The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Feb 06, 2020

Episode Date: February 6, 2020

Colin thinks the Rockets are trapped by Russell Westbrook and are now making trades simply to accommodate his limited skill set. He thinks the Heat are the reason why the Lakers can't trade younger assets for more old players and explains why. Super Bowl Champion Head Coach Andy Reid talks with Colin about finally getting his Championship and when he knew Patrick Mahomes was special. Plus, Fox Sports NBA Analyst Ric Bucher comes in studio just minutes before the trade deadline to discuss the Golden State/Minnesota trade as well as the Clippers beating out the Lakers for another veteran player. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way 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 does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast what's up guys

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, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to the best of herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio. Here we go.

We are packed on a Thursday live in L.A. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on iHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Great NBA stuff today. One hour from now, Super Bowl winning coach Andy Reid stops by. And Joy Taylor is joining me. you in a Thursday, Joy. I'm good. My heat took an L last night, but

Pat Riley's making moves. Pat Riley is making moves. I'm going to get to that in a second. Trade deadline at the end of our show today. So let me start with this. I would always rather pass on somebody that's expensive than pay for somebody and regret it for years. The worst thing in salary cap sports like, you know, the NBA or NFL, is you're stuck with a terrible John Wall contract. That is the worst place. Listen, I would have some regret if I passed on a great player, but it's the NBA. There's always another trade and another player available. What you don't want is a terrible contract that you can't move. The Houston Rockets, who have a real smart general manager, had to move off a very good player yesterday, Clint Capella, who gives you a ton of

easy baskets. He's a big guy who can run. He can defend the rim. And now that the world's shortest basketball team. And why did they move off him? Russell Westbrook. They are trapped. $41 million and a half dollars for the next four years. He can't shoot. The game's moving away from him. He can't play with anybody and he's hard to coach. I don't always love Hardin, but he's coachable. And he is the games moving into him. So here's a prime example. They had to get rid of Capella. They love Capella. Two years ago, all I heard, oh, I love Capella. I was like, oh, he's okay. Love Capella. Last year. I love Capella. I'm like, I like Capella. Now, all of a sudden, ain't no good. So they have no rim protector. Good luck in the West. Facing Anthony Davis, facing the Joker in Denver, Go Bear, Yonnis in the East with no rim protector. They got rid of him for one reason. They loved him. Rest book. Russell Westbrook. I'll say it again. He's shooting 23% from threes. Think about this. of all the NBA players who have shot at least 83s,

Westbrook is 236 out of 236 players. Dead last in the league, he's a guard. If he was a center or a power forward, he's a guard. He is lower than Markell Fultz, who two years ago forgot how to shoot. If I was Markle Fultz and my microphone was the basket, he couldn't hit it.

He's last and won't stop shooting. and doesn't play with anybody, and he's uncoachable. Listen, I've been tough on four athletes in my broadcasting career in the last decade. Mello, Baker, Tebow, Westbrook. I'm four for four. I don't go hard against the guy unless I know I'm right. I was right seven years ago. I was right five years ago.

I was right a year ago, and I'm right today. It is an unmovable, awful contract. For the record, Oklahoma City was sixth last year with Westbrook. They're a bunch of babies. They're in diapers. They're sixth again this year. and Houston was way better without him. Now they're worse, and Capella's gone.

And they loved Capella. All I heard for the last three years, all the time they put into Capella, all the scouting, they develop them, the coaching. Do you know how much time Houston put into Clint Capella? All the easy baskets, all the rent protection, gone because he can't shoot. That's a fair knock, but it's okay. I'm okay if you have a big who can't shoot. If he rebounds, he gets you easy baskets.

You're going to have one of those guys. But you can't have two, and you certainly can't have Westbrook shooting 23% from threes. He's gotten worse, not sure how it's possible. He has. So in sports, yes, I would regret not spending big money for a great player. But there's always another player out there. I mean, take out Patrick Mahomes. You can replace.

There's always another great quarterback or two out there. There's somebody that can win your games. Kirk Cousins can win your games. But what you don't want in the NBA is a bad contract that you can't move. You can't move John Wall's deal. You can't move Westbrook's deal now. And I've been right on this. I got nothing against him.

