The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Chet Holmgren, LIV Tour, playoffs

Episode Date: July 6, 2022

What to take from Chet Holmgren's Summer League debut and why he just might fit in todays NBA There's a lot of hypocrisy about golfers playing on the LIV Tour Now would be a good time to expand the college football playoffs Guest: Chris MannixSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 I Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. 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.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Wednesday today. It is great to be here. The summer is official live in Los Angeles. It's the herd.

Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. I-Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Alex Curry is joining me today. Chris Manick, Nick Wright, are stopping by the show in the first hour and a half. So I watched Chet Holmgren last night a little bit. What did you think? Well, I'm going to get into that.

I like new things. Uh-huh. And he is unique. There's nothing else out there on the market that's seven feet one and weighs less than me. The unicorn. So it is, I think it's really interesting. I love it. Yeah.

We talked about this the other day. A lot of people fear change. We like change. Yeah. I do. I like new stuff. So it's interesting. Chet Holmgren played at Gonzaggy.

he was the number one high school basketball player in the country. He is built like a toothpick. He went to Gonzaga. He was very, very good. And he made his summer debut last night. Now, I had said, if I had the number one pick, and that's the only pick I had in the draft, I don't know if I'd draft him. But Oklahoma City had a bunch of picks, and they were number two.

And I said, I would draft if I was Oklahoma City. There's a little bust potential. Maybe. I'm not an NBA scout, obviously. So last night he played, the headline reads this morning, homegren dazzles. The box score is dazzling. 23 points.

First player in summer league history with five plus blocks and four three pointers in a game. But the scout who is at the game told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, I'm not sold on him. He's too skinny. I don't think he'll ever fill out. He's obviously an excellent shooter. But he's so physically weak.

He can't get by defenders. He realized it early, settled for threes the rest of the game. Yes, he got blocks. He was able to use his length. But NBA guys will just get into his body. He has a long way to go. So I watched, and my takeaway is, I saw some Dirk Novitsky. Now, I do think he's a unicorn, much like Zion.

When I watched Zion in college, I said there's a little Barkley, a little Carl Malone, but Zion's nothing like I've ever seen. And when Zion was healthy, he put up wilt numbers. And it is interesting. I watched him last night, and the knock on the scout is he's going to have to settle for threes. Well, that's kind of what the league is. I saw a little Dirk Novitsky, but he's taller. And he may end up being able to handle the ball better.

But Dirk Novitsky often could not get by defenders and was not strong physically. But is one of the great all-time scores in league history. And here's my takeaway. And I've told my son this before. Sometimes society or an industry moves away from you. Sometimes it moves into you. My son is very much into tech. So society is moving into my son. He's going to have a lot of opportunities. If you're a big, strong guy who lifts stuff and uses brute force, we have about 7% union jobs in America. We used to have 70%. So society's moving away from you. It's made the big strong guy who made his money lifting, doesn't have union protection, he breaks down, he has to retire early.

Society's moved away from those jobs. It can be scary. It's moved into kids that love tech, boys and girls that love tech. And basketball is like this. The sport has moved away from Russell Westbrook, which is really athletic but can't shoot. It's moved away from Dwight Howard. Now, he's an older player now, but. Back to the basket.

Can't really shoot. Moved away from Tristan Thompson. Not that they're not great athletes. I mean, they made the NBA, made a lot of money, scored a lot of points. But the sports sort of moved away from them. It's very hard for me to see Chet Holmgren not succeeding at some level. The sports moving into him. You can settle for threes.

The NBA is filled with guys who can't get a good shot unless you give them a screen. There's only about 12 guys in the league like a Kyrie Irving or a LeBron James or a Kevin Durant or a John Morant, Steph Curry. They'll always get a great shot. Dame. They get a great shot. They don't need a screen. Give me the ball.

