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

Episode Date: July 13, 2020

The Lakers can't win the NBA titleBill Belichick is loosening up after losing BradyIs the NBA becoming too political?Where Colin was right and wrongThe 3 teams in Colin's NBA Championship bubbleGuest: Mark Medina, NBA Reporter live from the NBA bubble in Orlando Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, it is a Monday. It is great to have you in, at least here in Los Angeles, sunny and beautiful. Waves crashing on the beach. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. One hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong.

Doug Gottlieb will go inside the NBA bubble. Bruce Feldman, college football's in big trouble. Greg Jennings, the former Packer, joining us too. And Joy, Taylor, alongside as always. Joy, how are you? Great. It's happening. They've entered the bubble.

This weekend we had NASCAR, UFC, MLS, kind of golf. So we had four things. I mean, I sat around, and I watched the Michael Jordan documentary again, episode nine. It was actually, it was the first time in three months show. I watched sports. Like there was, you actually, the MLS stuff. I like, by the way, piping the crowd noise. I'm sorry, it's hard to watch soccer with no crowd noise.

I need a little crowd noise. I didn't mind it. I didn't mind the Inter-Miamy game with no noise. So we actually had sports this weekend. So I want to start the Monday show with this. I like change. I've told you before I didn't grow up in a traditional kind of family and traditional go to church on Sunday, dinner on this day,

go to this camp every summer. So I'm all for, you know, over the course of my career, I've changed directions, changed jobs, changed bosses several times. I'm good with it. But I get, a lot of people aren't. When LeBron James decided to come to Los Angeles, much like when Michael Jordan decided to go to the Wizards,

it was not the best basketball move. We knew it wasn't the best basketball move. He could have gone to Philadelphia. Instead, he went to Los Angeles. Well, Jeannie and Jim Bus, the owners, didn't get along. The front office was unsettled. It's since been, you know, torn apart and rebuild. and the roster wasn't very good.

The Lakers were a bad team. Owner, front office roster four years before he got here. And Philadelphia, here's the starting five he could have inherited in Philadelphia. That's a championship team potentially. LeBron, J.L.M.B., Dario Saritz,

J.J. Reddick, and Ben Simmons. That's a lot of good players. I got news for you. That's beaten Boston and that's beaten Milwaukee. The third best player on that team is probably Ben Simmons. The second best player on Milwaukee is Chris Middleton. So that team is getting to the NBA finals.

Win it? Not sure. Get to the finals. But LeBron chose business over basketball. And I support him. Because LeBron had achieved so much, 99% of you are never going to allow him to be MJ. So he finishes second greatest all time.

And the business stuff in L.A. has gone through the ceiling. It's been better than I thought. I'm told by people close to LeBron, he loves L.A., his kids love L.A., his family loves L.A. The billionaires have lined up to support LeBron. His net worth is now $750 million. He's close to being a billionaire, and the businesses are unbelievable. And, I mean, his legacy has been formed.

He's first or second best basketball player ever, so I support him. But this morning and yesterday, when I see the story that Rondo is hurt, he's not winning a title. The clippers in the same building are healthy, rested, and go nine to ten deep. So now Avery Bradley's not around. He's a starter and Rondo's not around. He's a real high IQ rotational playoff guy. This is not a championship team. And LeBron deep down knows it.

Last two years, basically it's been LeBron, Anthony Davis and just a bunch of stuff. And this is the downside. This is why I think Kevin Durant, who doesn't have Michael Jordan's legacy yet, he doesn't have LeBron's legacy, is making a mistake choosing Brooklyn. You're not choosing Brooklyn for basketball. You may be choosing it for happiness. You're not choosing it for basketball. Less of a coach, less of a point guard, less of a roster, less stability, less winning,

less of a culture. You're not choosing Brooklyn for basketball. You're choosing it for other stuff. So it's a little bit of a cautionary tale. But in the course of Michael Jordan, I got it. He was the best player ever. exhausted. You watch the documentary. I mean, it's like every championship

was just Michael was the best player in the world and he was being tackled for years. And I totally support LeBron and I totally get it with LeBron. He's number one or number two all time, depending on how your worldview of basketball. He's not

fall into three and for the twos he's not going to one. He chose business. This is the downside of choosing business. Tom Brady chose the Buccaneers. He chose it for football. Look at the roster. I mean, go look at how Vegas changed Tampa Bay with Tom's