But don't tell me you love Capella for two years and now you're moving him. If you can't defend the tin against Anthony Davis and the Joker and Yonnet, they're just NMB if you played him in the playoffs eventually, you can't be as short as Houston is today. You can't have PJ Tucker. Who's your five? So it's nothing against Russell Westbrook. It really isn't. But I've been right on this. I'm right again. Houston's worse with him. OKC's fine without him and his contracts 41.5 large. Folks, he's 236th out of 236 guys shooting threes. I mean, Houston two years ago was a Chris Paul hamstring from beating the Warriors and getting to the finals and probably winning it. Now, they don't even have an identity. Their identity is

they're the shortest team in the league with one guy who can consistently nail a three. I still don't think Darrell Morey wanted Westbrook. My gut feeling is the owner wanted him. The GM didn't. He didn't make any sense. Day one analytically. It didn't make sense. All right, let's shift to this. So the Miami Heat are back. Now, not like back to winning the title, but they're pretty good. and they're interesting. It looks like they're going to get Iggy, Andre Aguadala. Andre Aguadala at this point is an expensive old guy who situationally can help you a little in the half court.

He's not changing, he's not beating Milwaukee. He's not going to beat the clippers or Lakers. But it makes him interesting. So let's think about this. Pat Riley is as smart as any current basketball executive in the world. It took him six years. post-Lebron to just get interesting in Miami. And this is what I've said about the Lakers in Kyle Kuzma.

Be very careful. Be very careful trading Kyle Kuzma. So when you get LeBron, and this is what's happening in Cleveland twice in Miami and the Lakers, you have to get rid of all the young guys and you get all these veterans who can win now, and then LeBron leaves you and you are a mess. Miami in a great city with a great history, with a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, basketball mine and Pat Riley. It took him if this deal goes through six years just to get quote unquote interesting in the east.

In the east. That's why I say, I don't think the Lakers win it this year. I think they're really, really good. Lose to the Clippers. And they would lose to Milwaukee, probably. And if they don't, then LeBron's a year older. I mean, Rondo's on life support. Dudley's on life support.

Dwight Howard's, come on. And LeBron's now in his 18th year. And you trade Coosma and you got no fresh legs. Fresh legs don't win you the title. But if you go last year and look at Toronto, Fred Van Vleet, you know, having some young guys around.

Cy Occam's obviously a very good player. But this idea that you could just go old, old, older, oldest. The Lakers at one point said they wanted Andre Aguadala. Really? Another old expensive guy? So Doug Gottlieboha says this. about LeBron. We know he's great. But man, when you cater to his every wish, and they did in Miami, and they did in Cleveland, and they are in Los Angeles, sometimes he leaves, and it is a decade,

if you could even do that, to clean it up. One of the things we give credit to LeBron for, guys that love LeBron like you and Nick Wright and others. Hey, when he leave, look at the record for the calves when he left. Look at the record for the heat when he left. Part of it is that's who LeBron is. Like you try and create everything to be perfect for him. And when he leaves, it's like the kid that comes over to your house. And every time he comes over to your house, right, somebody ends up being sick or the playroom's messed up. And you're like, what happened?

They're like, well, LeBron was here. This is what happened. LeBron's a lot of fun. And everybody has a good time. And then when he leaves, you know, everything is a mess. By the way, I'm a parent. That's his best analogy ever. That really happens all the time.

So, and I will say this about Miami, not only that it takes. Pat Riley in a great city with a great owner and great history. And by the way, Spolster's a great coach. A lot of you fans bang on him. This is one of the few teams in the NBA that plays defense every night. So Spolster's a great coach. He really is. He's a top five, six coach in the league.

Riley's a genius. Mickey Harrison's a great owner. It's an amazing basketball city. It's got a great basketball culture. It's an estate with no state tax. You look out your door, it's aqua water in the winter. It is great. And it took them six years if this deal goes through to get interesting.

Cleveland twice has never recovered without. brought. They've never recovered. So just be very careful about trading Kyle Kuzma for another old guy. Because if the Lakers don't win it this year, next year is what? Who do you have? You spend so much time scouting and drafting and developing Kyle Kuzma. Ship him off. Have you noticed Brandon Ingram now in New Orleans? Having a hell of a year. You put a lot of time into Brandon and Ingram got no payoff, and it's New Orleans that gets all the payoff. LeBron's not lasting forever. This team in L.A. is good enough to win now.