I'll get a shot. You know how few guys in the NBA can do that? Kobe Bryant. Get your own shot. You don't need a play design. You don't need a rub at the angle or a screen. You just get your shot. Kyrie Irving is probably the best I've ever seen at it for his size.

this kid doesn't need a screen. You're not going to be able to block his shot. When he puts his knee up like Dirk Novitsky, he's going to get a jumper. And from his worldview up there, it's pretty good, clean look. And so it's very hard for me to watch him play and say he's 7-1, highly skilled, excellent shooter, going to be a bust. If you look at the history of busts in the NBA, what they always lack his skill. They can't shoot.

They don't ball handle. Pearl Washington is one of the best guards I've ever seen. But he really lacks skill. Harold Minor couldn't shoot. Look at the bigs that don't work. Anthony Bennett. Where's the shooting ability? If you look at guys that have busted, very rarely do you look at a guy and go,

his skill level is through the roof. I don't know. I kind of feel like it's something here and it's going to work. I don't know how well it works. Maybe he's not a star. But man, when you got a jumper, It's that sweet and you're a kid. Ray Allen broke into this league and was not a great shooter.

A lot of guys develop in the great shooters or better shooters. That's always one of the things that a lot of these kids are super athletic, but they just, they haven't developed a jumper yet. John Morant's jumpers is going to get better and better every year. This kid's already a super soft touch, beautiful looking jumper. He's going to get clean looks because of his size and because sort of that dirt. Hevitzky fall away. I mean, look at the way he handles the ball at seven, one and a half.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he gets pushed around. Maybe he has injuries. But when I look at guys that bust in the NBA, they just don't have the skill to get their own shot. They don't handle the ball well. They're not good shooters. They're just, quote, athletes. That looks like it works to me.

I don't know. Maybe I feel like brute force, strong, tough guy in something. society today? It's working away from you. Smart techie kid, it's working for you. I think that works. And I can't wait to watch it. If it fails, I'm wrong. I'm here to put my stamp on it. But you can shoot like that at that size. He's going to get stronger. But you're not going to develop. I don't care if you shoot a ball poorly, you're never going to have a shot that looks that good. That is a beautiful looking shot. The guy's putting the ball behind his back. He's getting a little space. well, he settled for three-pointers.

All right, they're going in. I'm okay with it. All right. So, you know, one of the things that I think drives all of us crazy is hypocrisy. And I've tried to defend the golfers that have played on the live golf tour. It's a difficult decision. It's called like whitewashing. Saudi Arabia is trying to buy good PR.

But the NBA has had a longstanding relationship with China. We have to acknowledge that. So if a league in America can do it, why can't individual golfers? Our government has a relationship economically that's very viable forever with Saudi Arabia. Why can't our golfers have it? But golfers now are pushing back. PGA golfers are pushing back on the live tour. They're doing it publicly.

And here is Billy Horshiel. I believe they made their bed. They decide to go play a tour and they should go play that tour. They shouldn't be coming back over here to play DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. To say that they wanted to also support this tour, whether DP or PGA Tour going forward, with Wild Plain Lift Tour, is complete ass-night, in my opinion. All right, so let me get this straight. Golfers are all independent contractors.

The PGA Tour is not a league. It's just an organizer. So independent contractors have to be loyal to just the PGA tour? Let me give you a heads up on how golf works. There's something called the DP World Tour. That's the European Tour. They also organize the Ryder Cup, but not singularly, they do it with the PGA Tour. And PGA golfers, if they wanted to get an exemption, could play over there in an event.

And DP World Tour golfers can get an exception to play over here. Okay, exemptions. Okay. There's also the PGA tour, which organizes the FedEx Cup and several non-majors. There's the masters. Okay, they're, they just organize themselves. And then there's the USGA, and that organizes the U.S. Open and the women's U.S. open and the U.S. amateur and the senior open.

Golf is so complicated. It's got so many exemptions and exceptions. that there's two PGAs. There's a PGA tour, and there's the PGA of America, which organizes the PGA championship. It's very hard to... But you golfers have to be loyal to the PGA. What?