arrival. Like, Tom chose it for football. Receivers, tight ends, coach. Peyton Manning chose Denver. They had Hall of Fame corners, great pass rushers, very good receivers. Peyton Manning went football. And maybe basketball and football cultures, they are different. I mean, basketball players make so much money

off the court with shoes. Once you get a few titles, what do you care? Let's go to do the business thing. It's fun. But But this morning, no Avery Bradley, no Rondo, Clippers go nine deep, totally healthy. Paul George saying, this is the best I felt in years. The championship stuff is over. When you choose business over basketball, you need a bunch of breaks to win in basketball. And the West is so good. The point guards are so unbelievable in the West.

And now you lost your two best defensive guards. Rondo and Avery Bradley. I like Alex Caruso. Come on. He's never proven anything in the post. season. KCP's talented. I don't trust him in the postseason. Again, Caruso and KCP are nice. Bradley Rondo, I've seen be great when it matters. The downside to choosing business over basketball. I don't think LeBron's losing any sleep, but what you're seeing with

the Lakers, you're witnessing it. So this weekend, very interesting. So this weekend, Cam Newton is very prominent on Instagram. And he took to Instagram, and he's all fired up and he's all in and entirely entertaining here's cam on instagram they ain't never seen this cam they ain't never seen them you want to know how i know they ain't never seen them the forgotten cam they don't cam tired of being sick of tired cam it felt like i was just left to die but that's that's not surprising What is actually shocking is that Cam Newton, who has never taken a snap for New England, Cam Newton, who's in a fight to be the starting quarterback in New England,

got a hype video from the Patriots. Watch. To the highlight reel that one. He's going to be difficult to defend. Now that is shocking. This is the best kind of divorce. New England is acknowledging, we need to lighten up a little. And Tom Brady's like, they need to lighten up a little.

This is the best possible divorce. You have great years. You grow tired of each other. And neither side gets rigid. You still talk nice about each other. Whenever anybody asks, you're like, Tom was the best. Those guys are great.

You know when Belichick does the Hall of Fame speech for Tom and Tom does the Hall of Fame speech for Belichick, You're going to be like, how lucky was I? It was the luckiest thing in the world. But New England is acknowledging, we've got to lighten up a little bit. And Brady acknowledge, listen, I need weapons. I'm 43 years old. I love Julian Edelman, but I need weapons the way I can't win like this. And so Brady's like, looks over the rosters, he peruses all the opportunities and goes,

wow, Tampa's going to make my life a lot easier. And it's fascinating. And I give Belichick credit for this. My entire life, it started when I was a kid. I've seen legendary coaches, guy named Frank Cush in Arizona, great coach for Arizona State, get rigid. It never ends well. Bobby Knight, it never ends well. Woody Hayes.

It never ends well. I mean, those guys were, I mean, you're talking Bobby Knight was the basketball coach in America. My high school basketball team ran Bobby Knight's offense. rigid doesn't work because there are certain industries that change a lot. Sports and football changes a lot. You can be a legend Mike Ditka one day and out of date, out of sorts, Mike Dickka the next day. You can't fall into these cliche traps. And Belichick's like, it's time to lighten up.

We're going to have a quarterback that moves. We're going to give him a little hype video. And that's messaging to the rest of the league. What that really is by New England, it's messaging. messaging to free agents. It's messaging to players. We see you. We hear you. We're going to lighten up. Hey, our system's still hard. This is no day at the beach. We're very demanding, but you can spike it. We'll give you a little hype video. And it, to me, it's the best way for legends to age. Mike Shishowski did this. And I don't think it's a coincidence that Belichick and Shishovsky are two of the smartest coaches of my lifetime. Mike Shishvsky had all the trophies and all the money. money, coach at Duke, reputation. And then all of a sudden, the one and done came out. Guys like Bobby Knight got real rigid. And then all of a sudden, Mike Shushchevsky watched John Kalapari. He's like, well, listen, I'd rather have the one on Duns on my roster than get

beat by him. And after about two years, and Mike initially is like, nope, this is our tradition. We want kit. Mike Shoshowski went, you know what? Times have changed. I got to adapt. I got to lighten up. And guess what? Duke remains incredibly relevant and can go out and get a Zion Williamson. And they can tell him, listen, if you're great, you can go after a year. We won't hold it against you. That matters. And that's what New England is selling to the market. Hey, we can be fun to. We'll promote you. We're rooting for you. We let gronk be gronk. Now, we didn't like the table dancing during the middle of the season. We have certain standards. You know, gronk falling off a stage or a party boat.

