The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Marcus Thompson on Nets/Celtics GM 1, Poole Emergence, Lakers Post-Mortem

Episode Date: April 18, 2022

First, Colin reacts to the weekend NBA Playoff action (3:00), including why the Nets should feel confident despite dropping Game 1 to the Celtics, if he’s buying the T’Wolves after stealing one from the Grizzlies, why Bucks/Bulls is the perfect example for why the NBA should shorten the first round, and why Steve Ballmer can’t be happy with his franchise players. Then, The Athletic NBA Writer Marcus Thompson joins Colin to discuss if Steve Nash deserves blame for the Nets Game 1 loss (11:00), if Brooklyn still has the upper hand despite the loss (14:00), who’s the odd man out in the Warriors big picture plans with the emergence of Jordan Poole (21:00), if the Dubs believe they can beat the Suns (27:00), if there’s anyway for the Lakers to pull out of their downward spiral (31:00), if any team is capable of pulling off a huge postseason upset (36:00), and what makes Draymond so unique in today's NBA (40:00).  Make sure you follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fans, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two.

Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The Volume.

The Colin Coward podcast presented by Fandul's sportsbook, no better place to make every moment more than with Fandul. Basketball, Football. They have awesome, new and example. vesting user promotions. It's easy to use. It's safe and secure. You can get your winnings back in two hours. My favorite, the same game parlay's.

You can bet five or ten bucks in one 150 bucks or more. If you are new, just download the Fandul Sportsbook app. Get started now. Sign up promo code Colin so they know we and I sent you. The Colin Coward podcast presented by the Fandulul Sportsbook. Hi, everybody. Welcome in to our Monday morning podcast, the great Marcus Thompson for the athletic, covers the Warriors and the NBA as going to be joining us.

He wrote the KD book and the Steph Curry book. My takeaway on the most interesting game of the weekend is the Celtics and Brooklyn. I think if you're Brooklyn, you have to feel great. KD was awful in the first half, did not play well overall 9 of 24, had a terrible shot to try to close the game for the nets. and in the end, Boston's a better defensive team with significantly better ball movement. The Nets have Kyrie and Kevin Durant. But I still think you have to feel great if you're Brooklyn that the best player on the floor, Kevin Durant, had a bad game.

They had a ton of turnovers early, and yet Boston couldn't pull away. And that really, to me, is the series. Jason Tatum played great. Jalen Brown played well. Marcus Smart was fantastic. Their best players all played really well. KD, the best player on the floor, stunk it up by KD standards. So my takeaway on Brooklyn, you've got to feel good.

And speaking of this, you know, I've said this about Philadelphia. I picked Philadelphia over the Raptors. And my takeaway was that's what happens in the playoffs. The Raptors don't have a go-to guy. So Embeddied had 19, Hardin only had 22, and the Sixers still won. by 20 is that what happens in the NBA, and I think most of you know this, a lot of teams like Boston or a Miami or a Toronto, they're great effort teams. But once you get to the playoffs, everybody gives you the effort. Now, Hardin and Embed are not perfect between Maxie, Hardin,

Tobias Harris, MB, the chemistry is not as good as a Boston. It's not as good as a Golden State. It's not as good as Phoenix or a Milwaukee. But in the end of the end of the end of the same, end, I'm going to take Hardin and I'm going to take M-B'd because Toronto doesn't have the kind of offensive firepower to pull away in these games. So the games are going to be close with five minutes left and I want the two best players on the floor. My takeaway on the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves, the two youngest teams in the playoffs. I thought Memphis came out with a little bit of an attitude and didn't take Minnesota seriously. I don't think either one of these teams. I think Memphis is the better team is going to win the series.

