The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Kyler Murray, Lakers, Rodgers

Episode Date: February 28, 2022

Kyler Murray is getting bad advice from his agentThe Lakers horrible season is on LeBron JamesQuarterbacks who could also win the NFC NorthThe NFL needs to be more open mindedGuest: Ric Bucher Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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,

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

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars 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 tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

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

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black. people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Heard. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday. It is great to be back. Back. No more masks in L.A. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd wherever you may be. And however, you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both. No more masks in Los Angeles. I just learned this. Apparently, I don't have the Internet.

This morning when I walked in, there were no masks. I saw people's faces. It was a glorious time, the beautiful people of Fox Sports. I could see them and identify them. It was wonderful. I was and I was not on the internet. For 48 hours I was doing my own thing. Yeah. Like, something's weird. I can see the waitress of his face. It took me a second to figure out what was going on.

But yes, it's very nice. It's positive. Like, we're making jokes. But it is a good thing overall that we are moving in this direction. So we're grateful. So let's start with this. I have been on Kyler Murray's side. He's the quarterback, the diminutive quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

Three years in the league, he's gotten better each year. I'm on his side. I think he's a special player. His personality is a little off-putting for me, but whatever. Aaron Rogers drives me nuts. Baker can drive me nuts. Whatever. I don't have to love all these guys.

I was never into Cam's personality or Jay Cutlers. Whatever. If a guy can play, can play, I've been a Kyler guy. But I got to tell you, in my life, I've had four agents. And I bailed on a bunch of agents. Because as my late mother once told me, they're going to be representing. you in rooms you won't be in. Choose carefully. Eric Burckhart is the agent. I don't know him. I know some NFL agents. I don't know him.

Of Kyler Murray, big misstep. This is bad. He also represented Johnny Mansell. And for those who remember, I was not a Mansell fan. I didn't like his personality. I thought some of his actions were startling and weird. It turned out he had, sadly, an addiction issue. Kyler Murray's a really talented guy. I think his agent underserved him badly. They released something that looked like a menu, way too many words, completely transparent. It makes it look like Kyler Murray's completely into it for money.

He's being paid $5.5.5 million this year. This is not minimum wage NBA stuff. He's getting paid $5.5 million. That's more than 90% of the league. Now, he wants to get paid a year early because he's a small quarterback, two years, hurt twice, And he's looked around the league and said, I'm not Josh Allen. You know, I want to get paid early.

I've made you relevant. To that, I back him. He's absolutely special. You can't teach a lot of this stuff. I've had multiple coaches tell me and tell you, best high school football player, Texas history. Well, that's a pretty good list. A lot of good players. So I'm a Kyler Murray guy.

But that playoff game this year, I set it on the air the next day. He tanked. He refused to run. You know that wasn't Cliff King. Kingsbury's idea. Kyler Marie would not run in that playoff game. He made a decision, and it was a business decision, and I didn't like it. I'm not running.

I'm not going to get hurt. So as much as I like Kyler Murray, I had an NFL pass rusher, and I'm talking to Pro Bowl pass rusher, a guy that's played against him. Tell me two years ago, Kyler Marie does not like to get hit, and he wouldn't be shocked if he went back to baseball. Now, I don't believe he's going to go back to baseball. And if he was playing baseball today, I can assure you he wouldn't be making five $1.5 million. That's not a ridiculous salary. It's a very fair salary. And I would pay him.

But this stuff is always difficult. Trust me, we've read a lot about announcers coming and going and leave it. Stuff's always more complicated when you get into the 10, 15, 20, $30 million a year category for any employee at any business. It gets complicated. It gets complicated. Kyler Murray's first half stats pre-injury are unbelievable. His second half stats post-injury are very average, and that's what Arizona's worried about. And by the way, the NFL's not a league where you can say, listen, when I am healthy and I'm comfortable, I'm unbelievable. Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

Being available is a skill. Eli Manning, all those years, never got hurt. Far of all those years, never got hurt. Russell Wilson, 10 years in the league, hurt briefly once. Tom Brady practiced getting sacked. Being available is a skill. Like Eli Manning played with bad offensive lines for most of his career. He didn't get hit and he wasn't mobile.