But I think the messaging by Belichick and New England is very smart and very clear. Hey, it's not digging ditches here. It's hard. We're not Bruce Ariens, but we can have fun too. And I think it's a good message. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed the game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls.

calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 bit?

Kim. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. 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 you 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. 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. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliver Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. 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 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. So the NBA is going to allow players to put messages on the back of their jerseys. And they're pre-approved. So you can put messages among the, you know, 20-30 potential messages the NBA would allow you to do. And LeBron said, eh, I'm going to pass.

You know, whether I agree or not, and I don't have any strong feelings either way, LeBron, I think, is above, bigger than beyond putting a pre-approved slogan from the NBA on the back of a jersey. I always agreed with our former president, Barack Obama, who said activism isn't a tweet. Action is activism. I think symbols and messages and slogans don't really change anything. Maybe they can activate a movement. I don't know, but I think it's about feet on the ground if you want change, not just saying stuff on social media. and here's LeBron's explanation for not choosing a social message on the back of his jersey in the bubble.

I actually didn't go with a name on the back of my jersey. And it was, you know, there's no disrespect to the list that was handed out to all the players. I command anyone to decide to put something on the back of their jersey. You know, it's just something that didn't really, you know, seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal. I don't need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know what I'm about and what I'm here to do. Yeah, I think that's kind of understood, right? Like he's doing stuff, we see it, we've seen it, he's been a leader, no biggie. I do think it's kind of fascinating what is happening.

I had a discussion this weekend with somebody in the NBA and they said, you know, I worry that we're becoming exhausting to our fan base. You know, when I think of MLB, I think of baseball. When I think of MLS, I think of soccer. When I think of NHL, I think of hockey. When I think of NFL, I think of football. When I think of the NBA, I think of basketball, and a close second is politics. That doesn't bother me. I'm not triggered by politics.

I'm a moderate. I'm an independent. I voted both sides. I'm socially left. Fiscally, moderate, sometimes right, sometimes left. Don't love a ton of regulations, so you'd probably say I'm a conservative, but I like some regulations, so you'd say I'm a moderate to a liberal. It's never really mattered to me what you brand me.

But I do think I used to work at a network that let a lot of shows get political, and now they're all gone, and so are the hosts. There are a lot of people that go to sports and don't want politics. I'm not one of them. I don't really care. But I've said before, I'm not traditional. I didn't grow up in a family that taught politics or religion. We didn't even go to church. We didn't have the classic Sunday dinners.

I've moved a lot. A lot of people can't struggle with it. I like change. It's different. It keeps me on my toes. But I don't think I'm everybody. Charles Barkley talked about the current state of the NBA. Here he is.

What's happening now, we turn it into a circus. You know, we're going to spend all our time instead of talking about racial equality and racial justice and economic justice. We spend all our time worried about who's kneeling and who's not kneeling. What things are being said on buses. What's being said on jerseys, I think we're missing the point. We need police reform.

We need prison reform. Those are number one and two things we need to focus on. But the media, you know, we all got a job to do, and they're going to spend all their time on what's on somebody's jersey and who's kneeling and who's not kneeling, and that's going to defeat the purpose. My concern is this turning this thing into a circuit instead of trying to do some good stuff.

So I can agree with both Barclay and LeBron James. What I think is fascinating is the NBA, and this is not a little thing, was down double digits in ratings this year. And it was a really fascinating year. Kauai's a clipper, Anthony Davis to the Lakers. There was like a lot, Russell Westbrook and Hardin together. It was like a lot of really interesting stories. I don't think I would, I'd been into the NBA like that in years.

It was like the classic Batman and Robin. Everybody had a duo. It was fascinating. And the numbers tanked. I don't know why. But is it because the audience, the consumers think it's too political at times? You can certainly make that argument. I think it would be ridiculous to say that's 100% why,

but equally ridiculous to say it's not some of the reason why. The NBA is taking a stand. We're anti-guy in the White House. We're going to be on the right side of history. Whether you agree or not, it's a fascinating stand and one I have never seen a professional sports league make. I got no problem with LeBron not doing it. I know where he stands.