I don't think either one of these teams has the experience in the playoffs to not take the other seriously. If you look at some of the analytics, Memphis is going to win this series, but they didn't shoot particularly well. They found themselves in a hole. Anthony Edwards, I was just talking, not a name drop here, I was just talking to Alex Rodriguez, who is friends with Anthony Edwards. And he was just talking about sort of his mindset.

that kid's a killer. I mean, he's going to go right at you. He was hyper aggressive. He's got a football body. So he's a hard matchup physically. I mean, he's just so strong. He feels very old school. It's like Michael Jordan, if you added 15 to 18 pounds of muscle.

He'll go right at you. And most of these guys, it's a cardio league now. Just don't match up with him. Two other thoughts on the NBA. Number one, Milwaukee, Chicago. I mean, Milwaukee had a 9-0 lead, and literally the series was over. College basketball, the officiating is bad, the quality of play is average, the coaching's really, really average. I mean, the Carolina, Kansas national championship game, they had a combined three-point percentage of 27 percent and a combined field goal percentage of 37 percent.

It's not pretty basketball. Yet their ratings are fantastic because there's a sense of, urgency like everything's on the line. We know this in college football. We know it in pro football. We know it in the World Cup. What hurts the NBA, and I just don't understand it. Darryl Morey came on my podcast and said,

I do single elimination throughout the playoffs. Now, I wouldn't. There's too much money at stake. But if you had a three game series in the first round, I mean, there's no reason for Milwaukee in Chicago to go seven. It's just, it's pointless. There's no urgency. Milwaukee's going to either sweep them or win it in five.

They may lose a game to app it. in Chicago. But if that series is three games, people get concerned in the NBA, well, you don't want LeBron losing. You don't want the stars losing. Well, it works in college basketball and the quality of officiating is worse. The quality of coaching's

worse. The quality of athletes is worse. Consumers respond to urgency. Milwaukee, Chicago is a classic example of the ridiculousness of seven game first round playoff series. I want to I want to talk about a team that didn't make the playoffs that I had high hopes for.

So when Steve Ballmer bought the L.A. Clippers, he's a basketball addict. Seattle guy that was kind of legendary around the Pacific Northwest for just dropping in when he was one of the three richest people in the world, just dropping in on high school basketball tournaments for the weekend. So he buys the Clippers. And, you know, they're the number two. They're the Mets to the Yankees, a disproportionate set. to the number one brand. So he buys it and he gets a break. The Lakers are sort of a mess. And so here's this golden opportunity for him to take over the city of L.A.

Kauai Leonard can't stay healthy and has no leadership ability. He's nonverbal. Paul George can't stay healthy. Paul George in the second playing game is not available. He got COVID. Now, timeout. Paul George, what are you doing? How do you get COVID? I'm not a believer that it can happen to anybody. I do believe if you're smart, if you wore a mask, especially for a pro athlete, you can have food delivered. You don't have to go out. I got to believe Steve Balmer is absolutely beside himself.

He's got the right coach. He's got a really nice roster. But I wonder if he regrets Paul George and Kauai Leonard. Now, he's going to have to probably run it back. you know, what's out there on the market. But, I mean, between Kauai's inability to stay healthy and his nonverbal personality and Paul George, I mean, if you're Paul George, you've been hurt all year, you come back, you've been erratic historically in the playoffs.

I would lock myself in a room for a month to ensure I was there for my team, just really, truly a response. Don't tell me it's just random. No, it's not. It's not. Now, some people have jobs. You know, they work in hospitals. Some people have jobs there. They put themselves at risk of attaining it. Paul George has got $100 million in the bank. He can have everything delivered. He doesn't have to go out in public. Highly discouraging. Marcus Thompson, Bay Area columnist for the athletic, author of three great books, one called KD, and then there's golden about Steph Curry, recent book Dynasty, the 10 goat teams that changed the NBA forever, always a great listen and a great column. So I want to start with Brooklyn, Boston. God, there was a Kyrie possession at the end of that game that was atrocious.

There was a KD possession at the end of that game that was atrocious. So when you go around the league, when you go around the league, what's the book on Steve Nash? Because it looked like it was just guys, there was just no design to either play. What's the book on Nash? The book on Nash is he has two of the greatest offensive weapons of all time. And it's like, yeah, clear out. It was kind of obvious. There isn't much of a book, though, right?

