The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Lakers, Lillard, Seahawks

Episode Date: December 8, 2021

Anthony Davis needs to step up for the LakersThe Blazers should consider trading Damian LillardTrading that much for Jamal Adams was a mistakeGuest: Nick Wright 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, 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 the show. 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. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went

down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 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 Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Oh, it is a Wednesday, a glorious Wednesday, live in Los Angeles, it's The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, The Herd brought to you by Jersey Mike's subs. Be a sub above. Nick Wright this hour, Joel Clatt next hour. College football is now so alive. I'm so happy. that's almost a Miami hurricane field show. She looks like a booster for the Miami Hurricanes this morning.

Oh, yes. I am Mama Warbucks over here. Did you see Mario Cristobal his press conference yesterday? I did. That's the best press conference in the history of college football. He's talking Spanish. He's talking, I mean, he's talking to all the communities in Miami. Well, that's, yeah, that's his city.

That's where he's from. What a fit. Went to Christopher Columbus High School, played at UM, won championships at UM, coached at UN before? Let's get Mario Cristobal on the show. Yes, Mario. Come on the show. Well, you don't have to come here. We can video you in. Zoom meetings or whatever they do. I want to start

with this. Lakers Celtics played last night. But the bigger issue, it's a regular season game. Let's not make too much of it. The bigger issue, though, these are the two biggest brands in the NBA. And they're both kind of in trouble. I'm going to address the Lakers for the first five minutes. And then I'm

to address the Celtics after that and a different topic. So let's start with the Lakers. These are big brands. Historically, Celtics Lakers, biggest two. This is the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, whatever, Cubs, Cardinals, a baseball. It's the Notre Dame and Alabama, Ohio State of Football. And the Lakers have a little bit of a problem. And Charles Barkley, as LeBron turns 37 in a couple of weeks, knows the problem. It's AD. For the first month of the season, you all blame everything on Russell Westbrook for the Lakers being putting all them old ass geezers together and y'all blame Westbrook. Now I hear y'all go on fire Frank Vogel. Cool. Listen, Anthony Davis, you got to play better. I said on this first night, if the Lakers

were going to be any good, it was all going to be on you. You're 27 years old. You're supposed to be in your prime. You're supposed to be one of the five best players in the world up there with Janis, Kevin, and those guys. And you ain't holding up your end of the bargain. Thank you. In baseball, it's different. If you're a pitcher and you have great stuff, you're an ace. Regardless of your personality, you are an ace. You take the ball, you control the pace of the game, you control virtually everything. But it's different in basketball.

Teammates, passing, play both ends of the floor. So many things that matter. In basketball, a general manager told me this years ago, It's not about getting a franchise player. It's about getting the right one. Talent alone doesn't make you a one. The Knicks thought Carmelo Anthony was, and he wasn't. He wasn't going to commit physically on the defensive end.

He wasn't a grinder. And that's Anthony Davis. He's not physically dependable. He doesn't elevate others. He's just really talented. And right now in the NBA, we have three great players, Kauai Leonard, James Hardin, and Anthony Davis. and they are ones in talent, but twos.

You cannot depend on Kauai. He doesn't elevate others. He's not physically available. Anthony Davis is not a grinder. Your best player, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Magic Johnson have to be your hardest workers, your most focused basketball players. They have to be willful and driven and elevate others.

Anthony Davis is just talented. Hardin's just talented. Kauai is just talented. You've got to have some dog and some alpha. You've got to want to be the first end of the weight room and the last out. And this is the Lakers issue because they thought they were getting a one. For years and years, we always blame the Pelicans. Ah, it's the Pelicans.

We've been here three years. Last year, he showed up out of shape. LeBron was ticked off. Frank Vogel. Go ahead and blame Frank Vogel. Frank Vogel has a history of elevating bigs. Anthony Davis should be a top three big. He wants to shoot jumpers.

And he shoot like 19% this year. Don't confuse it. Basketball's culture is interesting. It doesn't do a great job of developing leaders. Basketball's culture does a great job of developing basketball players. They find them early. There's a lot of people that develop them, care about them, work on them, and get them paid early. Basketball's culture does a great job to develop players.