And Brady mostly healthy and Russell mostly healthy. Cam Newton and Big Ben put their head down, ran into piles, and both eroded quickly. So this is not a league where I can pay you only when you're healthy and comfortable. Because most of the time, you're not if you run around and you're almost never comfortable in this league. Joe Burroughs great. He was never comfortable the whole playoff run. So this stuff is complicated. Again, I would pay Kyler.

The division's good. He's really special. He's getting better. But this stuff is not just, you know, one, two, three, connect the dots. That last game, that playoff game, he bailed on his team. I refused to run. And I'm sorry, but his agent, Eric Burkhardt, is underserving him with this nonsense. It's getting mocked all over the internet.

Just come out and say. say it. Dude wants to get paid early. I'd have more respect for his agent and Kyler if they just came out and say, hey man, he's small, he's been hurt, he wants to get paid early. He changed the franchise. And to his credit, Kyler's right. They were trapped. They hired a coach and a quarterback and both bombed. They were trapped. But it's not like he's come there and won a bunch of playoff games and dominated the division. Like the Niners are getting a Super Bowl since he arrived and the Rams won a Super Bowl since he arrived. He's not like a first place quarterback, so he didn't have nearly as much leverage as his agent thinks. Where'd they finish last year? It was like third. And there's no

playoff wins yet. And he's making five and a half million. Let's not cry, you know, poor house here. He's making real money. Not as good as he deserves. Totally agree. And I've got his back on that. But I've gone through four agents for a reason. Just like pilots, dentists, sportscasters, mayors, not all are great. And I didn't like that move at all by Eric Berthardt. Totally transparent, way too long. Just cut to the chase. Don't take the audience, the consumer, the fans in Arizona to be idiots.

They know what you're trying to say. Just say it. All right. Well, as you know, if you live in a big city, traffic can always be a problem. Nobody likes pile-ups. And you ever been in your car and like there's a police. officer and he pulls over somebody and everybody cranes to look over and it slows traffic. You're like, would you just, it's just a speeding ticket. And but boy, we had last night,

we had a boy, like an eight car mess on the 405 in Los Angeles, otherwise known as the Lakers. They officially bottomed out last night. Boothed at home, crushed by the Pelicans, and afterwards, Russell Westbrook, this is not great ripping the Laker fans. booing like you know pretty pretty loud especially at the end of the game does that stick with you like how do you how do you hand to that home with you take it home for what take it home man well i got three beautiful kids at my house my wife i ain't take it home they take their booing they take their ass home i ain't word about that doesn't bother me none let's just be clear this current laker mess it's on the brawn the GM

didn't want Westbrook. The coach didn't want Westbrook. They had a deal, signed sealed, deliver to get Buddy Healed, who's shooting 40% from the field this year with threes. He would be a perfect Laker. LeBron wanted Westbrook. He muscled the Lakers, and the Lakers have since told him at the trading deadline, Jeannie Bus said, no, it's my team, it's your mess.

You clean it up. So the Lakers are now trapped. Westbrook is imploding. He's never had a great bit of self-awareness. That was bad last night. The team is awful. They're bizarrely laughingly old. Only way to get rid of Westbrook would be to trade him after the season for other bad contracts.

Because in the NBA to make a trade, the contracts have to match. This is the team that LeBron and Clutch Sports built, starring AD, who's marginally committed and never healthy. And starring Westbrook, who LeBron wanted. And the Lakers have said, no, it's our franchise and our city. You're a visitor. This is your issue. There was an interesting bit of data that came out last week. It had the highest and lowest ratings, local TV ratings for all NBA teams.

And the Lakers, the biggest brand in the NBA, easily with LeBron, arguably the biggest star in the NBA easily, were middle of the pack with ratings. This team's not very likable. And it's the one LeBron and clutch sports created. You know who was the second highest rated basketball team? in the NBA local TV ratings? Cleveland. LeBron left, and they love their team. Darius Garland, Jared Allen,

Evan Mowgli. Cleveland loves their team. Because that team in Cleveland today is ascending young players. We, us. The Cleveland community feels like, hey, man, I want to root these young guys on. LeBron left, the ratings are fantastic.