Like that was, I mean, it's not a bad book, right? If you got KD and Karee, right? I'd probably do the same thing, but I'm not the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, right? So I do think the way, especially on that last possession, right, where they were playing and Karee so soft and then on a last possession, you know, market smart is in them. And then a hofer comes to help and they kick it to KD and everybody's up in you. Like that was kind of a sign where it's like, yeah, you probably should run something. Maybe you should have a set or two or an offensive philosophy.

You could tell he doesn't have that. So I would say the book is there isn't much of a book yet. And that's kind of been covered up by the fact that you have KD. KD makes you not need books as much as most coaches, right? You don't need that much of a book. But to win a championship, you probably need a book, Colin? Well, it's interesting. And we'll pivot to this, the Warriors in a second,

because Jordan Poole, we've talked about it on this podcast a bunch, creates an interesting, like a really good dilemma. I'll get to that in a second. But when KD left the Warriors, did Kerr implement more structure to your point that KD sort of lets you free willet on offense more? I think the problem was there was so much structure on the Warriors. I don't think KD like that very much.

Like KD's mindset, which makes a lot of sense if you as great as him, because why do I need 15 passes to get me to a spot to take a shot where I could just take that shot, like, just let me do me. But, you know, Kerr implements a philosophy. Like, everybody needs to be moving and passing because over time, that just wears down on a defense. So I think the structure has always been the same. It even caused a little bit of issue, right? And KD wasn't shy about it. It's like, yeah, why are we doing all this?

What's all it's moving for, right? And even now, you get to a point where teams, no, the Warriors are going to do a lot of passing, a lot of movement. So they kind of prepare for that. And the Warriors bet is always, just give it to time. It's like Novocaine. It works every time. But there is some kind of conflict with that where it's like, yo, just isolate a guy.

Like, well, I make it harder than what it has to be. But that's the Warriors' book. That's his philosophy, right? He lives and dies with it. And you get it even when you don't like it. You still get it. It makes sense. Even when it's like, okay, this is too much.

Stop passing so much. I actually thought Brooklyn had to feel great. KD had a terrible first half, recovered a little later. You know, listen, Boston's a better defensive team. Boston's got better chemistry. But on a day when the best player on the floor played poorly, Boston can be very Tatum-centric. Like, Jason's great.

I can't always count on Marcus Smart, who I thought played great. Do you like Boston or the Nets over the course of the series? I feel better about the Nets after this. So do I? I always felt like if the game is close, I'm normally going to go with KD and Kyrie. And I do, there is a part of Boston that is pretty lucky right now, right?

Because that was a fairly miraculous ending. Right. And I don't know. I just don't see as great as Tatum and Jalen as, and I love Jalen Brown. I think he's underrated even. That's still Kyrie and KD. So to me, the Nets kind of, the, the, Celtic's kind of like, win by 15. You can't play seven games and it comes down to the wire.

I think you're going to be KD four times. Right. This was more of an aberration. And then there's Kyrie who's clearly motivated. He's like flipping fans off. He's cursing people out or Ramadan, you know, you know he's coming back next game crazy. So I do feel like the Nets found of vulnerability. They, they exploited them.

Their defense is not the same without Robert Williams. as it is. That's a big loss. That's a pretty big loss. And you can see the way Kyrie was getting to where he needed to get to. But I do feel like if you're Brooklyn, you've got to feel pretty good, man. They need it like one of the great, like dramatic endings to win a home game at game one. Like that's, that's a good sign for the visitor. The playoffs are here. You can make every game feel like game seven on Fandall's Sportsbook, an official partner of the NBA. Fandals hooking you up free bets through the playoffs. Free bets. Doesn't matter if you're a new customer or already have an account. Be sure to check out the app exclusive weekly same game parlay promos.

