The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hoops Tonight - How close Kevin Durant & Steph Curry were to reuniting on Warriors

Episode Date: September 13, 2022

Jason Timpf reacts to news that Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors considered making a trade for Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant during the NBA offseason. He later discusses what makes Steph Curry great and different from stars like LeBron James. #Herd #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. The volume.

What's up guys? It's Jason from Hoops Tonight, presented by Fanduel. Football season is here, and there is no better place to get in on the action than with Fanduil. It's my favorite sports gambling app out there. It's safe, secure, and easy to use. They have exclusive offers, tons of ways to play like spread and money line over unders, team totals. Same game parlays where you can combine multiple bets from the same game.

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1-800-270-1-117 for confidential help in Michigan. 18778 Hope N.Y or text Hope N.Y to 467-369 in New York. In Tennessee, Redline, dial 1-800-889-9-97889 in Tennessee. Visit www.1-800 gambler.net in West Virginia. All right, welcome to Hoops tonight, presented by FanDuel here at the Volume. Happy Monday, everybody. I hope all of you guys had an amazing weekend. just got in the door from Mexico about two hours ago. A few of you guys asked me about the hurricane really wasn't much of a factor.

One morning was pretty bad, and then after that, the rest of the trip was two and a half days of the best Mexico weather I have ever experienced. I played some golf, went down to the beach, hung out by the pool, everything you could hope for from a relaxing Mexico vacation. That said, I'm excited to be back and to talk some basketball. Today, we're not going to be starting the power rankings until later this week, but today we're going to be reacting to that Rolling Stones article about Steph Curry and his recruitment of Kevin Durant this summer, at least within his own franchise.

A couple of really interesting little quotes in that article that I wanted to briefly touch on. Not going to be going too long today, maybe about 15 minutes. Before we get started, you guys know the drill. Subscribe to the volumes YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at underscore Jason LT so you don't miss any show announcements. And last but not least, if you miss one of these shows, shows and you can't get back over to YouTube to finish it. You can find them wherever you get your podcasts under hoops tonight. And then last little announcement, last day of this blank background,

I am going to be hanging all of the artwork tomorrow. So it'll be there for our next show. A little sneak peek, one I'm very, very excited about. And yes, if you're wondering why I'm hanging up a 32-inch poster of a Star Destroyer at high resolution, the answer is because it's awesome. And I'm very excited for you guys to see the final result. So, all right, let's get going. So the synopsis of this article, there are a couple things that were in there that I'm not going to touch on. For instance, Steph made a passing mention to KD and trust issues. I can't speak to that. I don't know any of the details. I do think that what happened with Kyrie is interesting, but I don't necessarily think that's what Steph was referencing. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. We don't know.

I certainly don't have a good enough feel on that to make a comment. One of the things he touched on that I briefly want to touch on is a quote that he had about Katie requesting a trade this summer. He said, quote, man, he thinks they're going to go to teams, like if you went to Phoenix, that they're going to be the same team if he's there. They have a little bit of everything, but they would have to deal with the organizational transition to get rid of Jalen Brown. He's such a pivotal piece if they would have done that, end quote.

Coat Curry broke apart his fingertips in an explosion and agreed with Snoop, because apparently he was talking to Snoop Dog for this part of the interview, that Durant was better off staying with the Nets. Now, as Steph says that he's better off staying with the Nets, I don't necessarily disagree. I mean, in terms of the rosters, Brooklyn does have an interesting roster. I don't have them in my top tier contenders.

Big Shock, we'll learn more about them when we get to them in the power rankings. That said, I do understand where KD was coming from. I do think there were better basketball situations out there for him. Where I disagree with Steph is he was saying that every team would have to blow themselves up to get KD. That just simply wasn't the truth. I thought the Miami and Phoenix options right up front made no sense because they would have to give up too much.

