals, seven game NBA final. Let's make urgency. Let's make a matter. Let's keep these guys healthier longer. Most guys aren't LeBron. They get hurt over the course of a time. They wear down. Even the late Kobe Bryant, last couple of years, he was getting banged up. It happens to the all-time greats. So, you know, it's funny about this. There's something about the NBA guys. were bothered when they miss games. Ask yourself, Aaron Judge is the best baseball player. He's certainly the face of baseball.

Aaron Judge has missed at least 50 games the last two years. Nobody talks about it. J.J. Watt has missed half of the Texans games the last four years. Nobody bangs on him. Why are we banging on NBA guys? It's hard. The travels brutal. We consider them the world's best athletes.

The cardio, the running up and down, the getting on a flight at 1130, flying cross-country. The schedule's brutal. Maybe his body isn't good for it. But if you ask me, 12 NBA games in the upper deck or two on the floor, I'm taking two on the floor. I say it with two. If you give me 13 games a year, well, then it's the Miami Dolphins responsibility to

have capable backups. There's a lot of good quarterbacks out there. I mean, Tyrod Taylor was viewed as a backup quarterback forever. He's starting for the Chargers this year. Last four years, I think he's got a winning record. There's a lot of good quarterbacks out there. Get a good backup. But I would take Zion in one second.

Some things are great, but they're just less frequent. Quality to me, he's worth it. All right, so, Dak Prescott, Jerry Jones, were talking yesterday. I will say this. Dak Prescott has become Derek Jeter. He talks and says nothing. Dak has got it down. I've never seen the young quarterback.

DAC should run for governor after he's done being a quarterback. He says nothing and talks all day. He has figured out exactly what to say and never say anything, you know, flammable. So he and Jerry were talking yesterday about the contract and the Cowboys. Twelve players, by the way, this year. Twelve couldn't get a deal done, got franchise. So Dak's not alone on this, and Jerry talked about his contract. We think he's outstanding.

We think he's our quarterback of the future. We just couldn't get together at this particular time. And candidly, nobody knows what's going to be there next year, next year, or the next year. So all of that came to bear, and this was just a less than stable time to be talking about serious, serious, generational, if you will, to use Dax term, dollars. For the record, they did offer him $105 million. They didn't stiff him. stiff him. They didn't dine and dash here, eat and run out of the restaurant. They offered

him $105 million. Listen, I know people in the media whose contract is up right now. It's a rough time to have your contract up. This is not business as usual. You sign George Kittle and Patrick Mahomes. Those are guaranteed players. George Kittle is the best tied in football or the second best, and Mahomes is probably the best or second best quarterback in the NFL. Those are guarantees. If you have any questions, you put it off for a year. And with DAC, there are three fundamental questions.

The three questions for DAC, and they're reasonable ones, how come his stats and wins against good teams have plummeted the last three years? I don't know. How come, is it DAC or Jason Garrett who is responsible for that? And the third question is, can Mike McCarthy turn DAC into rookie DAC. So we beat the good teams and the bad teams, got him into the playoffs, and the stats were good. If you have questions about an employee right now, you put it off for a year. It is not business as usual. This is not, they offered him over $105 million. I'm actually surprised. I'm not surprised DAC was franchised. I kept saying for six months on the show, Dallas reporters, one after another would come on the show and they would say, it's guarantee. He's going to sign a deal.

My takeaway was, you only got so much money. This is a salary cap league, and they've signed everybody. And second, this is not business as usual. It's a different year. I'm shocked Ryan Tannahill got a contract. I mean, he, to me, more than DAC, is the ultimate franchise quarterback. Because what owners and general managers use the franchise tag as, it wasn't intended to be this, but here's what it's used as now.

The big question mark. It's a big box with a question mark. And if you have one, you franchise tag. Dak, the three questions. Why can't he beat good teams? Whose fault is it? Can Mike turn it around? Ryan Tannehill felt like lightning in a bottle to me.

