The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Gronk, Kyrie, NBA draft, Browns

Episode Date: June 22, 2022

Looking at the career of Rob Gronkowski Kyrie Irving isn't reliable but he might work out for the Lakers Thoughts on the NBA draft The Browns look like a 4th place team Guest: Bruce PearlSee 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, 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 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 Iheart 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. 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 You're listening to you. Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Live in L.A. It is a Wednesday. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. IHeart Radio.

Fox Sports Radio, FS1. If you are planning any summer travel, cross your fingers. I wish you, all America, good luck. It is not easy. I had a travel nightmare yesterday. I'm not going to mention the airline. I feel bad for the employees.

if you are traveling, cross your fingers, even if you have confirmation numbers, you may not get a call that things have changed. It's going to be interesting for us because we're both. We both decided it's a big fall for our company. We've got to be here for the fall, right? So we decided there's construction going on all over our lot here over the last six months. So we're just going to step aside and let them keep hammering away. Good luck on your travel. that's all. Thank you. Well, everybody's outside now. You know, it's been two years of a little bit

uncertainty. A lot of people canceled all their trips. So this summer, everyone's outside and just, you know, just have a contingency plan. Yes. There you go. So Rob Gronkowski, Gronk, retired yesterday. Would he come back? Possibly come back. His agent says maybe he comes back if Brady calls him. My first thoughts about Gronk are threefold. Number one, fun guy. Number two, obviously, great tight end. And number three, he is the last great offensive player drafted by a man we thinks the best football coach ever, Bill Belichick. Look it up. Nate Solder, good left tackle, not dominating. James White, better receiver than a runner at running back from Wisconsin. He's it. New England has no playmakers. One of the slowest offenses in the NFL, very little

special. Gronk is their last great offensive draft pick. And you know what's happened at the NFL, right? You see what's happening. You've got to be able to draft offense, design offense, and develop offense. That's why the Rams win the Super Bowl. Belichick cannot design offense. There's no proof of that before Tom Brady or after. We know in the last decade he can't draft offense. And I'd argue he never developed it. The Gronk Brady relationship was very unique because they're two different people. Tom's kind of methodical and repetitive, habitual, intense.

Gronk's a party guy, yet they totally hit it off. The NFL now demands that you draft, design, and develop offense. There is no proof Belichick can do that. In fact, I went and looked at a list of NFL. defensive head coaches in the last couple of years. And these are good coaches. Belichick is struggling. Ron Rivera is struggling.

Pete Carroll is struggling. Brian Flores, Vic Fangio and Mike Zimmer have been fired. And oh, by the way, Mike Tomlin, as much as we like him, has not won a playoff game in six years. The only ascending defensive coach. Ascending is Sean McDermott at Buffalo. and I'm going to go with, I think it's the quarterback. I think it's the quarterback. That's what's scary for New England fans.

We know Belichick can't draft offense. We know he's not a great designer of offense. I don't know if he can develop it. I don't think he has a feel or an eye for it. Gronk and Brady did that, the best quarterback tight-end combo in the history of the NFL. And what did Belichick do this offseason to solve it? Matt Patricia will call plays.

stubborn, stuck in your ways and rigid, will puncture the very greatest of all of us. Nick Saban was always good about that. Nick Saban always wanted fresh set of eyes. Lane Kiffin, Bill O'Brien, Steve Sarkisian. He wants guys who have been head coaches, fresh voices, a new look. Bella check this offseason. Joe Judge. Matt Patricia, disasters his head coach.

Not even offensive guys. on the offense. I look at Gronk, and if I was a Patriot fan, and I'm not denying Belichick does a lot of things really well. It's the smartest head coach probably ever, academic in nature. But he didn't draft it. He doesn't design it. And I wonder, looking at Gronk and Brady's relationship, can he even develop it?

Because he has no feel for what in 2022 is the most important side of the ball. all these leagues that we watch, you baseball fans out there, the sport looks different. Used to be strikeouts were bad. Now it's ground balls. You look at the NFL now. It is demanding you draft, design, and develop offense. Zach Taylor got to a Super Bowl out of the AFC. Belichick could not force Josh Allen into one punt the last two times they met.