I know what he's about. But I think Barclay also adds interesting perspective. Let's care about the stuff that really matters. I don't think names on jerseys do. And when the best player in the league says, I'll pass, maybe that says something too. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

So here we go. It's called Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. I'm a lot of both on Mondays. We do it every week. Here we go. Where Colin was right? I have been pushing back in a year with Dak Prescott. I've said, listen, I don't know if he's going to sign a contract. But every time a cowboy reporter would come on

and say it's a done deal. I'd be like, oh, Jerry pays everybody. Don't tell me it's a done deal. Well, we're two days out from the deadline, and according to a story this morning, they're not close. So I don't know, he may sign it, but I never bought into this. Oh, it's a done deal. Jerry's paying pass rushers, running backs, guards, tackles, linebackers, early, wide receivers.

Jerry's not dumb. He's been in this league for 30-some years. You've got to get the quarterback thing figured out. So I don't know if it ever gets past a franchise tag, but I never bought into the, it's done. It's just a matter of signing the contract. Jerry pays everybody. There's a reason he's holding off on this. He doesn't know what the cap is, and they like, not love, Dak. Where Colin was wrong.

I thought the only prediction I've made on sports, Joy as a witness in the last five months, is the SEC will play football. That's going to happen. It defines them. Greg Stanky's their commissioner, and like yesterday day before, it does not sound optimistic. We put a medical advisory group together in early April with the question of, what do we have to do to get back to activity? And they've been a big part of the conversation, but the direct reality is not good. that is that is quite a statement that when the SEC is acknowledging we see the results we see the

issues and this morning it's not good to even put that out there tells you he is deeply concerned and I I figured they would just put their head down and bulldozed through this thing that's not the case this morning where Colin was right I said with Patrick Mahomes the second he signed that contract I said he just wants to take money off the table he's a smart kid He's a smart kid. He just wants that better players around him because he knows, potentially with Andy Reid, he can be an all-time legend. The next day, he confirmed it.

Not only gives me the security that I've always wanted, but also allows opportunity for the team to be great around me the entire duration of my career. And I have full trust that things will get handled the right way as we go throughout this career and that we will be in a position to win a lot of football games and hopefully win a lot more championships as my career goes on. Listen, too many people in the media nitpick Mahomes and his agent. As we said, Patrick's a get-it guy.

He knows with Andy Reid. He's going to be in the conversation for greatest of all time. You take a little less money. You end up with better defenses. This takes real intelligence. Do you want to throw 40 times a game and have to win shootouts? That's called Andrew Luck. He retired early.

Do you want to throw 31 times a game and throw on play action with a better offensive line? Then you do what Patrick Mahomes did. You take a little less. Where Colin was wrong. The Patriots, yes, the Patriots, despite the fact that Cam Newton has never taken a snap and is actually in a quarterback battle to start, released a hype video this weekend. First of all, I've always thought it's a weird fit, but they are all in on CAM, the video, hyping it up. I've been wrong a lot on the Cam New England story.

Where Colin was right? The Big Ten and the PAC 12, as I predicted last week, have bowed out of non-conference games. I said this about two months ago, eight weeks ago on Twitter. USC Bama was a pipe dream. It wasn't going to happen. My sources told me USC was not comfortable facing somebody from another conference. They had no idea what their practice schedules were, what theirs would be, and they felt it was unfair to their student athletes.

So this has been a long time coming. I've been told this by multiple administrators, Big Ten, Pac-12. If there's a season, shrink it, make it regional. if you can take an occasional bus to a game do it but this idea of national travel when you don't know how often the Big 12 or the SEC are practicing you could throw your kids into a game and they have 30 less practices

so we nailed this one early where Colin was right Fight Island was a massive success the UFC put on another successful and captivating fight card from the very beginning we've said this you gotta be you gotta be willing to take some heat on Twitter and the media when you're battling COVID.

Nobody is perfecting COVID. Nobody can avoid COVID. We are all in a race, including schools, to manage COVID. That's all we're doing with this thing. We are managing a health crisis. And I thought from the very beginning, the UFC and NASCAR and the SEC are more aggressive. They don't really care about social media nearly. as much as say the NBA or politicians.