Other teams that get big ratings in this year's NBA local ratings are Milwaukee. Mostly homegrown talent, drafted and developed by the Bucks. Also, Golden State, Steph, Clay, Draymond, Jordan Poole. You know who didn't do well in the local ratings? Teams with lots of stars that are visitors like Brooklyn and the Clippers. It matters. It's why college basketball, despite being a pretty average product, you see arenas full all time because it feels like you're part of the team.

Fans, Cleveland's in an illustration, fans will tolerate 500. They want to feel part of something. And LeBron's entire career has been bailing when it gets a little warm, but he no longer has a one-year contract. So he's trapped too along with the Lakers. I've said before, this is not Ohio. it's not even great Miami. It's L.A. It's called a Hollywood minute.

The next stars around the corner, I would blow this puppy up. Now, I would prefer to maintain my relationship with LeBron and see if I can add parts. But I would be willing to blow that part up too if it gets ugly and it goes public and LeBron tries to overplay his hand. But this city in Los Angeles, USC now has Lincoln Riley. That's going to be interesting. Rams just won a Super Bowl. Dodgers are always great.

Kauai and Paul George, according to reports this weekend, may come back before the end of the season. Justin Herbert Chargers, according to Fox Bet, among the seven or eight Super Bowl challengers. This city moves on fast. And LeBron no longer has the leverage he once did. And this is his mess. Last night, it bottomed out. I would prefer to keep LeBron and build around him. But I said it last week, and I'll say it again.

And after watching last night and hearing Westbrook, I'd start all over. Maybe keep Malik Monk Reeves if I had to. All right, good stuff today. I'd swear you'd take one Friday off and there's all sorts of things going on. Green Bay Packers released a very funny. picture this morning. It was funny who was not in the picture. Also, boy, James Hardin looks good. Wilson, it looks pretty happy to me.

Kind of like in that Philadelphia team. I watched that entire game yesterday. They look good. 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 what I'll say. 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. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. 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 tontons 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. Ah, here all week. It is great to be here with Joy Taylor, top of the hour

where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. So I swear, I take a couple days off, and it's just nuts. There's all sorts of sports stories happening, and it's great to have you in. So the Packers, it's announced, are going to play a game in London, which is great because it's usually Jacksonville, or the Houston Texans, or like the Jets. So the Green Bay Packer, finally,

our friends, our allies over in England, get to see a good football team. So congratulations to London because they'll get the Green Bay Packers. It's been a steady diet of Jaguars football for years, and they probably think that's the highest end of their football is Jacksonville Jaguars. It's like, no, you get the Packers now. So the Packers released a photo on Abbey Road, the old Beatles, right, the old Beatles photo. Oddly missing is Aaron Rogers. They have Rashon Gary and Jaya Alexander and David Boktiari and Aaron Jones and Matt LaFleur.

Where is Aaron in there? very interesting. Here's where I categorically divide from the rest of sports media in America. This topic. And it's not just about Aaron, but it's kind of about Aaron. There's this feeling in the media in America, sports media, that talented pay them. This is not how I see it. I own a company now.

I have to pay people. It's more than that. Am I comfortable writing a big check to you? There's a lot of things. What's your age? Are you? ascending? Are you, this, there's two things that matter to me, because there was a story that came out this weekend that Aaron wanted 50 million. He denied it. Greg Jennings came out,

called him selfish. I'm not taking sides there. I like Greg. I know Greg. And Aaron's denying it's 50 million. But here is something where I just disagree with the American media. The two things that matter to me, if I'm going to write big checks for all these great quarterbacks, number one, playoff production, they're all winning in the regular season. I don't give a rip. All the great quarterbacks win in the regular season. What are you doing in the playoffs? And number two, personality.

It matters. Okay, let's talk Aaron's playoff production. He's seven and nine his last 16 games with very good teammates. Okay, that's the reality of him. He shrinks. He plays it safe. I watched him against San Francisco. He's never been as good playing from behind as guys like Brady or Peyton.