So I do think sometimes there's players that I wouldn't want on my team necessarily, but I think they're interesting. And Kyrie Irving is one of those players. But Chris Mannix was on yesterday. And I said, and I've always sort of had a rule in this business. I'm not just interested when I see the news. My question is always, who benefits that the story is out there? Because for a story to get out there, somebody has to leak it.

And so who's benefiting from a story that gets out there? So a story surfaces 48 hours ago. The Nets and Kyrie Irving are at an impasse. And so Chris Mannix, longtime NBA guy, 20 years comes on our show. And I'm like, okay, okay, the story's out there. Who leaked it? Who's it benefiting? It's Kyrie's side that wants it out because it benefits Kyrie Irving.

Irving the most. It's very clear that Brooklyn has drawn its line in the sand. You knew that back in May when Sean Marks, the general manager, came out and said, look, we want guys that want to be here. We want guys that are committed to be here. He wasn't singling out Kyrie Irving, but everybody knew what he was talking with this team. So this to me feels like Kyrie's side trying to create some leverage, get other teams involved so the Nets panic. And he is a unique talent, but the NBA has always been so infatuated with talent. You know, I was reading a story yesterday about Steve Kerr, and he was calling Steph Curry his Magic Johnson and his Tim Duncan. And what Steph Curry really is, is reliable.

You ever had a friend? You know, you got friends, and you really like hanging out with them. But you'd never call him to take you to the hospital or to take you to the airport. They're fun friends. I look at Steph Curry is really reliable. LeBron James is really reliable. Janice as really reliable. You know, I look at Kyrie Irving, sort of like I look at cryptocurrency.

There's no real data to indicate it's a great investment. A lot of speculation, highly turbulent, rarely reliable, and what does it really get me? One of the reasons, I don't root against crypto, but one of the reasons I don't invest heavily in crypto, what does it give me that I don't have? My money works. I look at all the things I use in technology, and I use it sparingly, but the stuff I use either replaces something or provides something I don't have. I use Uber.

Why? Because maybe once every couple of weeks, I want to go out and have a bottle of wine with my wife, and I don't want to get in the car, so that technology provides me with a ride for like $12. I use my iPhone. Again, it replaces something. The Rolodex, the calendar, my alarm clock, Zoom links. I use a Zoom link every day. I've invested in DocuSign.

All the technology I use either replaces something or provides something I don't have. I don't need NFTs. I'm not against NFTs, but again, I have some real estate through the year, some equities. You know, I've got some cash, maybe a small business here. I don't need fuzzy pictures of monkeys to invest in. As far as I can tell, that's what NFTs are. Oh, I know, Metaverse, Web 3, blah, blah, blah. Again, what does it replace? Well, what does it provide that I don't have? Financial security? Ask yourself with Kyrie. Compare him to Steph. Does he provide great leadership?

No. Reliability. No. Defense. Oh no. No, no. No defense. Size.

No, he's small. Okay, distribution. He gets others involved. Not really. He's never been great at that. He actually is what the Nets already have. A shooter. Joe Harris.

Curry, Patty Mills, Kevin Durant. He's not replacing anything on that team, and he's not providing anything they don't have. Outside of three years with LeBron, his greatness, what it provides for a team construct is all speculative. It's way too turbulent for me. It's never reliable. What is Kyrie Irving providing for the nets they don't have? Oh, he can give you 30. Kevin Durant can every night.

hit a jumper. They've got one of the better shooting rosters in the league. They don't have leadership. They don't have reliability. They don't have physicality. They don't have defense. They don't have chemistry. They don't have leadership. He doesn't provide any of those. I'm not anti-cry crypto. If you want to invest

in it, fine. I'm not anti-Cy Irving. But man, it's a lot of speculation. And I'm not sure what it replaces. Lakers? Now, that's interesting. With the Lakers, it provides something they don't have an actual shooter, one on the roster.

That's why I say, if you're going to talk Kyrie and the Nets, I don't get it. You move them to the other coast with the Lakers or the Clippers. I kind of get that. A little crypto to him. Good to have you in today. Nick Wright, Bruce Pearl, NBA draft is tomorrow. Now, who is the best player? You know, we don't know.