Fandul's got so many ways to play. Best of all, when you win, you get paid faster than a fast break. If you're new to Fandul, download the Fandul Sportsbook app, sign up with a promo code column. If you already have an account, you're all set to get in on the action. Either way, you'll get an assist from Fandul when you bet a same game parlay during the playoffs. Vandul Sportsbook, an official partner of the NBA.

21 plus and present in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana and Louisiana. Permitted parishes only. Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. First online, real money wager only, refund issued as non-withdrawable

site credit that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fandul.com. Gambling problem, 1,800 next step, or text next step to 5334-2-AIDS-7-7-7-7-7. Or visit ccccpG. chat, Connecticut, 1-800 gambler or visit Fandul.com slash RG and Colorado, Indiana,

Jersey and Virginia, 18777-7-0-0-0-1-1-7-0-1-7-1-1-7-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, The podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space. For honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. 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, Keir Gaines, is 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.

I thought the Warriors were the most oppressive team over the weekend. And there's a little bit of a dilemma, although it's not a crisis now, is that Jordan Poole is emerging as like an all-star level player. And we've talked about this. When they brought in Andrew Wiggins, he was seen as a trade piece, but the culture is so strong, he's now a valuable player. And Jordan Poole has developed into an 18-point-a-game. Next year, it could be 2021. Clay Thompson's not quite there. he's very expensive.

And they've always been a team that plays small ball for a big chunk. Wiseman's not really working. Kvon Looney, you know, there are going to be times facing Aiton, could be Janus, it could be Embed, that they need some size. The whole Jordan pool, Clay Thompson dynamic, where pools often better when he doesn't have to share shots with Clay. How does that, when you watch every practice, every game, How does it feel there?

It's definitely something that's coming to a head, right? Because, and like you said, it is a great problem. Jordan Poo is forcing hands here. Right. There's no question. Like, take out history, take out all the history, take out what you know about what players can do, and just analyze in 22 since January 1st, you can make a strong case that Jordan Poo is their best player. and that's tough to do

to know that and then be like, yeah, you're coming off the bitch, right? Like that's a tough way. And he won't, he won't like stop playing well.

Like he won't not, he won't give him a reason to not do it. So it's coming to a head and I do think Wiggins will end up being, well, obviously, Kavon Loonie's going to be the odd man out. They'll play Steph, Clay,

Dremont, you know, and Jordan Poole and they'll go Wiggins. The problem with that is, is Yokic. So now you're saying, yo, Drayvon, that's, that's 40 minutes or 35 minutes against Yokic. So at some point, you do have to get like an actual big man in there. You got to, you got to get a minutes eater. Like in baseball, you need the innings eater. They need a minutes eater. That's why he starts looting.

Marcus, I said this the other week. I said, Wiseman's a weird fit, can't stay healthy. And they feel, because of Draymond and Steph's age, they're in a championship window here. the next two to three years. And I said, is it crazy if you called the Lakers and said, we'll take Anthony Davis, we'll give you Wiseman a pick, and Clay Thompson? Now, the pushback is Steph would never allow it. But if you went to Steph and said, Steph, we got to have a big here. Wiseman's not ready to finish this product.

He's not. The Lakers, meanwhile, they need shooters, big time. So they'll take a clay. They'll go draft one. they'll take Wiseman as a project. I just threw it out there and people said, that's crazy. And I'm like, would Steph go to management and say you can't trade clay? I mean, you're asking Steph to like cut off his arm because he needs a new pair of shoes.

Like, that's part of who he is. I don't think they would do it because you literally lose a huge shooting dynamic, right, in order to get some size. And they're banked, they've banked the entire time. It's like, man, you can make do it. somebody who's big. Like, let's go get somebody who's big. If you got name a guy, Robin Lopez on this roster, right? You got something, right?

You got a big. And you have what nobody else has. You have stuff with clay. I don't know that they would give that up to get a little bit more size. And also, you know what the tough sell is going to be. How do you go get rid of Wives because he can't stay healthy and get another big man who can't say healthy. Like, I don't know if you win that.