Manning. That's why he's got fewer come from behind wins than Andy Dalton and Derek Carr. So that's number one. He's a better regular season quarterback. It's indisputable than a playoff quarterback. I don't care that he wins in the regular season. Andy Dalton won in the regular season in Cincinnati. I don't care. Dak wins in the regular season. What's your playoff production? And the second thing is personality. Am I comfortable writing you a $400 million check? And increasingly Aaron is self-absorbed, public, and kind of weird. So if I had a chart of the quarterbacks that I would pay $400 million to, I would just write a check. The five guys I would pay, Mahomes, Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, Joe Burrow, and Matt Stafford.

I saw Stafford. His personality's not an issue. He's better in the fourth quarter than he is in the first. those are the guys playoff production. Listen, I saw Josh Allen go toe to toe with Mahomes. Never shrunk. I mean, he just didn't get the ball last.

Never shrunk. Mahomes. Russell Wilson. They got issues. It's never Russell. Russell Wilson doesn't shrink in big games. Joe Burrow took a bad offensive line to the Super Bowl. But this idea, this is where I totally separate from the rest of the media.

This idea is like even Kyler Murray. I like him. And I'll pay a year early. but I am worried about your personality. I am worried about you not running. I am worried about you not staying healthy. Like, I don't have a right to consider that. I'm the one paying it.

And you're gifted. But this idea, I hear it all the time. Just paying Aaron. He's winning a bad division. 25. Ryan Tannahill would win that division. Joe Burrow would win that division. Justin Herbert would win that division. Derek Carr would win that division.

I'm not paying you $50 million because you can win the NFC North. Derek Carr would win that division easily. Easily, Tannahill won his division, which is better than your division, because at least the Colts are good in that division. So the idea that it's, oh, he wins a bunch of games.

Who are you beaten? I said about Dak. I love Dak. He doesn't beat the great teams. He does win that crappy division. And he deserves money for that. I will write checks for that. But playoff production and personality,

to me, if I'm giving you the Brinks truck, Mahomes, Alan, Russell Wilson, Joe Burrow, Matt Stafford. I don't worry about any of the personalities. I mean, Mahomes' family sometimes can be, but I don't worry about Patrick. I don't worry about Patrick at all. We all got crazy people in the family, okay? We all got people that are high maintenance in the family. What-evs.

But, yeah, I just, this idea that just, Pam, there are 20 quarterbacks that would win that crappy NFC North last year and the year before and mostly the year before. with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the dolphins are moving forward with new head coach, Mike McDaniel and Tua as their starting quarterback. But according to multiple sources, they had planned on pursuing Sean Payton as the coach and

Tom Brady as their quarterback. Wow. So this out this morning? So the plan was, yes, the plan was scrapped. However, when Brian Flores filed his lawsuit against the team and the Dolphins declined to comment on the report. But team sources confirmed that the team contacted the Saints to seek permission to speak to Sean Payton, which the Saints reportedly declined the request, which they contend was made after Peyton resigned on January 25th. And Dolphin sources said that internal discussions have occurred regarding the possibility of adding Brady as a minority owner.

But those considerations are on hold, not because of the lawsuit. Apparently, it's because of the pending speculation of Brady possibly coming back as a player. So it was interesting. let's go back is it a year or two years in the pandemic two years ago and we didn't know where Brady was going and we were kind of speculating

so I think I had reported at the time I'm hearing the charges are interested I didn't know about Tampa but I was hearing enough I thought Miami was where we would go because it's a big fashion community

and I thought Tom had basically asked Giselle go live in Boston for our marriage, I thought Tom would be like, you know what, I can go and beat Belichick, no state tax, and Giselle can go to a community where she can flourish. I mean, Miami's an international city. Tampa's not. So I always thought this was, I kept, but when Tampa came down, I'm like, Giselle and Tom and Tampa?