We have some interesting players. This is perceived as a pretty good draft at the top. There's some pretty surefire locks. And then there's that player from Gonzaga who could be amazing or a bust. Some thoughts on that coming up next. 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 in. 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. 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, 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 Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 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 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 Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

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

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose

on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. So the draft is tomorrow, and it's always fun. It's not the NFL draft where you have half the league is undrafted. There's talent everywhere in America. You can find the best players ever in the fifth and sixth round. Tom Brady, Joe Montana was a later round draft.

It's not the baseball draft that has like 40 rounds. The NBA draft usually has three or four really special players. And then about 12 guys, 13 guys, you know, that can make. an impact. You'll find a Draymond Green in the second round or a Yokic. That's really, really, really rare. This is a good draft. I don't sit and watch college basketball all year. The best player I saw who jumped off the television, and I don't know how he'll transition to the NBA was Jaden Ivy. He's a guard for Purdue. Can shoot the ball. He's six four. He's just wildly dynamic. It doesn't take an NBA scout. He's got a little bit of John Morant. I don't think he's

quite as good as John Morant, but he's really, John Morant's going to run your franchise, run your offense. Jayden's just a score. He could be a point guard, but he's more, it feels like a two, highly athletic. But there's a bunch of good players. The most interesting player is Chet Holmgren from Gonzaggart. Now, I know the coach, so I watch probably about 10 of their games a year, 15. This is the one team with Duke or Caroline.

I watch a lot of. He's seven feet 190. I'm 6'2 190 and I'm thin. So a scout talked about Chet Holmgren. who is uniquely skilled at his size. I mean, he can put the ball on the floor. Some compare him to Dirk Novitsky to Kevin Durant. A scout said, definitely have concerns about his body.

I've never seen a body like his in person. When I saw him live, I was like, wow, this guy is years away. Now, there have been success stories too. Christop Porzingis, guys with slight frames, skinny legs, works out fine. That's an interesting fit. It should be noted, Porzingis, big guys. skinny legs hurt a lot. Kevin Durant, skinny legs hurt a lot. Brandon Ingram, big guy, thin, skinny legs, hurt a lot. Now, obviously some guys, some of those guys have developed into very good players.

But his college coach, Mark Few, Gonzaga, talked about his size structure and toughness yesterday. He is really, really, really tough. I mean, he is physically tough, even though maybe his body doesn't, you know, lie that and look like it. Really, really tough. He doesn't shy away from physicality and extremely mentally tough. I mean, obviously people have questions about his strength.

I don't worry about that because there's not one ounce of him that's soft. And he's incredibly durable. I don't know that he spent more than 10 minutes in our training room this entire year. So, and Gonzaga makes You know, Gonzaga works guys, and he's a tough guy, and he plays, and he's not hurt much.

It is interesting. I do look at body types a lot, and Johnny Mansell came out, and I said, he has a small waist and small shoulders. He can't play quarterback in the NFL. He's too small. Teddy Bridgewater came out, and I said, I like him, but he's too spindly. He's going to get hurt. Josh Rosen came out, and I said, I saw him get ragdolled by 250-pound defensive ends in the

pack 12. Forget the NFL. sure he could last in the SEC. And so body types matter. Derek Rose, John Morant. I've said they're too small. 175 pounds, 180 pounds. I don't know if you can last drive in the basket, get knocked to the floor.

Again, people look at Janus and go, Colin, Janus was thin. We have a picture of thin Janus and Janus now. It's two different people. But Janus average 7, 12, 17. It wasn't until year four when through sheer force of work ethic. he became finally a star. Brandon Ingram. Lakers gave up on him one year too early.

9.16, 16, 17. Then he became an all star this year. But it should be noted. Now, I doubted Kevin Durant. I say, in some of it was sarcasm. I said he can't bench 250 pounds. There's no way. Durant's great.

I was obviously wrong. But you did see the Celtics push him around. Durant's been hurt a lot. Brandon Ingram can't stay healthy. It's something. It's something you have to discuss. Body types matter, and this player is fascinating. I will say this.