What? This is boxing. The IBF, the WBO, the WBC, the WB... Really? Hodgepodge. I have to be loyal to one of them. Golf is... is all over the place. It's an octopus with a million tentacles in arms, the sports

independent contractors. So golf and its golfers now want to demand loyalty. But the PGA tour allows golfers to get exemptions. The DP World Tour allows golfers to get exemptions. The PGA doesn't demand the Masters play by their rules. The Masters has money. They do their own thing. The PGA doesn't demand. They control the majors. They don't control any of the majors. What about the Ryder Cup? No, they don't control that either. That's the DP World Tour, who kind of works with the PGA Tour, sort of, kind of.

And golfers have to be loyal? They're independent contractors. That's how independent contractors make their living in any business. Exemptions. Qualifying for this, qualifying for that, being asked to play here, being asked to, do they have to be loyal to one sponsor to, Billy? Billy Horschell, though, is furious. Are hypocrites that aren't telling the truth, that are lying about some things,

that I just can't stand to sit here anymore and be diplomatic about it. And so I'm just tired of these comments. Like, go play your live tour and forget about the PJ tour. You didn't want to support the PJ tour going forward. Don't tell me you're going to play live when they go to 14 events and then go play 15 events on a PJ tour and playing 20. That's not a smallest schedule. You're not playing less.

They were loyal to the PGA tour. But as independent contractors, they played in the Masters for years, in the U.S. Open for years, and they played in the Ryder Cup for years. And PGA wasn't singularly controlling those events. Huh? You know when you're under somebody's skin. You know when you're starting to bother people when they start taking shots at you. And PGA golfers are now starting to take shots.

at the live tour. And I hear this for many of you golf experts. That live tour looks rinky dink. Well, yeah, it's a three-month-old business. They didn't even know who was on the damn thing six months ago. Money solves a lot of issues. Money makes television production better. And they got a bottomless well of capital. Go back and look at Super Bowl one. It looks like a Division II football game. The NFL put money into it. The Super Bowl now is the gold standard of domestic sporting events easily. It's a eight-hour television Mardi Gras. Commercial are stories.

Games are stories. Pre-game shows create stories. So I think it's interesting now, though. The golfers now, you guys are hypocrites. Just go play your own stuff. Golf is boxing. A million titles, a million events. Promoters here, advertisers there. I am supporting independent contractors right to independently choose where they want to work. And they should not be forced to work in any one spot. So to Billy Horschell and everybody getting all worked up, this idea that you've got to be

loyal to the PGA, the PGA is not a league. It is a group that organizes and works with other groups to organize Gulf of events, mostly ones we don't watch. Rider Cup, Masters, U.S. Open, British Open. Yeah, they don't organize those. The hypocrisy to me is on the PGA and its golfers, not the golfers who left. They're like, we still want to play in the PGA. We may still want to play in the other event, the DP tour, but we want to play here too.

PGA allowed a lot of exemptions. You know what they don't like this one? Because they're threatened by it. That's why they don't like this one. They were willing to let golfers golf are all over the place. They don't like it anymore because they see the bottomless well of capital and the ability for the live golf tour, which I've said before. I don't know if I would have joined it.

Some of it turns my stomach a little bit, right? The Saudis right? I'm not sure, right? I know I've got oil in my car. It's not from America. I get it, but I understand golfers who said I'm uncomfortable, but I'm going to defend golfers who went and independently as independent contractors decided, well, there's whole sports exemptions.

Somebody's offering me the bag, I'm going to take it. The hypocrisy to me is not on those golfers. It's on the PGA tour, which now deems another event or another tour to be dangerous, an attack on our integrity. I roll. Sorry, I roll. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 game. galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back at it, podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 yeah, yeah, literally.

But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. 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 back. So, you know, obviously there's a lot of mayhem right now in college football where according to this morning, I read reports, I'm going to read these verbatim. The Big 12 is in deep discussions to add up to six Pack 12 teams. I'm reading that. And then the ACC and another headline in the Pack 12 are discussing a loose partnership. Oh, brother.