But I thought a New Orleans would have made a lot of sense if you flipped a Brandon Ingram for KD, they're instantly a contender. If you flip a Zion Williamson for a KD, they're instantly a contender. With the Toronto Raptors, if you would have flipped a Scotty Barnes and a Fred Van Vleet for Kevin Durant, you're instantly a contender. There were teams in there that would have been able to. to get KD and still provide him with a significantly better basketball situation than what he would have had if he stayed with the net. So I did push back a little bit there. Specifically with Boston,

like, that was just a no-brainer. Like Boston could have given up a player that would have been a great option for Brooklyn to rebuild around, but also have plenty around Durant and Tatum to easily be the most talented team in the league this year. I thought Boston would have been a runaway favorite had they made that trade. So I do disagree with Steph in the sense that I think, Kevin Durant did perceive that there were some options out there for him, it just didn't realize, it didn't materialize. So, like, what really happened here is Josai made a gamble. He gambled that if he effectively passively refused Kevin Durant's request, not by outwardly refusing it, but by just making a ridiculous asking price, he figured he might be able to get

KD to recommit, and he did. So it was a gamble that Josai took. and it paid off. I don't think this necessarily was Kevin Durant misreading the landscape of the league. I just disagree with that specifically. But Steph is correct in the sense that there is sometimes in life a tendency to think that the grass is always greener. And I do think that overall ideology makes sense. But Kevin Durant had some real options there. They just didn't materialize because of Joe Tsai, not because of the other teams around the league. And, you know, what's going to be really interesting there is training camp. You know, we're going to be starting training camp with the NBA here in like two weeks, maybe a little bit less.

I can't remember exactly for sure. But the reality is, is like, that's, everyone's going to be meeting there for Brooklyn, Steve Nash, you know, Sean Marks, Kevin to rank, Kyrie Irving. They all got to come together and make this thing work. And I'm really curious to see how it goes. We're going to be doing our power rankings basically up until preseason game start. And then as soon as preseason game starts, it's all, and it's all film. It's all straight up NBA basketball, even if it's preseason.

We're going to deep dive into lineups. We're going to deep dive into offseason acquisitions and how they look on the basketball court playing real basketball. Something I'm very, very excited for. And specifically with Kevin Durant in the Nets, I'm just interested to see how it all comes together. The most interesting part of this article that I wanted to touch on was Steph's attitude. And the way that it exuded out of the piece, just to show us, exactly why Steph is as successful as he is and as was as successful as he has been in the past as well. So I wanted to read one quote before we get into this.

So, quote, so all those things were true. And it started with me wanting to play with KD at the beginning. Yeah, it's about winning. It's about having fun playing the game of basketball. And that was part of the reaction of, yeah, it'd be amazing. What does that actually mean? Steph does not care what any of us think about how much talent has been on his teams, who deserves the most credit, and when the trophy is handed out, it being about him.

He just genuinely does not care. I believe it. I think it's authentic. And I think it's served him well throughout his career. Making decisions based on outside pressure, as opposed to making decisions based on what you want will kill you everywhere in life. Like my wife and I are thinking about having kids soon, probably in the next year or two. And we sure as hell are not going to do it because we've been told to do it.

We're sure as hell not going to do it because some of our other friends are doing it. We're going to do it because we want to have kids. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. it grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

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

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a 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 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 correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And way too often in life, I feel like we allow outside pressure. to affect our decision-making. Kevin Durant did not leave Golden State because he didn't like it there. He didn't leave Golden State

because he didn't like the basketball. He left Golden State because of everyone in the NBA Twitter community and the way they were able to muscle a perception, a public perception of his accomplishments while he was there. That is why he left. He responded to outside pressure.

He built that project with, Kyrie in Brooklyn because he thought you guys and me would elevate, we would elevate our whole impression of him if he accomplished something in that regard. And it's just, it's interesting to see how in those two situations, Steph Curry, a player who through his entire career hasn't given a damn what you think, hasn't given a damn what I think. And a player in KD who seemingly covers, caters a lot of his decision-making towards public perception and things along those lines. At least until recently, I think he's been a little bit more open-minded now. Like, I think his trade request was a big middle finger to basketball fans. I really, like, like, hey, I want to go

because I want to go. Like, who cares? This Brooklyn thing was a mistake. I think Katie is authentic now. But in the past, I believe that he cared too much about that. And look at where their paths have diverted. Steph Curry has one finals. MVP. He doesn't give a damn. I think he's the fifth best perimeter player ever since 19, in the modern iteration of basketball since 1980. Like for a ton of basketball fans, for a huge percentage of basketball fans, he's at a minimum, a top 10 player of all time. So tell me how much him teaming up with KD has affected his perception. Tell me how much him teaming up with KD has hurt his standing all time in NBA history.

hasn't hurt him a bit. But then KD, making decisions based on what people think, has actually hurt him in that regard. And I think Steph is such a great example of how authenticity wins. Be exactly who you are. Do exactly what the heck you want to do. And if you're great at it, the rewards will come, regardless of what circumstances change around you.