If I'm Oklahoma City, I draft him, and here's why. Because they have the second pick and the 12th pick and the 30th pick and the 34th pick. I'm drafting it. If I had the Orlando Magic's draft board, one pick, I'd go with Jaden Ivy or the Auburn kid, Jabari Smith. Because I think those guys are guaranteed to be NBA contributors fairly quickly. But if I got four picks and I'm rebuilding and I trust my draft process and Oklahoma City's been pretty good at drafting, I'm taking him. Then I'm going to roll the dice. But I do think if you had one pick, you'd lose a little sleep on it.

Because even the success stories, you know, the Brandon Ingrams, the poor Zingas, Kevin Durant's, he's not going to be Kevin Durant. There's one of those on the planet. Let's not make him Brady, LeBron. Let's stop doing that. But even some of the success stories with the thin legs, a lot of injuries. So you've got to be patient. I think I would take him with the number two pick. But if I hadn't one pick, if I had Orlando's draft board, I'm going to tell you, I would struggle with it.

And I could be completely wrong. That's why I love drafts. I love drafts. We talk about them all the time. It's speculative. There's no science. The best football coach ever, Bill Belichick, has been magnificently mediocre drafting. It's really, really hard, and I can't wait for it.

Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. That picture of Yonis is so funny. It looks like Yonis' son. Joel M. Bede was actually, now Joel M. Bede was also super thin. Went to Kansas.

Well, yeah, most guys are small. They're skinny. Yeah. You know, twigies. Yeah. That's not where you're really like carrying around your man weight unless you're built like an offensive lineman. Like you don't really come.

And even then, young guys that come into the NFL who are big still get pushed around because they just don't have that man strength yet. Like boys, men develop later than women do. So that's why when they look at these drafts and how small they are. Now, Chet is obviously a little more stretched out than most. But if you have the frame to carry weight,

I think that's how you can be more speculative of how people are going to grow into their body. You can look at someone's gait and their hips? Like, can they carry weights? That's a big thing. And that will, you know, you can help project what they're going to develop into. Right. But it's obviously also on that. So Russell Westbrook's future with the Lakers remains unknown.

Jonathan Gavoni of ESPN recently reported that the Lakers discussed sending Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton Tucker to the Pacers in trade talks with Malcolm Brogden mentioned as a possible return. The talks reportedly went nowhere. Acquiring Westbrook wouldn't be great for the Pacers who want Tyrese Halliburton to become a dominant point guard for the team. So he's not really a good fit. Again, this is an expiring contract. So really anyone that takes on Russell Westbrook isn't taking him on to build around him. So there's not really too much of an anxiety. It's more for the expiring contract than anything else. Now who, now who, where's this story coming from Joy Taylor? I want to know this. Jonathan Givone, BSPN. Okay. So this is in

encouraging because instead of this nonsense that we're going to make this Westbrook thing work, it doesn't. Let's stop talking about it. And I think Taylor, there's limitations. The Malcolm Brogden piece for the Lakers actually makes sense. But I think you and I have come to terms with you can't, you know, the old don't pee on my leg tell me it's running. Stop trying to convince me of stuff that I know is not true. Westbrook's not going to work off ball with LeBron. It's not going to work. The only strategy that I see the Lakers going with there that makes sense to me, because obviously we know Westbrook was not just bad on the court. He was a toxic disaster within the building as well is that there's a chance that they aren't able to move him.

So you can't really completely dump on him. And then he's still on the roster at the beginning of the season. This is a tough situation for the Lakers to be in. They don't want to make another desperate move to get out of the move that they're already made with Westbrook and make things worse for themselves in the future. They don't want to give up future assets. They don't have any in the immediate future to give up anyway. So I can see the strategy of, well, let's not completely dump on him in case we do have to have him for half the season or have to run it back with them again this season.

That's the only strategy I see from them putting out there like that we're going to try and make this work with Westbrook. But obviously while still working on trying to get him out of the building. So there's been some questions surrounding Zion. whether he's going to be in shape heading into the new season. He has missed a lot of time, and I think this is the most important offseason of his career. He recently dropped a hype video for his new shoe. Oh, did you see him?