Yeah, it was surprising to do a lot of people. So Miami, to meet for that little brief period when you and I were kind of guessing on and off the air. Yeah, I thought Miami had probably the best chance. So did I, and I thought a lot of it was, Giselle and Miami fields. I mean, it's billionaires, it's fashion, it's hype. You know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, but this could be on the table. Obviously, there's a lot of things happening with the dolphins right now regarding the

ownership. There's an investigation because of the Brian Flores lawsuit. all this is a bit murky. Once again, we're having the conversation of the dolphins possibly moving on from Tua. I'm actually, I'm really glad that, well, at least temporarily, that they are moving forward with Tua for this year. Give him a year. Just give him a year. Don't talk about anybody else.

Don't do it through the speculation into the trade deadline. Just give Tua a year. And we'll see what it is. And then next year you can evaluate. But it's always something with the dolphins. So there's been a lot of talk about the current overtime rules in. this postseason. Fans are very upset about it. Media. Players. So according to the Washington Post, the competition committee is meeting because there's at least some sentiments within the committee

to recommend the one possession each approach. However, there have to be at least 24 teams that are willing to do so. They can't just go to the Rules Committee and make the change. Everyone has to vote on it. The cult submitted a proposal to change the current rules and their proposal guarantees each team in overtime possession. During the regular, season, I don't need this change. I do think during the postseason, it feels a bit more

fair in these sudden death moving on situations. Yeah, I've always been, I don't have a problem with it. As Adam Theelan, the Viking receiver set on social this weekend, all you have to do is make one defensive stop, and you both do get one possession. But I do think

like that Mahomes Allen thing, and I don't want to overreact to recency by But I think there is an argument to be made. I talked to a gym in the NFL about this. If you look at the regular season numbers on overtime, it's basically even. It's a 50-50 split, basically. But in the playoffs of the 11 times it happened, 10 times out of 11, the team that gets at first win.

And the reason would be Joy, because you're dealing with the best quarterbacks in the world. Right. And I think that because you and I are very into evolving and what's changing and we can be adaptable. That's right. we know that all the rules are offensive, are leaning towards the offense. The gap between the best offenses and the best defenses has become larger. It's an offensive game now. So because that change has been made, and as you mentioned, you have the best quarterbacks,

you have the best offenses in the postseason, it is more balanced to give both offenses an opportunity. Yes. That part, because this has been something I've written about for years. The overtime's fine. The college overtime is nonsense. It can last an hour and a half. Yeah, you can't have a situation. where it goes on and on and on.

And obviously someone has to win the game in the postseason. And you want it to be fast, so you don't want guys getting hurt because they're playing another quarter. Exactly. But I do think because the rules have leaned more towards the offense. You have offenses putting up, I mean, home scoring in 13 seconds. You should probably make a change so that both teams get an offensive possession. How about this?

Conference championships and Super Bowl, both quarterbacks. Because conference championships, if somebody's hurt, you get two weeks to get healthy. And the Super Bowl is the final game. So the opening divisional round, we're still in the other way. Some of you guys in the playoffs are 500. I think if you're going to make the change to the playoffs, you just make it for the whole playoffs. Because every round is an elimination round.

So I get you get more time there. But I don't think of this, the change is going to cause games to go on for another two hours. Because that's a nightmare. That is. But you probably have an outlier one that might go longer than you'd prefer. But in the end, both teams are going to walk away like they had an offensive opportunity and the way that the rules are leaning and the way that the game has changed. so much, which we talk about all the time, the power of the quarterback and all the,

everything leaning towards the offense, I think you probably have to make it change, at least in the postseason. So, Sixers looking pretty good pretty quickly. Wow. The Knicks 125-109 yesterday for the second straight win. Listen, I know the Knicks aren't great, but you know what I see there? That Philadelphia team looks happy. They are having fun playing. Yeah, it also like fits really well. Hardin had his first triple double and had 29 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds, five steals, Embed, 37 points, nine rebounds, four blocks,