That's why he was willing to partner with Kevin Durant. that's why this summer again he was willing to partner with Kevin Durant he just doesn't care what you think he just loves playing basketball I'll read it again he loves winning he loves having fun and he loves playing the game of basketball how does how stacked his roster fact into that factor into that not at all anything it helps him on the winning front how does teaming up with Kevin Durant hurt him in that regard it doesn't

And I admire the hell out of him in that regard. LeBron has been my favorite player growing up, much less so now that I've gotten older. But like when I was younger, like I worship the dude. And he got me to fall in love with the game of basketball. And I think his attempts to inauthentically control the narrative of situations has hurt him in the long run. There is an army.

I venture to guess half of you who will watch this video, dislike LeBron to some extent. You know, maybe 75% of you respect him as a basketball talent, but a good half of you probably dislike him. And I guarantee you one of the main reasons why you do is that, him trying to tell you what happened, instead of trusting you to be able to figure out on your own what happened just by watching. And that was my big takeaway from that article.

I really appreciated seeing Steph just remind, minding everybody why he wins. And it's because there's an order of operations, winning, basketball, fun. That's it. Don't care about anything else. And that's why he is where he is. On a final note,

I do think that for the Warriors in particular, that specific trade idea, trying to flip, call it, you know, Wiggins and pool or whatever the deal would have been and probably would have included Wiseman, Kaminga, and Moody, if not more.

I do think that for the Warriors in particular, they were the one team it made sense to hold off, and I'm glad that they did. And the main reason why is because of continuity. This team,

throughout its existence, this era, from call it 2003, when Steph really started to take off, excuse me, 2013, when Steph really started to take off to now.

In this era, it's always been Steph Clay Dre. And since 2015 it's been Steph, Clay, Dre, and Steve Kerr. And that dynamic is one of their biggest advantages over the rest of the league. To be clear, I won't reveal where they are in my power rankings. If they had Kevin Durant, I'd still have them very close to the top. But having the continuity, having the depth that they have, I think serves them well. Steph said in the piece,

I don't have a quote in front of me, but Steph said in the, the piece that he felt confident that if they brought everybody back, that they had enough to get it done. And he's absolutely right. They are, I won't reveal it, but they're in the very top tier of my teams and his power rankings without any trades, even though they lost Gary Payton, even though they lost Otto Porter. I'm very confident in what they could do. And continuity benefits them. flipping it all for KD is not a thing that they needed to do. And I think that's why, I bet you when Steph was exploring it, when he was being consulted by the team about exploring that option,

I bet you he looked at them and was like, yeah, if you can do it without massacring our depth, sure. But I like this group, and I think we can do this. And I just, I really enjoyed the article. And there's a, there's a full-length piece from the Rolling Stones that released either this morning or it's coming out soon. it was hinted at in the piece that I was referencing. And I'm really excited to read that because Steph is, it's very good that he's probably

the face of the league right now, him and LeBron, because his authentic approach, I think, is the best approach for young basketball players coming up in the league. Young basketball players coming up in youth basketball, he's the guy to emulate. He's the guy you want to be like. He's the guy that his formula, I believe, is proven to work. I think LeBron's formula has worked because of how damn good he is at basketball. Same thing goes for Kevin Durant. With Steph, it's that and more because authenticity wins.

And Steph has won with authenticity. All right, guys, that is all I have for today. We're going to be moving on with our power rankings this week, at least three or four more teams. Like I said, we'll be doing power rankings through to the start of preseason on September 30th. And then we're just doing game breakdowns. Just for nine months, we're going to be doing game breakings. And, you know, the occasional trade stuff that happens in between.

But you guys know my favorite thing to do in the world is to break down basketball. And we are this close to getting back into daily basketball. I'm very excited. As always, I sincerely appreciate your guys' support. And I'll see you in a couple of days. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL. Michael'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. 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 super,

Human 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. 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 here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.