So let's ask ourselves this morning. We have a very dynamic Big Ten now with USC, UCLA joining in a couple of years. And the SEC is great and they're adding Texas, Oklahoma. So what are the 10 best college football programs in America today that are not in those two conferences going forward. Those programs are Notre Dame, Miami, Clemson, Oregon, Florida, State, Washington, Stanford, Baylor, Utah, just made the Rose Bowl, Oklahoma State. Those are good programs. Some are very good.

Notre Dame is in the national championship discussion. Good. And Miami and Clemson, similarly, Clemson's usually in the national championship discussion. Oregon, Baylor, these are big bowl game teams. These are good programs. So what the hell do we do? There's no easy answers. Geographically, it makes no sense to tie them together.

And I thought about this this morning. Wouldn't college sports be better if both the number one and number two revenue winners, football and men's basketball, men's and women's basketball and football, that's the only thing mostly that makes big money in college sports. Men's and women's basketball have a big tournament, and they invite a lot of people, and it makes a lot of money. What if we just do the same to college football? You can't tie all those 10 great programs together.

So you would have, just like college basketball, we have a framework, we've always wanted a tournament for football. We've got it for women's basketball to home run. It's fantastic. Games were great this year. We have it for men's basketball. So why don't we have all three of the leading revenue producers that pay all the bills in college sports mostly. I mean, in the South, college baseball can make some money. But by and large,

we know who makes money. Men's and women's basketball and football. Why don't they all have the same framework? A big tournament. We've always wanted it. Why don't we have a 16 to 20 team college football tournament? This is the impetus this would initiate it. Because you can't tie all these conferences together. USC, UCLA don't join for a couple years. We have a couple years to work on it. Texas, Oklahoma don't join the SEC for a couple years, so we have a couple years to work on it. Right now, we already have the framework. We have a four-team playoff, quadruple it, make it 16. And the majority of the teams will come from the Big Ten and the SEC.

That's okay. I went and looked it up this morning. College basketball this year? Well, the Big Ten got nine teams into the men's tournament. The SEC got six, the ACC-5. Several conferences just got one. automatic qualifier. We don't have a problem with it.

In fact, it enhances the experience. So the future of college football, you'd have the SEC. They'd probably in a 16-team tournament, they'd get six teams in. And the Big Ten adding the Trojans and Bruins, 16-teens, they'd probably get four to five teams in. I think, then a Pack 12 Big 12 conference, and maybe they get one team in, maybe two, and then the ACC, Notre Dame, they get two in. What would be wrong with that? Power 5 to a power 2 and two other programs, two other conferences, excuse me.

That's what college basketball is doing. That's what men's college basketball does. It's what women's college basketball. Instead of trying to align it, do the best you can, know that it's not even. In college basketball, men's college basketball, we know the big 10 is going to get eight, nine teams every year. So what? Even if they don't win, so what? Little guys get in big guys, but not a lot of little guys.

Little guys are torched by the first weekend. But if you look at college sports as a whole, only three things make money. And two of them have figured out a massive revenue-producing tournament. It's time for college football to do the same thing. We've all wanted it. It works. There's a framework. We've already got a men's tournament.

It's four football teams. And we've got two years to work on it. So the Pact 12 and the Big 12 can join here. Pretty good. I got to be honest with you. Wouldn't be a terrible conference? I get an Oregon, a Washington, an Oklahoma State. I get a Baylor. I got a TCU. That's pretty. I get a Stanford. Could get a Cal? It's not a terrible conference. It's not as good as the Big Ten of the SEC. But we know that in college basketball and women's college basketball. So we've got all the things necessary to make this work. Because the idea of joining the Pact 12 and the ACC is ridiculous.

It's absurd that Oregon would be flying to Florida State. That's absurd. But we've got the framework. We've got the idea. We've got the concept. We see it works. It creates revenue. We love tournaments.

We love the World Cup. We love basketball playoffs. We love March Madness. We love the U.S. Open. We like these tournament-style things. And it's all there and ready to go. And I think this will move us into an expanded college football playoff. Yes, the SEC and the Big Ten will get most of the teams in.