I would always argue football's culture does a better job of developing leaders. You're in college for multiple years, four and five years. You watch a culture at Alabama at Georgia, Oklahoma. Remember, Michael Jordan was not born a leader. But he had strong dad, Dean Smith, Phil Jackson, plus David Stern. His relationship with David Stern was very close. Then he had a great agent. So Michael saw, Michael had some innate alpha, but he saw what great leadership was because

he went to college for multiple years and had a relationship with Phil for multiple years. Michael was a much better leader at the second part of his career than he was initially. He wasn't a great leader when he got to the NBA. Michael was a great player, but he was selfish and hard to get along with. And then he got Phil Jackson who tapped into Michael's innate ability to lead. And it was magic, the best basketball player and team we've ever seen. But the Lakers have an issue. They thought they were getting a one and what they're getting is a two.

And now LeBron's 37 years old. So the Lakers have to find their next conference. Kobe. Kobe's a one. They've got to find their next magic. Magic's a one. Shaq was a one. Shaq was rough on. Shaq would get in arguments with Kobe. And that's why the Lakers were so unique. Shaq and Kobe were both ones. I covered Scotty Pippin. Scotty's a two. Kevin McHale's a two. It's not just physicality. It's not just your talent. And so, you know, Shaq, everybody wants to fire Vogel now. Vogel loves Biggs. He's. He's. He's got a big.

Janice loves being a big. Andre Drum and Joel M.B., they love being big. They love using their body. Anthony Davis, they make fun of his dad bod. He don't want to work out. They don't want to put the time in the wait room. Here's Shaq last night. AD has to dominate.

Chuck said he's supposed to be one of the best players. I agree with the great Charles Barkley. He's not playing like that now. So he has to pick it up. Forget about what Russell, Westbrook and Carmelo is doing. AD has to be the number two. punch. And when LeBron isn't there, AD has to be the number one punch. If you're shooting that bad from the three-point line, that's telling me one thing. Get your ass in the post where you

belong. He doesn't want to. Kauai Hardin and A.D. We always said this about Kauai. He's the best. Get a basket and get a stop guy in the league. So you think he's a one. And he was great when he joined the strong Spurs culture and the strong Raptors culture. Then he went to L.A. and they said, we're going to build around him. No, no, no, no, no. That's not what he does. No, no, no. When he joined two excellent cultures, he's unbelievable. Get a basket, get a stop. But you've got to talk and be verbal and you've got to communicate and you've got to elevate others and you've got to be physically available. Kawhi and AD aren't. Should be ones, they're twos. Now go find your next one. All right, now let's talk Celtics.

We all know this is the way it works. you trade a great quarterback, you don't want him to come back to burn you. So if you ever have to trade Aaron Rogers, get him over to the AFC. You don't want to face Aaron twice a year in your division. You don't want to face him more regularly in your conference. So if you're going to trade, if Tom Brady's going to leave New England, okay, we don't want him to leave, but at least he goes to Tampa. If we meet him, it's in the Super Bowl, right?

Or maybe later down the road. Well, it's the same in basketball. Portland's got a dilemma. They fired their GM. They got a new GM coming in. Damien wants 50 million a year. He's 31. He's still great.

Now, he's not having a great shooting season. Dame's still fine. Dame's still fine. He's having a bad shooting season. There's a lot of things. We don't know if Chauncey Billups is the right coach for him. The organization's in a little bit of chaos right here. There's just better teams all around the NBA.

Dame's fine. It's like Russell Wilson gets hurt. Russ is fine. Lamar Jackson will be fine. Dame's going to be fine. He can shoot a basketball. I didn't suddenly forget how to shoot a basketball. But there's a trade to be made here.

And I'm getting all this stuff about Dame for Ben Simmons. Stop it. Think about what Dane gives you and why he's loved in Portland. Leadership. Elite score. Shotmaker. Sacrifices. Great locker room guy.