And once again, they pulled it off with a great fight card. Where Colin was raw. I was adamant. I would crush Joel Clatt. I ran for president of college football against Clatt on Friday. I had an excellent, excellent set of ideas. Clat came on my show wearing a red, white, and blue golf shirt. And, you know, people fell for that.

He was very patriotic. On my own show, I was crushed by Joel Clatt, even though my platform was common sense and relatable, clat, you know, red, white and blue, whatevs, and crush me. Where Colin was right? Well, the NFL rules have certainly made wide receivers more valuable. Nobody, no reasonable person could argue that good perimeter weapons are important. But they're still overrated. And yesterday or last week, 50 NFL executives. GMs and scouts and some coaches and a couple of players were polled.

The NFL executive poll on the top 10 wide receivers. Three of 10 have already been traded. Only one has a Super Bowl ring. And it proves my point. You can be crucial, but I'm not building around you. Now, for years, I called wide receivers icing on the cake. You can't live on icing. But they'd make the cake better.

I still believe that to be true. When you looked at that wide receiver list, There were a lot of injuries, a lot of trades, unbelievable individual talent, which I would never deny, but you can't build around them. Where Colin was right? The college business sports model is a house of cards, and last week, Stanford canceled 11 sports. This is something I've been on for some time.

They're the first of many. When you have 36 programs and 33 either lose. or hemorrhage money, it's time for a reboot. I'm not angry, I'm not sad, it's a long time coming. You are seeing colleges now drop double-digit sports. Why? Because they won't have their football revenue. It is ridiculous. Every university should have a football program if possible, and then six other sports, both for men and women, and then give women an extra one at the end because of Title IX because of football. That's enough.

There's a difference between losing a little money and having 36 sports programs, which is what most university has, with national travel. National travel. I have friends who have kids playing hockey and soccer. They're all over the region, the country. Nobody's at these games.

It's time for a reboot. Football, six or seven other sports. I would favor basketball, and then go whatever regionally works for you. But it's a long time coming. It's been a house of cards for a long time. And I say that as somebody who really likes college sports. One more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. He arrived in the NBA bubble yesterday. I'm so excited to talk to our buddy via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Mark Medina, NBA writer USA Today. All right. Okay, let's just set the senior. sitting obviously in a hotel room. Our audience is watching. Mark, great to see you. Set the scene.

Tell me what your life looks like now. What can you do? What can you not do? Where are you at? Yeah, Colin, good to see you. I'm in Orlando at the Coronado Springs Hotel. That's on the campus of the ESPN Wild War of Sports Complex where all 22 NBA teams that are participating are on site. Now, what I can do, what I can't do, I got in yesterday and I'm going to be under quarantine for at least a week. and I'm being subject to daily testing. I got tested last night, but basically I have to get tested every single day. And so as long as those tests continue to be negative, I'll be out of quarantine at the end of the day next Sunday.

But, you know, there's really not much I can do even when I'm out of quarantine. What I'll be able to do is go to practices, go to shoot-arounds, go to the arenas once the season starts July 30th. But this is not normal in today's world. So I won't be able to, you know, be able to meet NBA folks at the hotel for coffee or dinner or any of those things that were normal back in the day because of just what's what everything is going on with COVID. Okay. So Westbrook officially has tested positive for COVID-19. Your reaction to that? Well, it's interesting. I think on one hand, the NBA designed the resume season this way to allow players that might test positive for COVID, enough time to get back for the NBA season.

So right now, you know, Russell Westbrook still has a chance to come back for the Rockets once the season starts for them July 31st. But I think this is much different than it was when teams were starting to test players on June 23rd. Because when those players tested positive, they still have time to go through the two-week quarantine and be with their team when they went to Orlando starting last week here. Russell Westbrook has to wait until he's out of quarantine. then when he gets to Orlando, we'll have to get tested again. And assuming it's two consecutive negative tests, he'll then be able to start practicing. But look, guess what? Russell Westbrook might have been taken care of his body really well.