The Big Ten got nine teams into the 68th this year in basketball. We didn't complain about it. We understood. They play good basketball. They get more teams in. So there you go. Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the Heard Line News. You're on to something good there, Colin. You're on to something good. The idea that we're going to join, Washington is going to get on a flight and fly to Clemson. It's a bit. It doesn't make any sense. No, it's silly.

You continue the regional part of the sport. Yeah. Because a lot of these Pact 12 teams like Utah, Colorado, could very easily be in the Big 12 anyway. And when you live out West, Austin, Texas always feels like the West with cowboy hats. The Big 12, Pac-12, you can make that thing work and it doesn't feel egregious. I mean, did Notre Dame ever feel like the ACC, but they're in it now partially, and it kind of works? But the idea that we're going to pull a far east coast and a far Pacific Northwest conference together is nonsense. Oh, I like it.

But let's talk about the NFL. The Cowboys have two of the best up-and-coming defenders in the league with Micah Parsons and Trayvon Diggs. Parsons was defensive rookie of the year, even getting some votes for a defensive player of the year. Meanwhile, Diggs was the ultimate ballhawk leading the NFL with 11 interceptions. Now, with more experience under their belt, Micah Parsons, believes the duo can rival that of Super Bowl champs, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. He said, it's hard to say we're the best because I know we're young and we're still, we'll still make mistakes.

It's hard to put us over Aaron Donald, the greatest defensive player in history with Jalen Ramsey. So I won't do that yet, but I think we can become them or even better if we learn together and stick together. This is a hefty claim comparing yourself to a Super Bowl champ and arguably one of the best players in the game right now, but I respect the confidence. Yeah. You should set goals high.

Trayvon Diggs and Jailon Ramsey have some similarities where they make big plays. They take big risks. They occasionally get burnt when people get behind them. But Diggs and Ramsey, I think Ramsey's better, but they have similar styles. They're hyper-aggressive corners who make big plays occasionally bite on a route and people get past them. But I don't think Micah Parsons is going to be Aaron Donald, arguably the best football player defensively in a decade. Yeah. But I will say this.

For Micah Parsons to walk into the NFL at that age and with that experience and be that dominant, I think it's very reasonable to assume at some point this year, Micah will be in a short list of the best defensive players in the league, which will include Aaron Donald and T.J. Watt, and I don't think there's a lot of arguments if he duplicate year one. No. And it's great for the game. It's great for the league, especially since he's a cowboy. It's always better when the cowboys have these strong, talked about players. But, again, this is a mentality you need to have if you're a young, great players. player. So keep it going.

Moving on. Odell Beckham Jr. is still a free agent as he recovers from last season's torn ACL. But after many believe that he was suffered the injury in Super Bowl 56, OBJ is saying otherwise. He took to Twitter over the weekend posting Crazy Thought, really played the whole back half of the season without an ACL and won a Super Bowl. God doesn't miss. I swear. I think this changes the narrative a little on OBJ, willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win. Plus, he had an immediate impact was he got to the Rams, five touchdowns and eight games compared to zero touchdowns and six games with the Browns. He has incredible value to the Rams. I think on the open market, I wouldn't give up much for him

because of his injury history. Yeah. But if you look at the Rams, Cooper Cup, Alan Robinson, and Van Jefferson, or their three, if one gets hurt, he comes in in Thanksgiving. So I think OBJ's value is probably on the Rams the more I think about it. Yeah. And I do think if you could, it's just hard to go through an NFL season without one of your top three receivers getting hurt, bumped out. Exactly. So I don't think, I think the Rams are thinking he's got more value to us than everybody else.

And so I think, and I think OBJ likes living here. Oh yeah. He liked living in New York. It's his vibe. Cleveland's not his vibe. Small town America is not his vibe. So I think, I think OBJ works. for the time being in L.A.