Best friends with a guard C.J. McCollum who actually has his game. He can resent that. They're like best friends. All of that. None of it Ben Simmons has. Ben Simmons is the opposite of Dame. Afraid to shoot. Bad teammate.

Moody. He couldn't get along with Embed. And they played different positions. Dame literally gets along with a guy in his team that plays his exact style. I mean, like C.J. McCollum is Dame light. Is he offended by it? Is he threatened by it? They're like best friends. Everything Dame is, Ben Simmons isn't. But I would. Chris Broussard brought this up on first things first, the Simmons Dame trade rumors. Furthermore, Ben Simmons and Dame together, are doing nothing in the Western Conference. Okay, they're not winning it. They're not getting to the finals, none of that.

So that being the case, I think it's time for the Trailblazers to consider trading Damien Lillard. See what you can get. Just put it out there. Dame is available. What's the best offer? Who really wants him?

Don't rush into anything, but now you're open to a full rebuild under your new coach, Chauncey Billups. He needs different types of players anyway. That's what they should be doing in Portland. And there's a perfect trade partner. One of the rivals of the Sixers who have Ben Simmons is the Celtics. They're in that

northeast corridor. Boston is falling into that desperate situation. They got Jason Tatum and they need like another star. And here's Dame. Dame and Jason Tatum solves a lot of Boston's issues. But it also solves Portland's issues. They need to kind of rebuild. Phoenix and Golden State have significantly better rosters. I think Denver does. Utah probably too. Portland's got to get more good players. You go to the Celtics and you play the Sixers and Celtics off each other with no real intention to give them to the Sixers because you don't want Ben Simmons. And you go to Boston. Say, I want three first round picks. I'll take Jalen Brown, who's about 70 to 75 percent. of Dame offensively at a much better defensive player.

And then give me Marcus Smart, who's a great defensive player. I don't need his offense, but I need his salary to make the trade work. And so Boston gets their second star. And you know they'll give up a little more because they don't want Dame to end up in Philadelphia. Their corridor rival. They're a conference rival. So they don't want him to go to Philly. So Boston will probably give you an extra first round pick.

and if you have Jason Tatum and Damian Lillard, you don't really need picks. What you need is a veteran who's willing to play less, a big, and you can win a championship. So Boston, who's been sitting around here for years, all these draft picks, all the, and they got one guy. Jason Tatum. But Jaylon Brown's good and plays defense, bigger body than Dame. So Portland is significantly better the next hour when they get. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, significantly better, C.J. McCollum, now he's got a collapse lung. He'll be back next year. You're not a championship team this year anyway. But in the

West where you have all these great offensive guards, I now just got significantly better and two guys that can defend guards. Jalen Brown, Marcus Smart, C.J. McCollum back next year is not a defender. He's a score. So your back court's great. I get offense. I get veterans. I get smart, I get defense, I get, that's fantastic. And in the West, you've got to be able to defend wings and guards. Because everybody got Devin Booker on this team and Steph on that team and Clay over there. You got to have guards. There's not a lot of great bigs in the league. There's guards everywhere. Everybody's got them in the West. And then you get draft picks for your future, hit on one, boom, you're ready to go. This is not a tough one. This is an easy one. And you can send him,

Dame, you can send him out to Boston. When I heard these Dame goes to the Warriors rumors, It's like, oh, great, six times a year he comes in, crushes me and embarrasses my front office. It's perfect. And by the way, we all love Dame. But Dame and C.J. McCollum, we've been saying this for years. It's the same guy. One just better than the other. Now you get better defensively.

You get more depth in the back court. You get draft picks. This is, and Boston gets what they want. Boston's in the championship now if they get Dame. Portland's nothing with Ben Simmons, just an indifferent, impossible to coach guy who doesn't want to shoot. I think I've solved both the brands, Lakers and Celtics, in a nine-minute rant. Why I don't run this league? I do not know. I am solving problems in America, both coasts. Laker issues, Celtic issues. We got good stuff today. Joel Clatt next hour.