I don't think they will, but the Lakers are good enough to win now. Let's keep the one young player, the one pair of 26 minutes a night fresh legs at 6'8, that can still hit an occasional three. Keep Kuzma. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context,

and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast,

Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

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

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 Hardway 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? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Clivert. show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming.

The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. You know, my wife, you know, I say something and I say, oh, I like your jacket. Right.

Where'd you get that new jacket? She goes, no, I saved you money on this. It was on sale. And the old joke is, God, I'm going to go broke with you saving me money. And we joke about this, good nature, but there is a, the media loves to spend everybody else's money. The media is always saying, pay for that player, pay for that player. Is your money?

Okay, because you're an expert. We're all experts in the media spending your money as a GM or an owner. And there's an old rule in investing. Never invest in a company unless everybody's got their own money in it. Not Daddy's money. Daddy's rich and Daddy hands you a bunch of money. No, no, no, no, no, no. You're just losing Daddy's money.

Your money. Kay, Chief, I'm not interested in your daddy. I'm interested in you. never go into business with a rich dad's kid who doesn't have his own money because they don't have the sweat and the game. They got nothing to lose. It's daddy's money. And so everybody says, mooky bets, $400 million.

What were the Red Sox thinking? And I thought a lot about this last night because my first, I became your typical media guy. How can you not spend $400 million? You can't spend $400 million on a baseball player. Mike Trout finished in fourth last year. Okay, the Angels with Mike Trout, the World Series odds, the same as the Cincinnati Reds. Okay, the Atlanta Braves, you can't name two players on the Braves, fourth best World Series odds. The Dodgers keep either getting to the World Series or winning their division, and they won't spend big money until Mookie Betts.

The reality is, if I asked you, Mookie Betts wants $400 million for 10 years, in the entire world. I'm not talking like, let's not talk global soccer, but I'm talking all of our pro leagues. If I said 400 million 10 years, 40 million a year, there is one guy I'd pay it to, Patrick Mahomes. And I would have a meeting and consider Janus. That is it. I love Russell Wilson. He's 31. I want to be paying him 40 million a year at 29. That runaround stuff's not going to look as good at 38 as it does at 31. And I love Russell. One guy, Mahomes. That is it.

And for the record, baseball's not football. You can't get to Super Bowls generally, consistently without a real guy, a Hall of Fame guy throwing it. A Peyton, a Brady, a breeze, a Mahomes. That gets you to the game. You can have the occasional capernick in a system, but doesn't last very long. So, again, the media loves spending everybody else's money. Mookie bets. I can't do it.

Mike Trout's in fourth place. Mike Trouts, he had never won a playoff game. You can't name players on the Braves. They have fourth best odds. So I get it. I mean, I get it. I would spend it on Patrick Mahomes, and I would have a meeting on Janus.

I would sit down and have a meeting and figure out a way to make it work. Well, first of all, I pick San Francisco to win the Super Bowl, and I said, I hope I'm wrong. Because one of my favorite humans in the NFL is Andy Reed. And I think we were all. I think the league, I think everybody here, even my friends, I live next to San Francisco 49er fans in Los Angeles. And they were all like, yeah, but we lost Andy Reid.

We all like Andy Reid. We're okay with Kansas City winning. He joined us now via the Coward Global Satellite Network, powered by Mercedes-Benz the best or nothing. You know, Andy, I know you're a football guy, and you don't listen to most of us loud mouths on radio and TV. But there was this thing hanging over you for all. long time. Well, Andy can't win the

Super Bowl. Did it ever even a little bit, coach, bother you? Not really. I feel better about seeing the smile and the tears with the players and the coaches. And I've always been that way. I'm in it to teach

and to do all of that. I don't listen to the other part of it. Yeah. That doesn't mean I don't want to take away from the fact that I like to win. And so So that's a big part of it. And that's obviously the ultimate goal of all of us is to win the Super Bowl. So I love the experience.