and they made a career in NBA season high, 23 free throws. So they get to the line as well. And Beds of the duo of himself and Hardin are unstoppable. So he's in a good place. I wonder what they're going to do. It's interesting. Tobias Harris feels a little bit, and you know this is going to happen when you bring a ball-centric guy in it. He's a little lost in this thing because Maxie's going to energize himself. You get to. got Harden, you got Embed, I do worry about what, because I noticed that yesterday, I thought, boy, Tobias Harris shrinks. Like, where do you go? Well, you're going to have an, I mean, that's anytime you're bringing in somebody that is as impactful and shoots as much and has the

ball as much as Hardin does, somebody's going to get marginalized. But the important thing in those situations is to assign roles. Championship teams, championship level teams have guys that understand their role on the team to the highest level. And this is why you need to get on the court together as soon as possible and work these things out, which is why I'm a little skeptical about the nets and how that's going to play out. Get on the court right away, start working these things out as you're heading into the postseason, and they look pretty good. And they're fun to watch, by the way.

Yes. The ball movement for the Sixers, you're like, oh, that's a fun team to watch. This team, I'll say, said it before and I'll say it again, Sixers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Not sure they have the size or depth because they gave up Andre Drummond to beat Milwaukee, but this team could be absolutely a Final Four team. Yeah. Well, I mean, that's why they made the move.

Like, you need to be aggressive and move off of Ben Simmons, who wasn't going to play for them. Hardin looks happy and healthy. Yep, enjoy it with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. By the way, I want to go back to this Kyler Murray, this press release thing, which is too long, too wordy, too transparent, and a bad look. It's not quarterback eel. And I do think 95% of quarterbacks are quarterback heel. There it is. Nice job, guys. As radio listeners, I apologize. You can see it online. Now, now, it's easy to just crush Kyler Murray, but Aaron Rogers has gone very public in the last year, okay? You know, thrown out a story day of the draft, so let's not make it all

on Kyler. But I do think here's what's happening. We're moving into kind of a new era. And there's a lot of people in the NFL that look at this stuff and think, we don't want to become the NBA. We do not want to become the NBA where you are held hostage by players. That's not going to happen for two reasons. Number one, the collective bargaining agreement is very pro-management in the NFL. Very pro-management. So what we are seeing in the NBA, the Simmons-Harden stuff, folks, I've been a fan of the NBA since the 70s. Spencer Haywood, you can go back to 70s, 80s. NBA has always been a player's league. NFL is transitioning to a slightly more even league. It is not a players league. it's not but you are getting a situation that's happening in real time where quarterbacks the best

quarterback on every division they are super important and and i think overwhelmingly they're not going to do the erin kiler thing and go public i don't think that's what that's not the way i mean most of these kids are mahomes they're herbert they're lamar jackson they love football they love their team you know but you're going to get guys that go public and you just got to own it you know Greg popovich used to have a saying in San Antonio, they built their culture on, hey, you got to get over yourself to play for the Spurs. I would argue, Greg, in 2022, you've got to get over yourself. You can't just ship Kauai Leonard to Toronto.

He's too good of a player. Greg needs to get over Greg. And Belichick and Popovich, who had this rigidity in this team first, it's much more collaborative now. The future of the NFL, it's not going to become the NBA. Don't be fearmongers. It's not. And Kyler and his agent are outliers.

And Aaron Rogers' increasingly odd personality. That's not Justin Herbert. It's not Mahomes. That's not what it is. But we are in a new era where players are rich. They have social media. They can control stories. By the way, some of these guys make millions on Instagram.

So it's a new era. You've got it. The authoritarian NFL guy. It's over. The Mike Ditka stuff. It's over. Now, I'm not saying Belichick's over, but he's finding it more difficult to win. You've got to be more collaborative.

This is why Jim Harbaugh did not get a job. It's not because Harbaugh can't coach. He's won everywhere. Jim's not viewed as collaborative. It's why Brian Flores got fired. I think Brian's a great coach. He went through three offensive coordinators in three years. So, you know, a lot of people are looking at the NFL.

And I think there are people in the NFL that look at it and think, we're not doing the NBA thing here. We're literally players just hold a franchise. You're not going to get that. You're really not. overwhelmingly what's happening in the industry, it used to be a small industry, now it's a big industry, the industry of quarterback in America, is that these kids are taught how to deal with media, how to deal with crisis. So most of these kids are entering the NFL. They're a thousand times more mature than I was, you were, or the previous decades quarterbacks were.