Jordan Zion, too. Ripped! Joy, he's ripped! I knew you were going to love this. There's nobody, fat, Joy. Nothing gets Colin more excited than practice video and a hype workout video. If you want Colin to be in on your...

off-season program just posts a lot of workout videos. I like workout video. It speaks to me. It tells me you are not only committed, but it tells me you're aware that it does matter. And it is, it illustrates a commitment to the organization. It's your brands. It's your brand. Now, strategically, you could just get a bunch of workout videos in the can, as we say in the biz, and then just roll them out while enjoying your vacation or whatever else you're doing. It can be kind of deceptive, Joy. It does look like he slimmed down a little bit. Yeah. The Jumpman website, I'd also put a press release about the shoe, hinting that it might prevent Zion from further injuries.

They said that the Jordan Zion 2 is built to allow Williamson to be fully locked in on the court. That sounds like a little bit of propaganda, but okay. Designed to remain comfortable under the extreme duress of Williamson's unique athletic gifts. It's segmented into three areas, the heel for resistance, the middle for resilience and containment, and the toes for comfort and mobility, and subtle details throughout the Jordan Zion to evoke Williamson's drive. Now, his shoes have a particular extra note with them because we all saw him

explode a shoe during a game in college. You know, it's funny who can sell shoes and who can't. Steph Curry, his shoes don't jump off, but Kobe's shoes sold. Michael's shoes sell. Zion is so big. The kids look at Zion and think, I can replicate that. He's such a unique body type and style I mean we compared him to wilt

Like his numbers are insane Like I don't see Yokic as a shoe salesman Kobe could sell shoes Kyrie does really well with kid's shoes Now I would think absolutely because Kyrie's cool And he has a lot of very unique colorways with his shoes And he's also he's got a flare to his game Yeah I could be a kid and see like I want to buy Kyrie's shoes

I don't know the answer to this Zion's got the Z in his name his game is dynamic Well, he, I would guess because his smile, his personality, he'll sell a lot of shoes, I would guess. Well, also, he's with Jordan Brand, who makes incredible shoes. Most of the tennis shoes in my closet are Jordan Brands. Zion said he would have signed an extension with Pelicans this offseason if they offered one, but the question is, would be fully guaranteed. He's eligible for rookie extension.

The max deal will be five-year 186 million. I'm still on the fence about this. I don't know that you let a talent with the upside of. Zion walk out the door, but he has missed so many games. 85 out of a possible 226 games is what he's played in. It's remarkable. I think this offseason is the biggest of his career. If he can't stay healthy this year, it's going to be a huge problem moving forward.

So the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Browns this off season, making C.D. Lamb the number one target for Doc Prescott. And C.D. Lamb spoke with Mike Silver on the volumes Open Mic podcast about being ready for the challenge. Yeah, that's a lot to take in. It kind of happened so fast, but I feel like that's a situation I'm ready to take on. I kind of, in a sense, raised the standard. Obviously, I hold myself to a high standard already, but obviously, at this moment, there's nothing else you can do but kind of take it on, you know what I'm saying?

So that's the energy I have. Now, he's definitely a number one talent. He is indisputable. He is a number one wide receiving talent. He had 79 receptions, over 1,000 yards. six receiving touchdowns last season. He made his Pro Bowl in the second year with the team. Remember this, though.

They also had a high volume receiver and tight end. Yes. So he did that. His numbers came surrounded by lots of options. So my guess is he's going to be a 90-catch 10-touch-touch-touchdown guy. I don't doubt the talent. I mean, he jumps off the TV screen. I have lots of questions about the Cowboys this year.

He's probably not one of them. He's not one of them. No, I think he obviously has the talent. And you're right. Like, it was spread around a lot last season. he's going to be in the number one spot. Dak, if he can form that connection with him, they can

be successful in that space. But the questions about the Dallas Cowboys very rarely come down to the quarterback and the receiver to me. That's not the issue. I am concerned about them losing Amari Cooper because if you look at Dak's stats with and without him, it's pretty staggering. But if CD can step

into that role, they'll be fine as far as that goes. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Well, Bruce Pearl's been coaching 18 years, D1 level, 11 appearances, three-time SEC coach of the year. Big personality in a sport. I haven't talked to them in years, but a lot of fun. Well, first of all, congratulations.