You know, Andy, I said before the game is I felt you had the best player, but they had a deeper roster. When you were looking at film for two weeks with San Francisco, Andy, did you ever look at that and think, fellas, they got a lot of talent here. This is going to be a four-hour effort for us to win. Were you at times looking at that film thinking, have we met our match? No, I didn't look at it that way. I looked at it that their defensive front sure was good. And then you're always looking for matchups and that or mismatch, however you want to call it. But matchups become a big thing in the NFL.

So I thought we were okay going into it. I did say, though, that I thought it would take four quarters. You had the two best teams of football playing each of. other. And so we prepared ourselves for that. And that's kind of what we got. Andy, people won't talk much about your defense because of your offensive history and success. But I felt in week 11 to week 12, I don't know what happened, but something clicked, Andy, and your defense was significantly better. What was it? Well, I think we made progress all the way through. It was small increments. So to somebody's eye that's possibly not a coach, you're not going to see.

those small things that were taking place. The players saw it. That's why they all bought in and stuck together during that time and didn't turn on the coach and things that you see in this league. So I felt like if we just hung in there and kept that going with those small increments, eventually this thing would kick in and it would come to our advantage and that's what ended up happening. Two and a half years ago, Peter Schrager said to me,

he said, I just talked to Andy Reed, and I went, he goes, this Mahomes kid is even Andy can't contain himself. So I want to go back. Obviously, you looked at a bunch of college stuff, and then you draft him, and then he's in your rooms on your practice field. Go to the moment, Andy, when you turned to your personnel guy, your GM,

Brett Veach, and said, oh, Lord, this is all different. When did you know? Well, first of all, I give all the credit to Brett Veach. He's the one that laid his name out there to Doris. and I and made us watch clip after clip after clip. And so we brought him in for this six-hour interview and beat him up for that period. And I came out of that going, you know what, there's some things here that Brett said he was the best player of difference.

I can see some of these characteristics that he talked about with leadership and how intelligent he is and all those things. Well, then you go, well, let's see what he can do here, you know. And then he comes in and during the rookie minicamp, I go, all right, he did well with the rookies. and then the vets come in. And all of a sudden, now you see those veteran players that have been around a little while. Justin Houston, Eric Barry, these guys go, oh, my gosh, this guy's unbelievable.

And so I'm going, all right, well, now we've got to see him in a game. He had a chance to play against Denver, and he did that same stuff, you know, and the rest has been history here. You know, now you're the champ, Andy. Listen, it is, you're going to be good for a long time. But now the standards changed. We want Super Bowls from.

Mandy Reed and Patrick Mahomes. How do you, this is a unique territory you celebrate. It's the top of the world. How do you defend against, you know, the kind of things we know happened. How do you become the Patriots and not a one-off? I think you need to stay humble. And that's what this team was all about this year. They stayed humble and they worked hard.

And so if you had to draw two characteristics from them, that's what you drew. And then they've got to understand that. I think we have a couple core players in there that are naturally that way, and I don't think all of this will get to them. But we'll see. We'll see how it goes. I love the challenge, though. Let's go.

Let's roll and see how it goes. There's nothing that time tells that story, and we'll just see how it rolls. Hey, during the game, you guys have now kind of a trend of playing from behind. I know it's not ideal. I know Andy Reid doesn't wake up on Sunday and say, I can't wait to play from 10 down. Explain it because you're great at it, but you don't want to play from behind.

What kind of goes on through that? Well, that wasn't really our MO coming into the playoffs. We normally had the lead. We get in the playoffs, all of a sudden, where there's behind team, 24, 10, you know, 7, and now that's who we are. But up to that point, that's not the case. But listen, we did good with it.

And you're right. I'm getting too old, man. This heart right here. Doggone. Again, those leads, they drive you about crazy. But our guys, they handled it well. I'm proud of how they handled it. On both sides of the ball, you really got to see the unity and the personality of this football team through that adversity.

And I'm proud of, you know, again, I'm proud of how they handle it. Coaches and players. By the way, seven seasons with the Chiefs, it's great for the league. to have a well-liked and respected coach and quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reed in Kansas City, right smack dab in the middle of the country, a smartly owned franchise. Now, you're a workaholic. You admit that. You love the game.