Kyler's an outlier. Aaron's a little bit of an outlier. But I will say this. The world's changing. There's an added bucket of revenue now for players called social media. Now you're seeing increasingly shoe deals. And to quarterback's credit, they are more important. It's not that long ago where you could say, yeah, this team's got a great defense in a run game. I think they're going to the Super Bowl. Like those days are over. Those days are over. Tennessee could not get out of the first round at home. I mean, Green Bay is talented, but they don't have a second great receiver. One and done at Lambo. San Francisco didn't score a touchdown.

Green Bay couldn't win. So it's a new era. You have to be more comfortable and collaborative with players having opinions. That's been the NBA since the 70s. It's happening a little in the NFL. Let's not over-exaggerate it. Let's not be fearmongers. I don't love what Kyler and his agent are doing.

But the one thing Kyler has going for him is you're a mess. I'm here. Now you're not. And that's power. And you've got to learn to deal with it. Rick Bueger's around the corner on a Monday in where, you know, I love coming in, and there's just stories. Today's our prep time today.

We could have done our prep time in about an hour today. We had so many good stories. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. 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. You listen to All Ball with Doug Alib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. 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 what you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years

for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 break. 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. So video has emerged of LeBron James barking at Laker fans last night. It's getting ugly at, is it crypto.com? Crypto arena. Well, cryptocurrency has gone into the tank, so I made the Lakers simultaneously.

It's just fitting, I guess, gone into the tank. Rick Buecker, Fox Sports NBA analyst is now joining us live. I got to tell you something, I find it fascinating. I thought Jeannie Bus basically said we talked about this recently at the trade deadline. This is my team and this is your mess, and I'm not changing it. and you know LeBron always had those one-year contracts Rick and he could just that was ultimate leverage he doesn't sure he doesn't

right and they're trapped now with Westbrook let me just say that let's start with Westbrook he's not even productive anymore nobody thought it was a great fit because he's not an off-the-ball player right did you think it would ever get this bad with Westbrook I didn't think it would get this bad this soon I did worry about the fact that Russ Westbrook's game has always been based on his athleticism

and that we were starting to see signs of that dissipating. So you would expect that his game was going to fall off. My biggest concern and reason that I didn't think it was going to fit is because he hasn't, he's always been a volume guy. He's never been an efficiency guy. And that's what you are asking him to be playing with the Lakers. Now, I thought that there was still enough energy and athleticism left there. And in many ways, there is.

But you're asking him to incorporate being the Russ Westbrook show within what a LeBron James who is falling off and a bunch of other pieces that ultimately do not fit. And for those out there who are thinking that Westbrook has fallen off mightily, he really hasn't. That's right. The numbers are comparable to the last year or two. Yeah. The difference is he's with the Lakers and he's playing next to LeBron James and he's in L.A. And everybody's paying attention to every single game. That is the difference.

It's not that he's had some dramatic change in his game. You know, when LeBron came out, I thought it was very interesting. So LeBron has basically had those one-year contracts. That gives him leverage. He can kind of control it and everybody kind of is on pins and needles. And the Lakers are the first franchise that has said, no, we'll go public. This is L.A. We'll move off you. We'll go public.

I appreciate what the Lakers have done. And I'm a LeBron fan. I'm not a fan boy, but I'm a LeBron fan. I like his handlers. I like his buddies. I like LeBron's game. But when he brings up playing with his son and going back to Cleveland, and I'm like, you know, it's just not the time. How did that play in the league, do you think?

Well, there's two parts to that. One, I think it was the ideal time for LeBron James. And I'll explain that in a minute. how it played with the league, every GM is going, oh no, because they know two things. One, that if you have LeBron, that's bad enough. Rich Paul's in your office. LeBron James is telling you to get rid of your head coach. He basically takes over your job.