Yeah, and he was a big reason they got to the Super Bowl. And the Rams said, they have said, they are interested in keeping him if they can. He's a playmaker. Yeah, exactly. All right. Well, we've been talking a lot about this college football movement. But prior to last week's news of USC and UCLA, making the move to the Big Ten, UCLA's Olympic sports were in danger of being cut.

With an infusion of cash from their new deal, the 25 sports and over 700 athletes will rest easy knowing their futures are secured. Over the last three fiscal years, UCLA, A Athletics Department has run up a $102.8 million deficit now that the Bruins could receive a $100 million per year from the Big Ten pending. They're projected $1 billion media right deal for 2024. Here's what UCLA's athletic director had to say on the move. If you love Olympic sports, you should be a fan of this move. When your program is in significant debt, it's difficult to maintain, never mind to invest.

This not only preserves the programs now, which was not. a given, but will also allow us to invest in them. This move allows us to reimagine what UCLA athletics can be with more strategic investments and resources. You know, Alex, this is why I'm not outraged and flailing on the move. Folks, the current Pact 12 was not working economically. It had essentially died as a football conference five years ago when the Big Ten and the SEC signed new TV deals. So the idea that you're breaking up something that was working. No, this is a company being taken over essentially by Carl Icon because it's vulnerable. You know, they're takeover specialists on Wall Street. The PAC 12 was not working. USC was making $30 million a year for its football deal.

They're going to make 70 million now, up to 120 million with a new Big 10 deal. It's changing the game everywhere. So this was a broken system. there's fundamental reasons why the Pact 12 struggles, even though we are the wealthiest region because of Silicon Valley. Yeah. Because many of the Pact 12 schools are in major cities competing against pro sports. The Arizona State, Cal and Stanford, USC, UCLA, University of Washington, you're competing in pro markets. In the SEC, you're not. Except maybe Georgia is an hour outside of Atlanta.

In the Big Ten markets, they are their own, they are the pro sports team. of that market. So it's so urgent. It matters more. The attendance in the Pact 12 has always been a struggle because there's simply more pro teams. You're in bigger cities. There's more to do. So this to me sends two Pact 12 teams into college sports territory. The Big 10 footprint, they care. They really care about college sports. And I think it essentially saves the Pact 12 from an uglier demise. I think it's going to force the PAC 12 to join the Big 12, and it's going to save it. This conference was getting significantly worse for the last six years. Every year, a couple years ago, I don't have it in front of me, but I think they were like 0 and 6 in bowl games.

They couldn't compete in bowl games. And let this story right here be a reminder. Yes, we talk about football and we talk about basketball, but this deal saved 25 other sports for this team, 700 student athletes to continue to do what they love and follow their dreams. Like that's what you have to remember as well. Yep. Alex with the news. Chris Mannix is around the corner. Nick Wright, too. Is Kevin Durant just bluffing or is he really interested in leaving Brooklyn? Chet Holmgren debuted last night.

I thought it was fascinating. It looks like it works to me. Chris Mannix was there. We'll talk about that with him next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and New Needs. 9 a.m. Pacific. If you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game,

what's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ. Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers,

elite coaches, and the top basketball Insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things, hoops culture that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

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

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 taun 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.

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 that? 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. So it's new and it's interesting. And we all know in the NBA draft that the college football draft, a kid comes out. He's played three or four years in college football. he's more of an adult ready to play. But in the NBA draft, these guys are won and dunners, and you're kind of, it's a trajectory.

And even if they're really good players and they work, like Brandon Ingram, it may take until year four until the player pops. So I try not to be too harsh in my criticism in the last several years of this draft because I watched Chatt Holmgren last night and I'm like, well, he's skilled. He's got a beautiful jumper, handles the ball well for a 7-1. guy, but Chris Manick's NBA writer was there.

Now, this is the Salt Lake Summer League, which is not the Vegas Summer League, but there's like four teams there. So you were there. So let's do this in steps. Let's start with this. Your initial impression, what did you like? What did you see and go? That translates.