Now, can you take five or six days off and just forget football now? You know, go to Mexico, go to Miami. Are you going to take a little break, a tiny break? Listen, I'm not going to Mexico or there. I'm coming to see you, doggone it, and get a nice big in and out. burger or something. I'm going to sneak out to California for a couple of days and take a breather. I will tell you this, Joy, your hometown there treated us like gold, and they were beautiful.

And the food was perfect, man. We had some Cuban food that was unbelievable. And a few of those sandwiches went down real easy. Thank you, Andy. Congratulations. Everybody is so happy for you. And congratulations. You know how much we adore you.

It's great for Kansas City and everybody involved. Thanks so much, Coach. All right, Colin. Thank you. 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 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 Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

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

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me.

He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clifford Show on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and research. turning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized,

but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, let's bring on Rick Buecker, Fox Sports NBA analyst. One of my buddies in this business, somebody I absolutely love, who covers the NBA but lives in San Francisco in surfing territory, so you know all about it. Okay, I'm just going to give you my takeaway.

Wiggins is a three in this league. He's not a two. He's been a bit of a disappointment. DeAngelo Russell's best friend is Carl Anthony. towns. So I think Minnesota today feels like, listen, at least they'll get along, or two stars or buddies because Wiggins and Kat wasn't working. Joy, what is it that he's

so excited about two bad teams trading their problem players and the Miami Heat upgrade and make themselves a little closer to contenders and you're like, nah. Colin loves transactions, the draft. I love it. I love

acquisitions. Yes. I'm the power hungry, crazy person. He's like, she's right. I like, listen, DeAngelo and Wiggins are super talented. Yes. Sometimes in life, Rick. It's a lousy fit. Yes, you're right. And I like this trade

in that I don't like it from Minnesota. You don't. No, because that they're friends and their friends who are both indifferent about playing defense scares me for the team. Yeah, they'll be bad defensively. Yes, and

And, you know, God, the poor one out for Ryan Saunders, because what's he supposed to do now in that he's obviously been co-opted? It's it's cat and it's DeAngelo. And it's, they're going to go as those two go. But couldn't I argue this? At least in Minnesota. Yeah. There were tensions between Wiggins and Carl Anthony. At least their games offensively would appear to work and they like each other.

Simmons and B don't even like each other. No. again, I like the change, and I like it for the Warriors, and that DeAngelo clearly, their hope was he would adopt the Warriors culture. He clearly did not.

It didn't change him whatsoever. He was still the same player. Andrew Wiggins, this is going to be the first time that he actually makes a move, and that always has an impact on a young player. Like, oh, wait a minute, I'm not a centerpiece. Oh, I'm not, this is not, I'm not

immovable. and sometimes it causes them to mature and to rethink how they play. And so I like taking a shot at can he adopt the warrior's culture? Can he become what he's physically capable of becoming? And as a three, he fits much better next to Clay and to Steph. But the other part, see, what makes me nervous is that you might be one of those people that is saying, oh, well, you flip DeAngelo and you got this number one pick or you got this first round pick that could be number one,

the Warriors are going to be right back to contenders next year. Well, why not? No. Okay, Kavon Looney, Drayman, Wiggin, Steph, Clay, Steve Kerr, why not? And a bunch of good draft picks. Because Kevin Durant covered a multitude of sins. I'm not saying they're going to win the title. Okay, but you're saying they're going to contend for a title?

You tell me, you tell me, three players, if I said, Steph Clay Wiggins, it's a pretty good top three. That's pretty darn good. Dallas has two. Clippers have three because of Lou Williams. Most teams don't have a third guy that can drop 24.

Okay, but who's the Lakers three? What they hung their hat on was defensively, and defensively that you could switch everything. Okay, but Wiggins, is it fair to say this? Wiggins is going to have to guard Paul George or Quay Leonard or LeBron James or like he's better. He's better than what they have. But he's so good.

Look, they used to have Andre Aguadala, Kevin Durant, Clay Thompson. You put any small forward out there. We're going to rotate quality defenders through there. Now you're hanging on Andrew Wiggins and we'll see, I assume Clay Thompson's going to be the same as when he gets back. They're not done making moves. They got picks all over the place. Go get some defensive help.