A lot of coaches in the NFL in big trouble. And a trade that many of you questions, you were right. I'll talk about that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart 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 parents. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

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

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

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

Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wamp. on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do a little 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 it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Good to have you back. So a bad trade now looks disastrous. Seahawks safety, Jamal Adams, to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Jamal is a playmaker for the Jets who came over to the seat. Seahawks because the Seahawks had whiffed on so many first-round picks. They were trying to engineer playmakers in a pass rush. I mean, they haven't had a Pro Bowl player that they drafted in the first round in a decade.

That was an offensive lineman Russell O'Coon. Basically, the Seahawks have become, and I've been calling this for three years. They've become the boxer who doesn't train properly and needs a first or a second round knockout. It's a lot of Mike Tyson. They need a knockout because if the fight goes six rounds, they're not prepared for. for it. They're the person that doesn't prepare for retirement, so puts all their money at 69 years old in Bitcoin and crosses their fingers. The Seahawks have whiffed on so many first-round draft picks. Forget draft picks. They've literally in the last five years drafted one pro bowler,

a punter. L.J. Collier, first round, third string. Rashad Penny running back. Bust. Collier's essentially a bust. So they went big, they took a big swing because they haven't drafted well. And what's interesting is there are safeties that work for Pete Carroll's defense. Earl Thomas, quandre digs, or rangy sideline-to-sideline guys, they were perfect. Cam Chancellor was good. He was built like a linebacker. He was a bruiser and a thumper. But Jamal Adams isn't great in coverage and doesn't have the size of Cam Chancellor,

and he doesn't really have the sack stuff this year. So he's a really talented player who was easily the best athlete for the Jets, but he never even really fit Seattle's style in what they do. Now their secondary is one of the worst in the league, and they have no core identity. They're 31st in offense and 31st in defense, and this was a big swing and a now big miss. I like the playmaking ability. I probably would have given up a first rounder for him, but two first, a third, and a safety for Jamal Adams? That was a ton.

I can remember when they did it, and people in the industry in the NFL executive saying, that is a desperate move. There are players you give up multiple first four. Like, you know, a quarterback, not a safety, even a great one. And at this point, because he's not good in coverage, is Jamal Adams a great safety. As we now have four receiver sets, you've got to be able to cover guys. You can't just be an in-the-box thumper. You've got to be more than that.

So this is something I've been on for years and years and years with Seattle, even when they were winning, when you whiff on draft picks and you try to make it up, you take big desperate swings. Would Bill Belichick give up two firsts, a third and a draft, and at a safety for a safety? No, but he'd make fun of it behind the scenes. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, Tom Brady is completely defeating Father Time at the age of 40s. and he very well might win the NFL MVP award. I should. He has Tom Brady at plus 175 to win for the fourth time in his career. There's a pretty big gap through the next guy on the list. That's Aaron Rogers at plus 650. Josh Allen at plus 700 after being the early season favorite. And Kyler Murray comes in at 900.

He was in pretty strong control of that space for a while until he got injured. And Patrick Mahomes at plus 1,000. Brady this season is 9. and three, 68.3 3.771 passing guards, 34 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. So he's putting

up a really impressive stat line so far this year. And what should be noted, because he did inherit good players, look at how the offensive line has been transformed since Brady arrived. Now, Jensen, Ali Marpet, Tristan Wirthes, it was

always considered when Tom got there, the weakness of the team was, our secondary is young, there's not a lot of leadership here, and the O line is average. And now a year and a half later, the O line is great. That proves, and Peyton Manning did this, if your quarterback is really good pre-snap and can audible you out of trouble, all the offensive line grades go up. Right. And so Brady deserves some credit here, and this is what a veteran quarterback will do. He can get you in to plays you weren't in at the line of scrimmage. He can get you out of trouble. Look at the, not redemption, but the elevation of the O line in Tampa now. We were talking to Jeff Schwartz the other day. You could argue Tampa's got

the best offensive line in the game. All they added was a right tackle. But Brady's ability to manipulate the line of scrimmage is under-discussed in this whole equation. Well, you and I aren't really big awards people. And we don't spend a whole lot of time talking about the MVP unless it's, you know, a much debated situation. Like the year that Russell Westbrook won the MVP. It's like, okay, it's kind of decided he's on this run with these triple doubles. It hasn't happened in how many years. Like, it's kind of deserved, but is that the criteria and so on and so forth?