And if he doesn't do it well, it's not going to fall on him. It's going to fall on you. So nobody was looking forward to that. And then you throw in, and I'm going to have to manage his son as well. It's a package deal. oh joy. Now the reason that that troubled them because they also know that their owners are looking at and going, oh, but we could make some bank. LeBron Javes, potentially his last year in the league, chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In fact, I had two owners I spoke to, one of whom said you would sell out every game. And for markets like Minnesota or Sacramento, or Charlotte, that would be ultimately what, that's why they would invest in it. Maybe not so much for, say, the Warriors or some of the top teams, but there's a lot of

teams that would get a lot of bang for their buck in drafting Brani or acquiring Brony and bringing in LeBron. Now, the other side, you said the timing is not good. The timing is ideal for LeBron James because he's up for a two-year extension this summer and from the Lakers. And that would take him through the first year of Brani's eligibility. So I don't believe that he wants to go anywhere. He is settled into L.A.

He's settled into Beverly Hills. He's got the family here. Kids are going to the schools he wants to go to. He don't want to have to relocate or be an absentee father for a couple of years if it means playing for Brani. And much rather do all of that in L.A. Now, what he wants is the guarantee from the Lakers, whether it's implicit or explicit, that they are going to bring Brony into the fold when they have that opportunity. This is his leverage to say, if you want me to sign the two-year extension and you need me to sign the two-year extension because Anthony Davis isn't going to be filling those courtside seats, I'll sign the extension as long as I know that when Bronnie's available, that you're going to draft him and I'm going to get a chance to play with him right here.

and we won't have to move, we won't have to leave Beverly Hills. And I would imagine that would be if Bronn is, LeBron is having that conversation with Brony. And he says, so we can play in Sacramento or Charlotte or Minnesota or you and I could hook up with the Lakers and wear the purple and gold and we can still be home. And Bronte would probably say, Dad, I don't even know that there's a question there. So that is why I believe he brought it up. And there's no better way to get that leverage than to say, you know what? I am so willing to go anyplace else. I'd even go back to Cleveland a third time.

Yeah. I don't know. I didn't like when Aaron Rogers told the Packers, go get Randall Cobb. I'm like, I don't like players making those personnel moves. I remember when LeBron loved Shabazz Napier in Miami, and Miami didn't like him. And Pat Riley didn't like him. And they drafted him and he couldn't play. I don't know.

I'm always... Hey, Colin, I'm not saying it's a good idea. In no way am I saying that your franchise is going to be better at this stage with LeBron James as your GM? Because the problem is that LeBron James, the GM, no longer has LeBron James as the player. The ultimate player who makes everybody better. That's a good point. He's still good enough to be good in and of itself. But he's not good enough to take whatever you give him or what he decides you should give him and then make it better.

And we've seen that the last two years now. All right, good stuff. Rick Buecker, you'll see more and more in our show now as the NBA season. The second half is underwear. Thanks, Rick. Underway. You've got to call him. I watched a lot of NBA yesterday.

Sixers look good to me. I've never seen the Warriors melt in the fourth quarter like that. Lakers are a mess. And no Chris Paul. The sons are still really good, but Chris Paul's so good. And he's so good late in games. He's such a good player. You know, I defend Chris Paul at every turn.

Because in Los Angeles, for years and years, every time they lost a game, Chris Paul got all the heat. And I'm like, I don't think Blake Griffin's a winning basketball player. I just think he's talented. I don't think DeAndre Jordan's a winning basketball player. I just think he's talented. I think Chris Paul is a winning basketball player playing in a losing culture, a historically bad franchise with two guys who are talented but not winning players. And then they all break up and Blake and DeAndre Jordan disappear and Chris Paul's on the best team in the league. So I am a huge Chris Paul fan.

And Phoenix is fine. Phoenix is still going to win the West. And I still think they can win multiple playoffs series without Chris Paul. He will be back for the playoffs. But you notice, you watch these games, you watch them late in close games. They are not the same without Chris Paul. They are not the same team. And they're loaded.

Phoenix is great coach, great big, good wings, Devin Booker. It's the old guy running the show, Chris Paul. Can't win those close ones without him. Hour two on a Monday next. 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 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. 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 Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.