And he's one of the fastest point cards in the NBA. But he's going to be behind the eight ball in terms of his conditioning and rustingness, just as the season's about to start. But I guess if nothing else, at least for the Rockets, it's not one of these either season-long or something that will keep them out for any games at this point. Well, it is the Laker roster, I felt at the very beginning of the season, the Clippers were building a roster to beat LeBron and the Lakers. Multiple wing players can guard LeBron, Paul George, Kauai Leonard, Patrick Beverly for brief times,

the Morris athletic wing, again, 8, 12 minute tonight. They can take turns guarding LeBron. The Lakers are an old team with two stars. you cross your fingers on Kyle Kuzma playing well. Not a ton of depth. A little old for me, some disparate parts. Now Rondo's out. And between Avery Bradley and Rondo, I look at that and I think, good God,

the NBA Western Conference is nothing, if not the Guard League. And they've just lost two guards. It feels like they'll be fun. I'll be watching. I think the Rondo-Avery-Bradley combo deal out takes them out of the title window. What say you? I'll say this. I don't want to diminish those absences because they're significant, but here's two things. As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and not significantly rusty, they're still a championship contender. I think number two, this is going to be the theme for what all teams are going to be going through. And obviously, you don't wish any bad news in terms of injury or health on anyone. But teams are bracing for the reality is that they're going to go through this right now. So there's no question. If you're looking at the LA teams, yeah, the Clippers have more depth. They're in a

better position right now. But because of the messiness of this situation of, you know, guys not going to be in the greatest shape since they haven't played since March, anticipated injuries, anticipated positive COVID tests, every team to some degree is going to be lacking depth. And I think for any team in the NBA, as long as their star players are healthy, they still have the fighters' chance. I think once you get to that point where those guys are casualties, that's when the picture starts changing. What did you make a LeBron deciding not to put anything in the back of his jersey?

The NBA had some pre-approved messages. And LeBron's like, listen, it doesn't fit my mission. I don't think anybody doubts LeBron is, you know, he's on the right side of stuff. But what was your takeaway? Yeah, it was interesting. I don't think there's any right or wrong answer for any players that want to have a message or in LeBron James case doesn't want to have a message. But I didn't understand why he wasn't in the loop on this or, you know, the suggestion that he was saying that, you know, the players union didn't run different suggestions by him and other players.

That part befuddles me. But as far as how players decide what they want to do, I think at the end of the day, whether you have a message on your jersey or not, the things that players are more concerned about is how do they take that next step into, providing tangible change. I think at this point in time with what's going on in the world, everyone's aware of the issues that they're talking about. And now it's about, okay, what initiatives can they be a part of to address some of these reforms? In LeBron's case, you know, he just formed a group to help increase voter turnout, fight voter suppression in the minority communities. So what other things can players teams in the NBA do to help with some of those changes or anything else? regarding police reform or racial inequality in general.

By the way, what, you know, Rondo just said the food's no good. Or who said the food's no good? One of these NBA guys, and I'll be honest with you, I like hotel food. So when I go to a hotel, I turn the air conditioning down about 66 degrees, and I order hummus and salmon, and that's what I eat for seven days and watch movies and, you know, documentaries. So give me an update on the Disney food. What did you have to eat this morning?

Yeah, I had like an egg sandwich, a few, you know, a few pieces of a croissant. Look, like, I can confirm what Rondo says. The food's not great. I've been a seasoned traveler. I've been in much more luxurious hotels, have better meals. But at the end of the day, who cares? Like, we're in the middle of a pandemic,

and I'll just take it that I'm at least able to travel again. I hadn't been traveling since February when the NBA was having All-Star weekend in Chicago. So I'll take it. I mean, whatever inconvenience there are of the food not showing up on time or it's not the meal that you'd like, it really doesn't matter. Okay. See, that's a guy that's just handling it. Sometimes you just have to realize with COVID, we're all just like, life's not perfect.

It's just not, I mean, I drove by an in-and-out burger yesterday. It was 40 cars long. I'm like, oh my God. Good seeing you, Mark. As always, thanks, bud. Yeah, good seeing you guys. And be well, be safe. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the 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 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 was 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 so Thank you for finishing that sentence 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 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, Tript Fantine, 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, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office, Blue, 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I always do during the course of the year, about every two or three, four weeks, I do a Super Bowl bubble in the NFL. And I always feel there are seven or eight teams that are inside the bubble.