There's not really a whole lot of debate about the NFL MVP. It's usually pretty clear through most of the season who the NFL MVP is. This year's been kind of a weird year. You had Rogers out with COVID. Kyler Murray was out for three weeks injured. Josh Allen's been a little up and down. So it's been kind of a quiet conversation that is usually much more debated at this point in the season. It's unprecedented that he would win this at age 44.

And if he wins it, there's not going to be any argument about it. Well, it also, I think, it really helps the industry. For anybody that worries about Aaron Rogers turning 38, what Tom is doing is he's making other people money. He's making Russell Wilson money. anybody that's a little older that's been, it's like, no, no. Well, he's stretching the timeline. For all these quarterbacks. For, well, I wouldn't say for all.

I would say for quarterbacks that we know invests the time and energy into their bodies. Right. Like everybody's not going to play until 44, especially at this level. And not everybody's committed. Right. I think he's an absolute outlier. But when you talk about guys like Aaron Rogers and Russell Wilson, guys that we know are committed to their bodies and take care of themselves and don't take unnecessary hits,

well, Russ did for a little while. But, you know, we know Russ take. care of himself. So for those guys, for the outlier guys, I do think it is, it's stretching it out. The Bucks host the Bills on Sunday. That's a very big game. Are the bills going to bounce back from that? Currently, three and a half point favorites the Bucks are according to Fox Bets. And that's in Tampa? Yes. I think I'd take Buffalo. I think I'm going to take Buffalo in the points there. Absolutely. They got a bet. They're in a spot. They got to bounce back. They can't lose anymore. They can't lose any more games. Yeah. They're in a wild card chase. Tampa can

lose that game. Who's more desperate? Bama was more desperate against Georgia. Desperation, it's not must win for Tampa. It is must. And by the way, now Buffalo is getting ripped by everybody. The coach is getting ripped and the players getting ripped. There's a lot of heat on Buffalo right now. So Luca has had a slightly sluggish start to

the season and he admitted he probably relaxed a little bit too much after the Olympics. People can talk about it. Yes or no, but I know it better do better. You know, I had a long summer. I relax a little bit, not taking care, but, you know, I got to be better. I don't know. I had a long summary, like I'm saying, you know, I had three weeks off.

And then I said I relaxed a little bit, maybe too much, and I also got to get back in track. So he reportedly showed up to camp weighing over 260 pounds. He is averaging 25.5 points per game. I mean, we know that he's going to get buckets regardless, but the Mavs are currently seventh in the west at 11 and 12. behind the Lakers. He looks a little heavier. His body type is one that he can be on the heavier side and fluctuate.

Now, last season he was slightly out of shape, but there were a lot of players that came back out of shape because of COVID. I mean, he looks heavier to me. Oh, he is. He's saying he maybe took a little bit too much time off. Okay, so he's averaging 25. Didn't he average like 28, 29 last year? So he should be, this is the prime.

He should be at 30 a game. Yes, but that's what he's saying. Like, he had a really long summer. and he gave himself a little bit, maybe too much rest. I think he's very young. Like he's going to get himself back in shape. It's obviously frustrating, though, once the season starts, you don't want to be playing yourself into shape.

You want to be coming into the season in shape. But that is kind of the issue when you have something big like the Olympics going on over the summer that messes up your routine. Routines are very important for athletes. But I have no doubt that he's going to get back on track. He averaged 27.7 points last season. So he is down about two points this year.

Speaking of being out of shape, according to sources, Zion is 330 pounds right now. I saw a picture on the internet the other day and it was like, is that the, yeah, that's the one I saw. I don't know. I thought, is that the warm-up suit or is that? Yeah, I try to not react too much to these pictures because the internet can be kind of harsh and you can get bad angles. Yeah, maybe the sweatshirt's a little oversized. You know, it can happen. I myself have been accused of being obese. quite often. I think it was three weeks ago.