He faced the worst Patriots offense in about 10 years. You know, they weren't dominant in the regular season. They were healthy late. Derek Henry was on fire. They got a good playoff matchup with Baltimore and took a lead. I would have absolutely franchised Ryan Tannahill. And I don't think the franchise, let's not, it's not dismissing a player. It's saying you got a question mark.

And this is why we had it. And by the way, you players in the, the CBA agreed to it. So I do think DAC is going to be fine. I think we're going to be in the same situation one year or in six months from now that we are now. Or DAC will be fine. It'll be eight and eight, nine, and seven.

Numbers be good, not spectacular. And we're going to be asking ourselves. Now, at that point, you franchise a quarterback, they don't like it. You franchise them twice and they start screaming at you like Kirk Cousins. Like that's what it gets in six months. This could get prickly. I think DAC is serious when he's like, you know, this is great. fourth round pick, had a lot of money.

Six months from now, they're nine and seven. They squeak into the playoffs and people say that. Then, then you may have an issue. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman. documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space. For honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app,

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

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're freed? 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. All right, here we go. Here are our NBA Bubble Awards, which they're actually handing out. Yes.

All right. Rookie of the bubble. Tyler Hero. John Morant, Michael Porter, Jr. or Zion Williamson? I'm going to go with a kid I've been waiting to watch play for two years. Michael Porter Jr. He was a great recruit and had some injuries.

We've all been waiting to see him. He's supposed to be a remarkable talent. Well, the kid can score. He's an absolutely natural score. 22 a game, led all rookies in the bubble scoring. And he's a really nice show. shooter, 42% shooter from three-point range, which is the modern NBA. Nuggets got a good one. Also, he had a game, first NBA rookie ever, league history,

to have 30 points, 15 boards, and five three-pointers in the game did against the sun. So he's all that in the bag of chips, and Denver's got Yokic and Jamal Murray and a very good staff and a good scouting department, and now they've got their next star. So keep your eye on Denver for the next four and five years in this league. Bright future. Yeah. The most disappointing team, 76ers, the Lakers, or the Pelicans. You know, this is hardly a shock. The most disappointing team in the bubble is going to officially be the Philadelphia 76ers.

By the way, they were outscored by 21 points in the fourth quarter. You'd think with all this talent, you could excuse it if they were a little slow out of the gate. They're a bad fourth quarter team in the bubble. They had a losing record in the bubble. Ben Simmons is out indefinitely. And all we heard was, oh, the chemistry. You know, this time apart, the chemistry will be great, and it wasn't great. And they still can't play together and blow this thing up, let the two stars go their separate ways.

It's very difficult. The best play, Booker's game winner, Donch's his leg pass, Kuzma's game winner, or the Lillard Bounce 3. I'm going to go the son's Devin Booker. is. They bring the double at Booker. Book on the spin. Fires for the win. Got it.

It's gorgeous. Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know, now you do. Very fun moment. Although that leg pass was pretty clever. Ridiculous. All right. Most surprising team, the Blazers, the Nets, the Spurs, or the Phoenix Sun? There's a couple of them here, but we don't talk about them a lot.

So let's give it to the Sons who were 7 and 0 in the bubble. This has been not always the best for an organization, but you got to give it. You know what? They could have mailed it in. They could have mailed it in. 7 and 0, best point differential. Devin Booker average 31 in the bubble. Monty Williams, congrats to you.

He'll probably win coach at the year in the bubble. So it's a nice story. It's a really good NBA town. I've gone to many sons games through the years. Now they've got a superstar and they just got a draft better and get somebody beside him. All right. The most surprising player, Carmelo Anthony, Skinny Mello, Michael Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr. or T.J. Warren. I didn't know much about T.J. Warren. I think it's T.J. Warren. He played at NC State. I don't even remember him in college. And he was like a crazy scoring machine. consecutive games with 30 plus points in the bubble. He never had consecutive 30 point games in his career.

So this dude took the five months. Unlike Chris Middleton, who said, I didn't grab a ball. This guy worked it. Like this guy totally worked it. His two highest scoring games of his life both came in the bubble. He had 53 points against the Sixers and 39 against the Lakers. So tip of the cap to T.J. Warren, who took his pandemic time seriously. All right.