Now, if you were to say LeBron. Well, here's what's funny. So you guys had, you got Wiseman with the number two pick, right? Yep. Number was number one aunt. Anthony. Yep. And then so, I mean, you weren't going to draft.

And LaBello was three. Yeah. No, that was kind of a three or four player draft. Why not? I mean, if you look at what Jordan Poole has done, and he's obviously not the passer Lamello is, but it's the same concept of, well, you don't want to draft Lamello because you got a third guard. Well, now you've got a third guard, right?

And now he has to be on the court and you're not taking step in playoff. So it's kind of the same scenario, except George Poole is a lot cheaper than Lamello right now, right? And that's a whole different story. Who can, like, will he accept the role? But in hindsight, Lamello makes sense because you got three guards now anyway. No, the issue with, I think to your point, they're going to move Wiggins and get some size. You can't give up Jordan Poole. And then there's Jonathan Cumanga, six.

seven, you know, could be a really plus defender. You like Kamaga. Well, I just think he's so twitchy. I think he just, I just don't know if I trust him in these big spots. You tell me, if you, Yokic look gassed. I find Yokic fascinating. So he just looked gassed. Denver's a team that, again, like the Clippers, they just can't stay healthy.

It feels like the last two years, they're constantly beat up. Do you think they're a threat at all to the Warriors? No, I don't. I mean, who are you banking on? Who's number two? Like, what's their counter? I don't know what they're counter. You got, you want to beat the warriors.

The warriors have a counter. They have answers, right? What are the reasons they start Kavanaugh-Lun-Kav-Lut? Because if things don't go well, you can come with a better alignment, right? You have that ace in the whole. That's why they were fine bringing stuff off the bitch. It's like, you know what? If you can't beat us with step off the court, you're done.

But if you do beat us, we can bring us step. They like this stuff. They like holding the last lineup to the end. So you know they have the counters, and that's a byproduct of when you went three championships to go to five straight finals. Like you kind of understand that you've got to be able to answer some pause, right? And I just don't think Denver doesn't have an answer.

I just don't know what else they do. What else do you do? Yukin is going to be tired? Is he going to get shaped by game three? Like he's in shape for Yokic, but in this level, I don't know what? I don't know how fast that diet might have to work. How do you think the people inside the Warriors view their chances against Phoenix?

Now, again, Phoenix doesn't shoot the three consistently well. It's kind of the hole in their game. But as we've talked about, their construct is a championship construct. You're classic two. Yeah, yeah. I mean, the Warriors would steal games because they would simply get hot and then shoot their way to wins. Inside the building, how do you think they feel they match it? with Phoenix. I think they like it. I think they like their chances as an underdog against

Phoenix because, number one, they'd be an underdog. And this group doesn't, they haven't felt that. Well, that's not even an underdog. Like, it's been a long time, maybe 2013 against Denver and the Spurs, right? But, or I guess Clippers 2014. But I do think the way the pieces of Phoenix are so like perfectly aligned, but everybody, they don't do anything surprising. right you kind of know what they do so just a matter of figuring her out and obviously obviously they've got a lot of experience beating chris paul so you know they got to feel good about going up against chris paul i don't think while aton is dangerous i don't think he scares them i think they believe if you're giving the ball to eight and 25 times then that's a win for the warriors right

so you got step you got clay and that's something phoenix has to deal with they they've just beating Chris Paul so many times they feel comfortable going against him. They know what kind of challenge he presents. And I just think Phoenix is a devil you know. It's a mountain you know, right? Like, it's hard as hell to climb of it, right? You might not make it, but you at least know it. Whereas on the other hand, like a team like Memphis, you don't know it, right? You don't know. They've got 15 guys they play and they all are like super athletes and 18 years old, like full of adolescent energy and just nonstop, right? Phoenix is a is a mom. they know. So I do think they like their chances, but also Phoenix might be the toughest match