Tremendous amount of offensive skills. He is the whole package offensively at 20 years old. You watch him. And he can rebound and he can take the ball and start the fast break. The number of centers, Colin, in today's NBA, they can do that, begins, it ends with Nicola Yolich. So that's good company to be in if you're Chet Holgren. He can shoot the three, four of six from three point

range in his debut at Summer League. He can play off the dribble. I saw him put a crossover on a couple of guys during this game. That was really impressive. And he made one shot, Colin, that I swear it reminded you of Dirk Novitsky with one-legged turnaround jump shot that he knocked down. Look, this is just the beginning for this kid, so he has the full array of offensive skills. Now, you talked to a scout

who wasn't as kind, and it's been my concern that his style and his kind of thin legs has got a KD porzingis feel to it. Now, again, Katie's great, but he's been injured a lot. When you talk to this scout,

the words that I see in the column are like, wow, punitive. He's not going to make it. Was that just how it read? Or did you feel when you talk to the scout that he did think the kid had talent? No, the assistant coach I talked to believe that he had talent. There's no question about it. He sees all the things that I saw in his summer league debut. But he also sees the body. And Chet Holmgren has the skinniest NBA frame that I've ever seen. He makes Kevin Durant and Janice Tidicompo look like bodybuilders in their rookie year by comparison. He's just rail thin, tubes on an eraser to describe it in a layman type terms.

He is just a really skinny guy. And the people that I've talked to that are, have negative perceptions of Chethoeffer, including the scout from last night, they say, look, I don't know how he's going to fill out. And if he doesn't fill out that frame, he is going to be at a distinct disadvantage when he gets into NBA games, specifically when it comes to say the three-point shot. We saw the four-for-six or three-point range. Well, this scout told me, he said, look, he made those shots, but he made them because he realized early on,

he couldn't get around some of these guys. So he's shooting jump shots. And those are the types of shots he's going to have to take at the NBA level. He had six blocked shots in this game. And Colin, that's impressive. But the scout was like, look, NBA players, they're not just going to let you block their shot. They're going to go straight into Chet's body and draw foul against

him right away. So the criticisms of Holgren have everything to do with his physique and a lack of faith that is going to put on enough strength to be an elite NBA player. Kendrick Perkins said something yesterday, and he said he thinks Kevin Durant's bluffing, that he just wants to get Kyrie Irving his contract. And by the way, superstars make demands. When Kevin Durant says I'm out of here, I mean, you'd have to really start over unless you can work a good deal with Phoenix. So it does frighten owners. You know, their investment, goes down the tubes pretty quick, at least for the time being. So when Kendrick Perkins says that, is there a possibility he is right?

It's just a bluff. I don't know if it's a bluff, but I do think there is a possibility that Kevin Durant returns to this team in the fall. Colin, you were there, and you know in Southern California, when Kobe Bryant once demanded a trade to the Bulls or wanted to play for the Bulls, wanted to play for the clippers, there was a time in Kobe career as a Laker that he wanted nothing to do with playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. It's not the same type of thing, but it shows you that things can change because of circumstance.

Right now, Kevin Durant wants out. But the nets are canvassing the landscape, and they're not finding right now what they're looking to get back in return. And they know that they have leverage. Kevin Durant has four years left in his contract. And Kevin Durant is not Ben Simmons. He's not going to show up at training camp and dog it. He's not going to undergo an unnecessary surgery. He's not going to sit out for no reason.

He's going to show up, and he's going to play. at the best level he can play that. So unless the Nets get exactly what they're looking for, which what I've been told has been two all-star caliber players and multiple first-round draft picks, unless they get that, their message to teams right now is don't bother giving us 50 cents on a dollar, or 75 cents on the dollar.