I mean. I just, I need people to take a step back and appreciate what they were. Yes. And not like, Iggy's gone and ignore that Kevin just, he covered up a multitude of things that changed about that team. They weren't as deep. They were top heavy. Yes. And these guys had played deep into five, six, you know, seasons in a row.

Like they were worn out. Next year they won't be. We'll see. Well, I mean, Clay's not playing. Steph's not plans. And that's like LeBron. LeBron had a great October, November, December because he was rested. And maybe most important, though, can Draymond Green become a defensive player of the year again?

No, but he can be good. Clay's excellent. You're still light on the bench. And this draft in particular, like, are you going to flip this pick for a couple of quality veteran players? Yes, yes, absolutely. You're going to do that right now. Yeah, I don't want the lottery pick. Okay.

I'm not interested at all. All right. Go give the lottery pick to Memphis or somebody. Your plan has some reason to it. Yeah, Golden State is a mature franchise. They don't need lottery picks. You take that pick and you go to a team like Denver who is like, ah, we could really use some length and a one more guy who can,

we'll take the pick and you give us blank. What they need now, they got scores. They need a tough guy. Like Draymond is one. They're a small team now, by the way. Golden State is a small team with shooters. I'm not saying, I think you, listen, they're not going to be the Mercedes they were with Durant, but they're not a Kia. Next year they're going to be good.

Yes, they will be good. They should be a playoff team. Yes. For sure. I just, and maybe this is where I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, I've just heard too much, particularly living in the Bay Area. Yeah. Like the pick, flipping DeAngelo Russell, oh, we're going to be right back at the top. No.

And I not, I just think that's unrealistic. I think it's a Milwaukee, Clemsville. Lippers League for about two to three years. Lakers just on the outside. Okay, here's the other thing. In Miami. Let's slow down. We'll get to that in one second.

So for years, Clint Capella, I heard three years ago, I love him. And then two years ago. I have lunch with Darryor Moore. We love him. And then I hear, you know, a year ago, I love him. Gives you a lot of easy baskets, protects the rim. Today, they bail on him. Why?

Because Westbrook can't shoot, and you can't have two guys on the floor that can't shoot, and you're tied to a $41 million deal over the next four years. which is next to John Wall, untradable. I look at Houston today, and I feel like a mess, kind of. Small. You're making the wrong comparison. You're pointing to the wrong thing. Clint Capella is Todd Gurley.

The big man in the NBA is the running back in the NFL. You need one, and you need a good one, but you can't pay a premium price for it. So Capella, they had to pay to keep as an asset. in the playoffs last year they discovered oh he's just a rim runner and he's way too expensive as just a rim runner he's not a big time player we need to get off of this and they're also under new ownership and new ownership always likes the first thing they like to do is get the books right and what's cut the excess fat we can get a guy who can basically do what Capella does for a lot less we need to do that now because we're not going to pay

heavy money for this. Now, the Russell Hardin thing, I'm not sure that that ultimately works and gets you to where you want to go. But this was really about for the same reason that the Rams would move Todd Gurley. We need to have flexibility and we've invested way too much in something

that we can get for less. But let's admit, the Hardin Westbrook thing now? Yes. In the West, what is it? I agree. It's a bunch of nothing. It has the potential to be better in the post season than it does right now. So I trust Harden, okay? You're telling me my two and three in the

playoffs are Covington and Westbrook. Yeah. That's what I got to depend on in the West. I'm not buying that. Again, I don't, I don't, I didn't see this as we're getting better or we're strengthening our ability to play for a championship right now. We have flexibility. Flexibility. Get our books right. And we, and we don't think we're going to be any worse. That's what I see that DLS. Let's have some crystal on that. All right, let's go to Miami. So when Miami makes the Iggy deal, they're paying him a lot of money for two years, but whatever. The first thing I thought of was LeBron and the Lakers.

So Pat Riley, first of all, there's a global presence with the Miami Heat. It's a real owner, Pat Riley, Spolstra, he's a really smart guys. Okay, this is a really good organization. It's respected. I got aqua water in the winter. I got no state tax. It's the only Eastern team that has been very attractive to free agents. The Knicks haven't. Nets haven't.