because they can play small, they can play big, they can kind of go whatever way. But I don't think they're scared of Phoenix at all. What do you make of the Lakers mess down here? Westbrook can't play off the ball, which we all knew. So we knew that was going to be not an ideal fit. As you look at the Lakers and you hear whispers around the league, I keep telling people in Los Angeles on my show. Folks, the last 10 years, they've been bad for eight of the years. Ownership, front office, roster, like, they're the Detroit Lions. I think we're on our fifth coach in 12 years. Like, it's mayhem, but the brand. It's like the Yankees in the 80s. The brand's huge. The Cowboys, right? Right. But it's like, if you look at the Lakers over the last 10 years outside of

the bubble year, Marcus, it's not a very good franchise. Yeah, that pressure, you know what? These guys felt it. They felt it. On a playing, Colin, not in the West finals. They felt it trying to get past San Antonio in New Orleans for the last spot. Like, that's, that's the Lakers mystique. I think they're in trouble. I really do. I think they're a bit. I don't know. They don't have picks. They've got to dangle Anthony Davis, right? That's what they got. They got to dangle LeBron in order to get anything, or they have to figure out

a life with Russ. And you, you hear Russ afterwards? Like, hey, they said it was going to let me, let Russ be Russ, but that was a lie. That didn't happen, right? So, and Russ is mine, he's sitting there thinking after this season, like, man, that's because y'all don't let me do me. Right. So it doesn't even sound harmonious, right? It doesn't sound reconcilable. No. Where are they going to go? Well, get John Wall. This is how bad it is. The answer is to go get John Wall, who ain't played since, you know, in two years. That's the answer. That's the best. shot is go get John Wall.

Like, they're in a tough spot. Who's running it? Who's calling a shot? Who's making it? That's another big thing. People underestimate that. It's really important to have a singular dominant voice, even if it's like a player, even if it's like LeBron.

So now you know where accountability goes. When people mess up, you know where to go. Man, they've got, it's a lot of cooks in that kitchen, man. Nobody's calling it. So nobody's saying, oh, that was my fault. I blew it. Let's just fire Frank Vogel. Like that was the answer.

Yeah. And if you look at LaBron. Ron, he won't acknowledge the Westbrook choice. He said about a week ago, hey, like, I'm not a front office guy. I let the guys do what they want. So he's distancing himself. He's like, I'm done with this. That's on y'all now, right?

He is. I mean, he, it's, you know, you get to this point. It's like when Brady pushed Bruce Ariens upstairs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he goes to Instagram. I love my coach. What's happening, Marcus, when these guys are worth $800 million, it's brand protection. Brady's protecting his brand.

He doesn't want to come off as harsh. LeBron doesn't want to come off as meddling. But in the end, I don't think there's any answers. I think we look at the Lakers because of their name and we think they're competent. The Dallas Cowboys do this. They have very few outside voices. It's Jerry Jones. It's Stephen Jones.

It's Charlotte Jones. The Lakers, it's Rambus, husband and wife. It's Kobe's agent. It's Jeannie Bus. She takes calls. daily from Phil Jackson. It's very insular. Magic Johnson.

So to me, it's like the Warriors, Bob Myers ultimately makes the final calls, right? Well, Joe Laker. Yeah, when he wants to step in, he'll step in. But yeah, it's Bob Myers. But that's part of the Warriors vacuum, too. Like they've got, they're getting a little bit of many voices. But everybody knows the buck stopped with Joe Laker.

And that's very clear to everybody. even down to whether or not they spend money on the 15th roster spot, right? Like that was a, that's a Joe Lakers call. So for better or worse, it's good to have that, though, right? That's, it's good to have somebody who's making a call. I think that's what they let. First off, they need a philosophy, right? They need something to decide and say, listen, here's how we're going to play.

And if you do that, now you can at least pick roster spots. Because remember, they added a lot of players. They let some go, right? They let Caruso go, right? KCP and, you know, they go and get Malik month. There's like signing Stanley Johnson or like 10-day contract. Like they don't have a philosophy. They're just kind of like, yo, who's out there, who's available?