Give us what you want, what we want, or else go out there and find what we want. You know, I mean, the truth is the best trade partner could potentially be Golden State. You could give him a Wiggins, a Jordan Poole, a Wiseman. I said the other day, if you gave me a screaming deal, I would take it and I would take

Kevin Durant back because I think Steph and Clay and Draymond are functional enough and wealthy enough. They wouldn't be threatened. They've played with him before. Do you give it even even, and I think outside of Phoenix, maybe going DeAndre Aiton, McHale Bridges, and three number one picks, there's no two all-star player deal out there. It does not exist. So if this deal gets done, do you give it even a 5% chance that the Warriors would say,

the Nets would say, Wiggins is the best player. If you're giving me Bridges, D'And Rayton and Wiggins, Wiggins is the best player. That he would end up in Golden State? Well, look, Wiggins had a great year last year. But what I prefer and would the Nets prefer Bridges and DeAndre Aiton to high-level starters, Aiton, a budding star at the center position, I would think that's probably a better package. Look, Wiggins fits in really well in Golden State. Yeah.

He goes to another team. Do we get more of the Andrew Wiggins we saw in Minnesota? If too much is piled on him in a different situation, do we get a different version of Andrew Wiggins? That I'm not so sure. The team that I'm watching right now, Colin, is Boston. Because the Celtics, to me, are the most interesting team out there when it comes to Kevin Durant. They have the assets to go and get him. They can trade Jalen Brown, maybe Marcus Smart, multiple future first round draftics.

Jalen Brown has been an all-star. Marcus Smart is not an all-star. Probably will never be an all-star, but he's the reigning defensive player of the year, and he's just 28 years old and is going to have a long career ahead of him. The Celtics made some interesting moves over the last week. They went out and they acquired Malcolm Brogden, which gives them great depth at point guard. They signed Danilo Gallinari, someone they've been after for a long, time and gives them depth in the front court. Right now, they go 10 players deep. And that's great.

Like, you want to be as deep as possible. All these guys are going to want minutes. All these guys are going to want to play. So I wonder if the Celtics lurk out there as a dark horse as a team that could trade two established, either All-Star level players are close to it and draft picks to go and get Kevin Durant because I'm telling you, Colin, you add Kevin Durant to that Celtics team. They're the best team in the NBA. Yeah. Best team in the NBA. And I'm not sure it's close at this point. Yeah. Okay. Finally, we got a minute left. Kyrie Lakers. I said yesterday, I just slow play them. I think they're negotiating against themselves. I don't think Kyrie has a market at all, but I do think the Lakers are in a very distracted, competitive Los Angeles market,

and you can't be bad. The Rams are good. The Dodgers are good. The Clippers will be good. Lincoln Riley, USC. You can't be bad. Westbrook is bad for this roster. The Kyrie Lakers thing makes a little sense to me. What say you? It makes sense, but the Lakers to get this deal done are going to have to take on more salary than they send out. That probably means someone like Joe Harris attached this deal. And they're going to have to give up a first round pick. You're right. They are in a way negotiating at themselves at this point.

Dallas may be the only team that's out there as a potential other landing spot for Kyrie. But the next leverage is that they can say we're going to bring them back. We're going to play this season out with Kyrie and Kevin Durant, and they're going to dare the Lakers to go into their own season with Russell Westbrook on the roster. So for the Lakers to get this deal done, it can't beat Kyrie for Westbrook. It can't even be Kyrie for Westbrook in a first. They're going to have to take back more salary in return. Chris Manix, the latest on Chet Holmgren and NBA musings. Good seeing you, buddy.

You got it gone. You bet. The Holmgren piece is so fun to me because I just think when you look at his game, game, for a 20-year-old kid to be that skilled and have that beautiful a touch, it almost feels like a European game, which is, although it's getting to be more rugged play, European game was always more finesse and more skilled early on, where the domestic players were a little tougher, a little scrappier, but not as skilled. Now, I think both things are changing. But Holmgren's, it's almost European feeling that he has great handles, beautiful,

jumper, passes the ball, runs the floor. It's fun to watch. And now, again, he's playing against mostly non-NBA guys or deep bench guys, but it was fun and he was dominant last night. Hour two, Nick right around the corner, it's the hurt. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter, Sucy. Idle 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 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, 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 Clifford 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.

On the Look Back at a podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. 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.