Then there's like four or five that are, they're playoff teams, but they're missing a component. They're not a Super Bowl team. And so in the NBA, I've never felt there's eight teams that can win the championship. There's usually like three to four teams that can win a championship. Then there's a bunch of teams on the,

the outside of the bubble, they're missing a component. There's a hole in their game, and it's the kind of problem, which is going to eliminate them from NBA championship contention. So best for last today. I'm going to give you eight teams who's in the bubble and who's outside the championship bubble. Here we go. Denver, outside the bubble. They're a bizarrely young team.

Paul Millsap is the only player on the roster. 30-year-old. Really well-coached. Great at home. They're just incredibly young. Also, Yokic lost a ton of weight. Is he the same player? Because his big refrigerator body was actually wildly effective.

They're 20th and points per game. If Jamal Murray is off, they become really Yokic-centric. They don't have a third or fourth guy. I feel like can get to 25 points a game. They're outside the bubble. Houston Rockets, outside the bubble. They just don't play a ton of defense.

Westbrook and Hardin are wildly entertaining. They're both bad defensive players. They just don't put in the effort. That's a big part of it. They're not going to make big stops, and that's really crucial in the NBA playoffs. And they also shoot the most threes in the NBA, but are 23rd in percentage

that are not highly efficient. They are outside of the bubble. Philadelphia 76ers. talented, but I put them outside of the bubble. I don't think they're a championship team. Here's the thing about this team. Great at home, atrocious on the road. 10 and 24 on the road, which tells you,

like a young team with chemistry issues, when everything's comfortable at home, sleeping in their own bed, they're great. You get them out of their comfort level and relationships and commitment and communication become key. Mess. They're also below 500 against the top five teams in the East.

They got a little bit of a Mike Tyson quality. They're good against bad. But when you really inspect them up close against good teams, they're really average. Los Angeles Lakers this morning, I think they're outside the bubble. I think Avery Bradley and Rondo are two situational players. They're out. I almost wonder if you try to talk Avery Bradley back into the bubble, if the NBA will have an exception on that.

I just don't, I think this team was old to begin with, and they're very, very LeBron and Anthony Davis reliance. But now the West is known for great point guards and great smaller wings and you can't lose Avery, Bradley, and Rondo. And I don't think Ronald was a great player. I think they were phasing him out. But now you become very dependent on Kyle Kuzma. I don't know what. Kyle Kuzma has never had a playoff game.

I don't know what I'm getting with Kyle Kuzma. Out of the bubble. Toronto Raptors, close, but out of the bubble. Let's be honest. Kauai Leonard, to me last year, was the best. Get a basket and get a stop player in the NBA. And it was Kauai Leonard that got them past even Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference. Pascal C. Occam's a very good player, but I don't think he's there yet.

Well coached. But in the six games against elite teams in the East, they were one in five. Smart, depth, veterans, nice mix of young guys. But you can't take the best, get a bucket, get a stop guy in the league. I don't think you're a championship team. Milwaukee, inside the bubble. Pretty easy. Dominate average and are very good against good.

34 and 5 against the East. This team is, and I think this is going to be true for all the really good teams, they're going to get through this thing. There's going to be no like off nights. Milwaukee is going to sweep potentially the first two rounds. They dominate average teams and they are good against good teams. Boston Celtics, they're my dark horse to win. it, they're inside the bubble. And one of the reasons I like them, especially now, if they lost

a guy to an injury or COVID, they're in pretty good shape. They're the only team to have three players average 20 plus points. Averaging 20 plus points in the NBA is a real thing. That's like an All-Star. Kemba, Tatum, and Brown. And Gordon Hayward drops 24, you wouldn't be shocked. They were also 5 and 2 against the best teams in the Eastern Conference. So I think they're a dark horse team to win it. L.A. Clippers, totally inside the bubble. They were 11 and 1 when healthy. And they really control the Lakers in two of the three games they played. They're incredibly well-rested. Paul George said it's the best shape of his life and the most rested. And they're also uniquely built to stop LeBron with Beverly and Morris and Paul George and

Kauai on the wing. There's my eight teams. Denver, Houston, Philly, Lakers, Raptors, just outside the bubble. 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 SportsSlice 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 I-Heart 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 Keir 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 you, your podcast. This is an IHeart

podcast. Guaranteed human.