They need a coach who can bring a philosophy and realize this is not going to happen in one year. But there's, I don't care what the problem is. You shouldn't be number 11 in the West. It's 15 teams in the West. You got LeBron, you got Anthony Davis. That should get you in the play. like minimum and start building something lebron ain't going anywhere he's staying in hollywood so just

start building something that's what they need to do but they got to find the right coach who can who can do that so when when you um is there anything in the playoffs um i i kind of suspect um you know i like phoenix to win it uh good defensive team good leadership good coach i also think um more dependable physically i worry about, I always worry about Steph, I worry about Clay, Draymond. These guys, there's a lot. A lot of miles, baby. A lot of miles.

I do like Milwaukee in the East, even though I don't think they're gifted offensively. I think they have Janus, and you kind of cross your fingers on Chris Middleton. Do you, do you, I can't figure out the Miami Heat. I don't, I don't get them. Somebody can describe it. That's the team. That's the team I don't get. Maybe for you, it's Denver.

I don't get Miami. They don't have a closer. They have a great bench. bench is shrinking the playoffs. Do you, do you suspect we'll have a surprise of any note, a noteworthy surprise? I don't think so. I really don't think. Then you know what the surprise would be like if the Warriors be Phoenix. But how surprised it is that really, right? Like, you know, I think I think Minnesota would be a surprise. I think they got a series in them. I think they're going to scare the hell out of Memphis, to be honest with you. Memphis might survive,

but Minnesota is going to be terrifying. But I do think in the end, we're talking. We're talking. in Milwaukee, we're talking Phoenix, we're talking, you know, somehow the net survive and get everything together. Like we, there's really three teams who you really think will go all the way. I don't really think it'll be a surprise. And if the Warriors do it, it won't be a surprise. It's just we haven't seen it in three years, right? So it's like, do they still have it? Can they survive? But as far as can win a title, Chicago can't win a title right now. I don't, I mean, the Nets and the Celtics are two. three, you know, I don't, you think either one of them, they're about to kill each other

for a series and then lose to Milwaukee, right? Like that's how it's going to work. So I don't, I don't think we're going to get a surprise from the sense that the teams who we think can win a title will be one or ones who win a title. I don't think we're going to get a dark horse. It's just too hard, man. And the, the blue bloods, they're all really good, right? It's not like, it's not the power vacuum.

Milwaukee's going to be tough to beat. You're not beat Milwaukee. They weren't number one. and it went 65 games, but that's still a championship team. You got to beat them. And then you got to beat Boston, right? And, you know, Philly might be the easiest of them all to get through. So in the end, it'll be the ones who are, you know, they are who he thought they were in the words of Denny Granger.

Yeah. So circle back to the Warriors. So they'll move Wiggins, in your opinion, for size. That's your prediction. I just feel like they'll move Wiggins for George Poole. where pool's got a lot of money. But actually, they might not have to move them because whatever pool signs, it will kick in after Wiggins deal is up. So they won't be paying the same time currently.

The big issue is they just can't. They already got, how many maxes do they have? They got four max contracts. Right. Right? Like, you can't add a fifth one. And George Blue is going to get pretty close, if not max. But they got to move a max if they want to add one.

I do think they're still on the Weisman train. I do think they're still like we believe in them. It's going to happen. But I also think Jonathan Kamega makes them a little bit more patient, right? A little bit more patient. So the real question is, can they sign George Poole? But we're going to see in these playoffs, pool, Curry, Clay Thompson, etched them in the lineup with blood.

Draymond, another one. Can they win with Wiggins is the fifth start? Like that's going to be the question. How far can they get? we're riding those five, can Wiggins, can Wiggins be the difference maker? And if not, then you kind of got to decide to make a move. But man, if they make a run with that five,

I think they run it back because they haven't even played. Game one was the first time they played together. Isn't that crazy? Yeah, it's wild, right? So if they make a run, I think it will be the emphasis for them to say, run it back with the page word pool, and then if, you know, let's see what we get when Wiggins after his contract expire.