I mean, anybody would go to Miami in the winter. It attracts... Everybody likes Miami. I was just there. I like Miami. Okay. But six years after LeBron leaves, it took six years

for Spolstra, Riley, Mickey Erison, Aqua Water to get to a point where we're like, oh, that's interesting. This is the downside to LeBron and the Lakers. 100%. Okay. So as Doug Gottlieb said, it's like the kid that comes over for your kids party and everybody has fun.

And then he leaves and the house is a disaster and everybody's sick. Yes. Is that you start trading away Kuzma. All these LeBron teams get old and expensive. Yeah. And so it took Pat Riley six years from LeBron to get interesting. Yep. This is why I wouldn't have traded Kuzma.

You can't just go to LeBron's whims and get old. What if the Lakers don't win this year? What are they next year? Rondo, Dwight, LeBron. Come on. But when you have LeBron and you have LeBron at this stage, I honestly, I don't know that you can do it any other way. Really?

Be just old and expensive. You swing for the fences and you go for it. Because what's the alternative? You're going to hedge your bet. The alternative is when LeBron leaves, we're not a grease fire for eight years. But if you, if you, what have they been for the last six years? I mean, the Lakers have been that. So if you get a championship,

And by the way, if you get a championship that, what, ties you with the Celtics in overall championships? Yeah, this is not the Cavs, though. I mean, if you're the Cavs, you'll take the title because you've been irrelevant for 70 years. But these big historic brands were so much money, when the Lakers were bad for five years, it was tense. It was still better than the Clippers. The Clippers were the better team and the Lakers franchise still, their logo and their brand still endured. So you would have traded Coosma to get an old guy? I'm not, well, look, if you're trying to do something in the playoffs this year,

Coosma's not going to get it for you. I like, are they appreciably better? Do I like them better overall as a playoff team right now? Or with the anticipation that you're getting Marcus Morris for Kyle Coosma and Danny Green? Yes, yes, I am. I believe that you will be a better playoff team. Now, you got to re-sign Marcus. You got to resign Anthony David.

I mean, that's the other part here. So you hedge your bet and you don't go anywhere in the playoffs. You're out in the second round. That's my. Does Anthony Davis say, no. I'm staying for this? Yeah, no, yeah. But again, the Lakers, the Clippers are better and Milwaukee's deeper.

They're both better and better. Lakers don't have anybody that defends at this point. Milwaukee plays real defense. I don't like Miami, but they play defense. Smolster makes you play defense. Clippers play real defense. I don't think the Lakers can defend well enough to win. If Anthony Davis is out for a game, they can't stop you and me.

That's the problem. That's the biggest problem, is that Anthony Davis has to be all that Anthony Davis has been to this point. LeBron James has to be all that he's been to this point. And can they both be that for the remainder of the season to maintain pace to not have the clippers blow by them? And by the way, who's first and who's second, really? They're playing in the same building. I mean, the colors change. That's it.

All right. We got another one. You got any music? Got breaking new stuff back there, hockey score guy? Come on, Goulet. I left my phone over there. Breaking news. The Knicks are finalizing a deal to send Marcus Morris to the Clippers for Mo Harkliss.

That's it? And other assets. Well, the big question is Landry Shammett. I don't want to give up. That was the holdup. Boy, so the Clippers are, I like Landry Shammett. That is shocking. Did you see what Landry Shammett did last night?

I'm telling you. No, he's a good young player. He's a good young player. He scores well. He shoots it well. He can't defend his position. Okay, let's get over defense. But I have to tell you...

They got a lot of guys who can defend. I have to tell you, this is a shocker. So I was told this morning that the Clippers would not let go of Shamit. And the goal with, particularly with Leon Rose, becoming the next president of the Knicks, Kuzma is a CAA client. The, the, I was literally told they are trying to move Marcus Morris to get Kyle Kuzma. I fully expected the Marcus Morris. So the clippers stepped right in front of them.

Again. They jumped them. And I'll tell you what, man, that changes the dynamic. I like the Lakers with Marcus Morris. I really like the clippers with Marcus Morris. They needed to get deeper at the big positions so that when they play Yokic, they can put somebody that puts Yokic in a difficult position where he's got to guard them out of the three point line. Marcus Morris can do that.