The best bubble concept. Camera angles, jersey slogans, play in game are the virtual fans. This is tough. I'm going to go virtual fans. I think this is really brilliant. I like it too. I do not think it was going to look good at first. That's Little Wayne.

Yeah. There was Little Wayne that was in there. Chris Bosch. There was a goat. There was at one point. I think it looks great. And I also think this is, for a lot of people, this was great. If you could tell your friends, I'm going to be in the NBA game tonight on television.

I thought this was, you know, you and I have talked about this. There's an old saying that basketball thinks of it first, football gets it right, and baseball makes the most money off it. Basketball's been very good through the years of coming up with new concepts. Now, some aren't great. Remember the jerseys with the jerseys with the sleeves and the new ball? But you know what? Every few years, they rolled out. I thought this was brilliant.

I like it too. All right, free trip to Florida Award, the Kings, the Pelicans, or the Wizards. Bradley Beale, would you please leave this organization? The Wizards are pathetic. 0 and 7 in the bubble, not even really competitive. 0 and 8? Oh, they just did? They beat the Celtics today.

Tip of the cap. They beat the Celtics backups today. And they had lost five of their first seven games by like double digits. So the closest game they had was getting whacked by the Nets. The Nets don't even have their talent. They were competitive. They got to go to Disney though. Bradley Biel, go find another team.

All right, we didn't care award goes to the Bucks, the Clippers, or the Lakers. This is tough. Well, I'll go Clippers. They had so many players miss games. They were outscored by 26 points in the first quarter. That was second worst in the bubble. so it's not like they came with any intensity. Kauai Leonard missed a game.

Paul George missed a game. Lou Williams missed two. Patrick Beverly missed four. Montres Harold missed seven. To me, what they're really all about is stay healthy. This is all about brand play in Los Angeles. You don't see many clipper hats. This is like the Mets.

When the Mets mattered in New York, the Yankees stunk, and the Mets were not only good, they won the World Series. And for a time, they shifted the sentiment in New York. When you're an underdog in a city, you've got to win a World Series. The Mets for about three years with a talk in New York, they had stars, they went a world series. Winning and beating the Lakers in the playoffs is not changing anything.

They have to win a title, and they haven't been into the regular season from day one of the regular season. They have never cared. Just get in, get healthy, let's go. Best non-basketball story. Companions, fishing, the rooms, or wings. This is an easy one. Wings. Yeah, that was the best one.

Hot Wings Williams or lap dance, Lou. Lemon pepper, Lou. He went to a strip club, Magic City, which is supposed to be fantastic. Don't know. And he said he was going there to get dinner, and then there was some reports that there was a side of lap dances. I will say this, the food looks terrific. It really does. Congratulations to Magic City on all the first.

Are you now that this story has happened? Would you eat wings from Magic City? Oh, absolutely. I love wings. Absolutely. But you would have them delivered to you? You wouldn't actually go? Well, if my wife went with me. Of course. All right. MVP of the bubble, Devin Booker, Luca Donchich, James Hardin, or Damien Miller? Easy one. Dame, because he went into the bubble. He had to carry his team. Okay, like, they have, they have, these are playoff games for them. Like, they have to get into the bubble. He had massive pressure.

37 points a game, a 61 point game against the Mavericks, five and two in the bubble, shooting 42 and a half percent, three-point percentage, which is the highest. And it's not just that he's scoring. These are huge games, and C.J. McCollum has been hurt. You know, Carmelo Anthony is like 36 years old. They've got some bigs. Nerkich is back.

But his performances, they were in close games. Like his points were not winning games. They were like, they're games that are going to, if they beat Brooklyn today, they make the playoffs because of him. And I think he's such an unbelievable talent. He just went to Weber State and he's in Portland. So nobody pays attention to him. We've all known he's good for years. But I think in the bubble we're like, holy hell.

He's just been tremendous to watch. He's an unbelievable Hooper. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on. Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but in Encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam Jay.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard way with your favorite things. therapists and host care games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.