You've had great success at Auburn, which we view some of these schools as football schools, and you've made Auburn a basketball school, so you're winning a bunch of games. I mean, you really are, and I'm watching it at the College World Series baseball, and I'll get to that. But I want to start because Jabari Smith, I said this. if I have one pick in the draft like Orlando, I'm going to take Jaden Ivy or Jabari. If I'm OKC and I got four, I may roll the dice on Chet Holmgren. I don't know about the body type. So let's talk about your guy, Jabari Smith.

When did you, because you have a history of developing guys and recruiting, but developing as well as recruiting. Some guys recruit. You and Nick Saban recruit, but you can develop. When did you know, wow, this is a lottery pick player? Great to be with you, Colin. I think I knew right around Thanksgiving when we played in the Battle for Atlantis. We had three games in a row, Yukon, Laola, and Syracuse. And he just kept getting better.

And he wasn't afraid of the moment, and he never acted or behaved like a freshman. And Yukon tried to, you know, punk him a little bit. You know, this young 198-pound kid, let's see what he's got. And you just best not poke the bear, because he's not afraid of the moment. and I think he's the first NBA All-Star that I've coached. I had Tobias Harris at Tennessee, and I knew Tobias were going to be a great, long-time NBA player who had a chance to approach an all-star level. This kid's an all-star.

Bruce, what is, give me a comp. You know, we can watch video, and I saw him playing college like everybody else. Give me a comp. Well, I mean, the comp's got to be Durant. It's got to be because of his ability to shoot the ball, his jump shoot. and he's got a high release point. He's six, every bit of six, ten. And he could make open ones and he can make contested ones.

And he's absolutely not afraid of the moment. You know, the secret sauce to Jabari is his competitiveness. Yeah. Like, Cohn, he doesn't want to lose anything. Like he's going to win sprints. He's going to win a free throw contest, three-point shooting. He's going to win a ping pong. And if he doesn't win, he's pissed.

And he affects everybody else that he's with. That's all he cares about is getting better, being a great teammate, and winning champions. Orlando's got pieces, but they haven't figured, they got no glue, and they haven't figured out, you know, how to win. And I think a kid like this could make a huge difference for them. Yeah, it's, you know, it's funny. I want to talk about Chet Holmgren for a second. So I was thinking about this.

The body type, you know, you've had a, you've recruited a million body types. And there are these poor Zingas, Brandon Ingram, Chet Holmgren, but their history is getting injured. And I've always had this theory is that college basketball is about 36 to 40 games and regional travel. NBA is 82 games, national travel. And that NBA staffs make a mistake that I would go in with a chap Holmgren and I would say he's going to play 50 games. And he's not going to play more than 11 minutes a half. And we're going to let that boy body become a man body. Now that may sound crazy from me.

But Chet Holmgren, I would limit the number of games immediately because when to guys get hurt, Bruce, when they're fatigued. It's the last run of skiing. So your thoughts on Chet Hongren, and kind of what you see when you, because he's not your player, but you've seen a lot of tape. Coach, you should take that exact approach. Whether that's general manager, talk or Koshock. Javari Smith played 29 minutes a game, not 40, not 35. There are only so many miles in that tire. I want him fresh at the end of a half at the end of a game, and I wasn't going to wear him out. So I think your approach is not only right for Chet, I think it's right for, you know, for all athletes.

We want to be sort of peaking at the end of a game at the end of a half at the end of a season. You know, I think it's a Sean Bradley effect. I mean, there was nothing wrong with Sean Bradley. He was a great player, but you go knee to knee, you know, with an NBA man. And, you know, I don't know, you just don't know. And I thought your analogy of, look, when you got three or four picks, hey, take a chance on something that, you know, could wind up being great. But also, if you've only got one or two picks, you know, he does.

because of the body type, obviously, have some risk, you know, for injury. And so, you know, I think you've got to go with what's proven, not what's potential. Do you worry for Jabari Smith and some of these kids? They're 19. They go to the pros. They're staying in the hotel. I always joke, they couldn't go have a glass of wine at the hotel. They're 19.

What have you told Jabari about the growth? He's going to play with men. There's going to have to have a financial advisor. How do you groove a young man like Jabari, Bruce? Yeah, this is another reason why you take him and you trust him. First of all, look at his pedigree. His dad was a bad man. His dad was a big, tough, physical, dirty, offensively gifted dude.