Marcus Thompson. Perfect. Great seeing you, buddy. I love your setup. Is this your house? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got my art now. I didn't, it's not me.

I don't have that much taste. That's too classy. It would have been like Tupac or something. The five shows. But I will remember you were on Camiga early. Oh, I think he's, there are just athletes that are so twitchy. I kind of feel, like I felt in the playoffs.

I'm like, I'd give him 18 minutes and let him defend. But the problem is Draymond is so valuable on the floor. I mean, the other night he had, what, 10? And you're like, he felt so substantial. And he's just one of those. While Yokic was sucking win, Dremont is like yelling and phoned at the mouth, right? Like, it's crazy. Where does he get the energy from?

The dude is like 32 years old. He's got the gray beard. He's coming off injury. And he was lit. And Yokic is out there sucking win. Like, it's like, how is this happen? One of these dudes has been to five finals. And the other one is like new entering his prime, but you couldn't tell.

Because Draymond was so on tilt. I was like, how do you do this every time? It's crazy. Yeah, Dremont's the last player in the league that you can get 10 points from, and he feels significant. Yeah. There's not, dude, there's not many of those guys. Now, in the 70s and 80s, because of the rules, you had guys like that.

Charles Oakley. Ben Wallace was a guy. Yeah. Yeah, like, Draymond's the last. You literally feel he is changing momentum and not scoring. It's impressive. It's very old school, right? And in this age of Pace and Space and Chuck in Threes, I do think it is a dying breed.

You've got to be able to get a dub now, Kyle. You don't get 20 points, what's you doing? Especially because you go, what, $40 million? Can't get $40 million on 10 points? Everybody know that. But I will say with Draymond, he's so, there's such an affinity within the culture for him. Because I will say this about one of the things I like about the Warriors is they got most of their players. later in the draft.

There's a grinders mentality to it. I mean, one guy goes to Washington State, one guy's second round, one guy goes to Davidson, even Jordan Poole. I mean, the bottom line is it's very hard to get two things simultaneous. Great players all have a chip on their shoulder.

Like they were overlooked. It's a rare culture in the NBA. I can't think of anybody off the top of my head that had it. Seriously. That's a tough call, yeah. how do you, the question, you got to spot it, right? You got to spot the chip in advance

because sometimes you don't spot it. It's spotted in Tom Brady that dude went six round, right? You can tell Draymond, even in his podcast at the volume. He is a totally coachable. Like, how do I get better? It's really,

he is the easiest athlete I've ever worked with. I just texted him the other day. You should have heard him today, Colin after the meeting. He went on a whole rant about how much respect he has for what we do now, how he's learning. Draybaud's doing research. He's like, if my pod is on Monday, I'm doing research on Wednesday, the Wednesday before,

like going over questions and all that. I was like, what in the world is happening? No, he's great. He really, you got to break it down film. He is, he is one of one. I mean, if he, I would sign him to a 10-year contract today. He is one of one in my, there's just, he, he, he, I'm trying to think of anybody that comes to mind that is a star is going to be a Hall of Famer.

And then in his podcast, his third or fourth income, totally grinds. Hard. It's like, dude, you know that. That's not the way it works. Hey, I did a podcast with him back in the day. That's not how he was. That's not how he was. But yeah, he's into.

He was telling us today how into it is. He's like, no, I'm out here. I'll put as much work into this as I do basketball. He's like, he's on it. Listen to the producer. What have you done to Draymond? I know. He doesn't listen to Steve Kerr as much as he listened to the producer of his podcast.

It's great seeing you, my man. All right, have a good one. All right, Marcus. Thanks, man. That was great. The volume. Make sure to check out the Dremon Green show. I brought Dramon Green into the volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports,

unique perspective, understands behind the rope, also chops up with guests like Gary Peyton, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady. Make sure download the Draymond Green Show wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume podcast network. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an

a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing a lot. all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.