He's strong enough to defend him for short minutes. Montrez is good enough for short minutes. Zubach can give you short minutes. If this is accurate, if this is true, that is a great move for the clippers. Per Shams Sharanya. He's been accurate before. Yeah, I would look. He comes on my show.

I know that they were talking to both the Lakers and the Clippers. You know what that sounds like? First of all, the Clippers really annoy the Lakers the way they did the Colerner. I think. And so according to, okay, Goulet, pipe in here. What do you got? The Lakers basically pulled Coosema out of any trade deal. Okay, so the Lakers think like I do.

26 minutes a night, 6-8, Jews can hit a three. You guys are all bail. He's never been in the playoffs. He's never been in the playoffs. He can't take him under his wing. You heard, you know what he said about LeBron James. Oh, who cares? LeBron's not secure enough to handle that.

You ripped me to my... Are we going to look at LeBron's history about being secure when guys go at him? Doug Gottlieb rips me on my own show. Every time he comes on, I still like him. So what? You guys treat Coosma like he's 20s and 26 minutes a night guy. This may come as a shock to you. Not to you guys, but to you, you are more secure than LeBron James.

No, I can guarantee you that. Well, I have a set of pipes here that is, you know, it's a standard in the industry. but I just want to say this it does appear that the Lakers are listening to this show and listening to me because I've been pro-Kuzma for two years and they've turned down nine offers you guys are just throwing Kuzma like he has no value

this is where I'm not throwing him away that he has no value just for where the Lakers want to go and they want to go right now he's never been in the playoffs the one reason that I would go with you on this is I love the Lakers chemistry I like that they have.

I wouldn't mess with it. I think that that's an intangible that we don't give enough credit to. And so that would be the biggest reason for me to say, we're not moving coos, we're not moving Danny. We're not moving anybody. We like what we have. We'll go to the wall with it. I hear this all the time.

Well, I mean, Coosma's never been in the playoffs. At some point, somebody gave Rick Buecker an NBA beat writer job. Yes. And they said, you know, Buker's never covered an NBA beat. and they trusted your talent to be good. Yes. They put me on TV for the first time. And you never been on TV.

They did it on Tuesdays on a tape delay. They didn't immediately have me covering the NBA finals. You got to get your feet wet. Kyle Coosma has never even had his feet wet in the playoffs. By the way, you and your new crazy hair, none of these guys like you. This show likes you. Joy and I are Coosma fans. Good. I'm not saying I'm not a Kuzma fan.

You guys treat him like a spare tire and a trunk. Yeah, he's never been in a playoff game. So what? A lot of young people haven't been there. Let him get there and let's see it. But we're talking about him, unless you're an Alex Caruso fan. He's fine. Being the third best player on a championship team. He's not. Danny Green will be the third guy you lean on. Kuzma's your four. Rick, sharks are born swimming.

Boom. Remember that. Boom. Okay. I don't even know what that means. Neither do I. So I'm not going to talk about this, but I'm going to say it. I don't care about it.

Cleveland's finalizing a trade for Andre Drummond of Detroit, who's talented, according to Woj. But, you know, what's it matter? Sexton's a bust, by the way. I watched him two nights ago. He's a bust. So they're getting Andre Drummond, but they're not moving Tristan Thompson. I thought they were going to. He's a right.

Well, there was talk about him going to the rockets, but that supposedly fell through. All right, that sharks, whatever she said. Sharks are born swimming. Let's go. Make it happen. Okay, so then Kyle Kuzma should have already been in the playoffs the first minute that he got into the NBA. Based on that analogy. He's not the shark in jaws. He's a baby shark

swimming around who's got the potential to bite you. Are you getting in a pool with a baby shark? Now the baby shark is the theme is going to be in my head the rest of the day. Baby shark. Oh, no. Okay. That's enough from you. All right, Rick Buecker, awesome stuff. Cavs finalizing a trade for Andre Drummond on the screen. That'll, audience members will flee reading that fascinating trade. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reaction.

actions in the moment and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way

with your favorite therapist and host, Kier 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 AHA radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, mom. Mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, Red. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.