Gentle giant, but a tough guy, all right? Mom, beautiful Christian academic woman that raised her son to be a gentleman. So he's got the combination of the toughness and the sweetness that you'd want in every son. So he's not going to be affected. He's not going to be affected like everybody by the lounge lizards. He just isn't. He's trying to be a pro. He's trying to be an NBA all-star.

He'll look at that distraction and say, that's not going to help me win championships. I know that may be a pretty special 20 minutes, but it's not going to win a championship. And that's what this kid's all about. That's his DNA. That's nothing that Coach Pearl taught him. or said to him. That's what his obsession is. And he also recognizes that he's got to be a role model.

Like if you're the number one pick, even though you're young, they're going to follow you. And they know what you're making. And so I think he'll accept that responsibility. He's got a tight camp around him. It's all family. I don't think anybody's going to get in or distract him. I don't think success will change him.

I've been saying this for years, that the NBA demonizes and marginalizes college basketball. If I had his son, I'd send him to college basketball. It's a marketing platform. He's going to get better coaching there than the G League. He gets great training staffs. And he's going to be forced to be in a college campus with international students, math students that are going to challenge him.

I just love college basketball. I do understand that you're not going to stay there long if you're as good as Jabari Smith. But I did feel in the last year, America still loves March Madness. The ratings were fantastic. The stories were unbelievable. And maybe it's not as talented as 15 years ago. But I kind of feel like the tide's turning. And we are seeing these kids that go to college and they come out and they love to college.

And they miss college. Do you sense, I think we went through a 10-year period. All I heard was college basketball is bad. Bad for these young players. You know, it's funny now with NIL, Bruce, they can make a little money in college and get the coaching and get the college experience. Your thoughts. I agree. You know, if you want your 18-year-old son to be the first of the kid,

breadwinner right away for your family. Go ahead and put them in the G League. If that's, if that's what, that's what it's all about. I'd rather have to be 18. And you know what? Jabari said, I want to go to college. And I want to be a freshman. And I want to be in the jungle at Auburn. And I want to have, I don't want to go to football games and sit in the front row. I want to get to know Sunni Lee, who's a gold medalist at Auburn and a gymnast here and kind of go to her meets and support her. And it's not, and you know what? And I want to get better. And when my game's right, the NBA is going to tell me my game. is right. There are two things to be specific on. One, when the NCAA changed the rules and they

allowed us as coaches to work with the kids in the summertime in the off season, that was a good rule change because there was a time when we couldn't even touch them in the off season. And so the European players were getting better as far as their skill levels. And the professional coaches were all complaining about the fact that we didn't know what they were doing. You know what? You don't know what I'm doing? Put me on the schedule. Okay, I'll beat your ass. Okay. We know how to develop players. We had to develop 18-year-olds. We didn't have to develop 18-year-olds. We didn't know. to develop 19 year olds. Now, I may not be as good coaching men, but you're not as good coaching boys. And that's who they still are. They may look like they're men, but they're not.

You know, Jumari wanted to, he wanted to be a freshman. And I agree with you, Colin. I think that we're seeing that. The NIL, it will help a little bit. Yeah. It'll, like the kid Baycott at North Carolina. He got a chance to win a Natty next year. He's going to work on that perimeter defense and that perimeter offense. He wasn't forced to go if the, If the advisory committee said, look, right now, even though you might have been the best center in college basketball on both ends and you took North Carolina as far as you did. But you're looking like you're going to be in the middle of the second round, okay, I'll take your word for it. I'm going to go back to school, working a few of those permanent things, make a little bit of money, and have another great year and not have to earn the bread for the family when he's 18 or 19. Yeah.

What a pleasure to see you again. Bruce Pearl, great for college basketball. I see it those Auburn baseball games. Now you're a baseball school. It was a football school. now it's a basketball school, now it's a baseball school. You look like you're having the time of your life. Colin, we're in everything school.

And I believe in, I believe in the ministry of coaching. I believe in the work that can be done to college campus. I'm not proud of what we're doing in this country universally on college campuses. I wish we could have diversity of thought and exchange different ideas and disagree, agree to disagree about different things and challenge. And you know what? Pray before our meals every now and then and teach these kids to love our country a little bit more than what we do. I think that's what we do at Auburn. And I think this has been

an environment. We've been able to train guys to go out there and be great. And I appreciate having the platform to be able to share that with you today. Javari Smith, Bruce Pearl. Can't wait for the draft tomorrow. My friend, it is great to see you. You're good for the sport. You're great for Auburn. And thanks for coming on our show. Colin, you guys are the best. Appreciate you. All right, Bruce Pearl. Yeah, I think Jabari Smith would be, if I had the number one pick, I feel he's certain. Jaden Ivy and him, I know they're going to be successful NBA players. You know what I loved about that whole thing, the competitive thing.

Like I say this all the time to my kids. Are you willing to compete? Because somebody, if you're really, if you're smart as you think you are, you're going to get a good job, somebody's going to want it. Are you willing to compete when he told me this kid competes at everything? Like that almost guarantees success. You don't have to be the tallest, the fastest. are you willing to just get back in that thing? Does it bother you to lose?

That's the story of Brady and Russell Wilson. It's not size, arms, straight. No, those guys like to compete. They literally go home and he's, Russell Wilson spent 19 hours a day, he said, on a finger injury. That's different. It may not, it's abnormal. Back in a second, Nick Wright, next hour of the herd.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug. Godlebe, the podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players.

We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it. I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where Doug. 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. I don't care what 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 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 Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's 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 There's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So 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 podcast 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, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

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

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

Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. So the NFL, a lot of people, according to reports today, are pushing for a entire season of suspension for Deshawn Watson. Now, yesterday, as we reported, 20 of the 24 cases have been settled. There's still four cases that we don't know the outcome yet. According to an NFL source, yesterday's action does not in any way have an impact on the disciplinary. process. I will say this. It's always been really, really hard for all of us in any business or platform to discern the difference between good and very good. Like Jason Tatum, he's good.

Is he great? He was the second best player for the Celtics in the finals and had 100 turnovers in the playoffs. He ain't great. I think he's very good. There were times he wasn't good. That's hard. Good, very good, very good to great. But bad and bad in terms, chaotic is easy to spot. So when I make my NFL predictions for a season, I start with a fourth place team. That's the easy one. Who's going to win the AFC West? Who knows?

I think it's going to be Denver. But if I look right now at the NFC, the bottom of the NFC is really easy for me to pick. The New York Giants, we don't know about their coach, we know their quarterback's not very good, and we know their roster is still weak. That's a fourth place team. Atlanta and Seattle are totally. rebuilding. Backup quarterbacks will start. Bears, lions, I don't know. I kind of think Detroit offensively is pretty good. I think Chicago may be a fourth place team, but I want to get

through camp injuries, see how drafted players perform. In the AFC, though, I think it's pretty easy as well. And I think, you know, the Jets, we don't know if Robert Solic can coach. They don't have nearly the roster of the dolphins offensively, the bills, or, we don't think Belichick's going to lose to the Jets, right? Jags, Texans, feels realistic. I mean, just the Colts and the Titans have better rosters, proven coaches. So in the West, I don't, I give up. I mean, they're all good.

You tell me the day the Raiders are going to be a last place team. That's the best offense that will finish last in the history of the league. So I don't know. That's a question mark. but I think the Browns were the obvious choice. The Ravens and the Bengals in that division have star quarterbacks. Pittsburgh doesn't, but they haven't had any noise and any chaos this offseason between the noise and the chaos and the looming suspension and the Baker-Mayfield mess.

Cleveland is back to being where they've been most of the last 20 years. Not a great owner. Too much noise. A lot of hype. Talented players for years on the roster. But I think today when I look at this story with Cleveland, they're right back. They were briefly appeared to be special. I'm not blaming the coach.

I'm not blaming the Andrew Barry, the GM or Kevin Stavansky. That's not it. I think there's a lot of good players in the roster. But you start looking at the bottom of leagues, bottom of divisions. Cleveland feels like today with all these rumors about they're going to shut it down for the year. They're back to be in a fourth place team. Maybe it's their rightful spot considering ownership. Hour to Nick right around the corner, live in Los Angeles, fast first hour.

It's The Hurt. 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, unfiltered 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 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 it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.