Who accused you at that? I mean, it's the internet, which is why I don't react to these pictures with that much of a, you know, terror until I see that this is actually valid and he has gotten himself out of shape. He was 285 pounds at Duke and entered the league the same weight. So that is if he is truly at... 50. Yeah, if he's truly at 330, that is a significant amount. Scouts said that his body type would be better around a 260, 270. So we're talking about a massive amount of weight swing here. And also, beyond weight and being in shape, ligaments, knees, feet.

Well, and this was always the concern with Zion. I didn't panic about it too much because I felt like once he got into the NBA, he would have, obviously, NBA level trainers, NBA level chefs and nutritionists. You're going to have the pressure of being in the NBA, your teammates, coaches. It's going to be a different environment. Not that he didn't have that in college, obviously. but it's the next level when you get to the pros. But he did suffer torn meniscus,

which delayed the start of his rookie season by four months. He also missed the final two games in the bubble to right knee soreness. And even though he missed 11 games in the second season, he had two hand injury. So he's had foot surgery in the off season, which is why he's yet to play this season. So he's had a lot of injuries, which was also the other concern with him.

He's played in 85 games and sat out of 85 games in his career so far. So there's no time. table on his return. He had a minor setback a few days ago, and so the start of his career has been rocky to say the least. But this is the issue. When you have a lower extremity injury or

surgery, you can't do cardio. And if you're someone who tends to put on weight quickly, or that's your body type, that makes it all the more difficult. Now, there's obviously other things you can do when you're training to get back, but that's concerning. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. Thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. So Nick Wright, joining us, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz-Best or Nothing. First thing's first host. So let's talk about this. You know, Barclay and Shaq were both tough on Anthony Davis, and I was saying earlier today, Nick, is that Kauai Leonard feels like a one,

but he doesn't elevate others. He's nonverbal. He's not available. He's just the world's best, too. I really believe there's a handful of ones. I always thought Carmelo Anthony, your number one has to be your most physically available. They have to play both ends of the floor in their prime. They have to be committed in the wait room. They have to send messaging to the rest of the locker room.

And I look at AD. Is it fair to say he may be physically a one, but he's really a two. Well, stylistically, and his approach has been to his whole career. I mean, and by the way, he won a championship as a two, you know, 15 months ago. So that can be a successful model if LeBron is still at the level LeBron's been at for 11, 12 years, which is, you know, one of the three best players in the league at worst. I heard your opening rant. I don't think what you're describing is a massive concern for the Lakers this year. It's a big concern for the Lakers in years moving forward because I don't know if anyone's

noticed. LeBron has last five games, he's averaging like, what, 34 a game on high, efficiency, like he looks really, really good as always, and we know LeBron plus AD can be good enough to win the title. The question is, when LeBron either retires or leaves or ages, is still with the Lakers but is, you know, no longer one of the dominant players in the game, can AD take over? And I understand the frustration from Chuck and from Shaq. I watched the show last night as well. It also should be noted. Last year, which was the worst year of 80s career other than his rookie season, he was 21 and 7.

This year he is 24 and 10. So he is giving you pretty high level production. I think they want him, though, to be 28 and 12 with a couple of blocks. He hasn't elevated to that level, and he is the age where you should. He's 28 years old. We saw Janus just turned 27. The ages 26, 27, 28 typically are the absolute apex production years for NBA superstars. And for Anthony Davis, the age 27 season was disappointment.

And the age 28 season has been okay so far. But I do think maybe people are being a little too harsh. And I want to see because he still does have LeBron. So he doesn't have to be the number one. I think people would just like him to have that mentality a little more often. If you heard my eloquent open, you know that I think Damon and Boston is a perfect fit. The Blazers can get better defensively with Jalen Brown, Marcus Martin picks, use the Sixers and Celtics against each other to get another pick from Boston. I think it's time to move on.

I think you have to be better defensively in the West at guard. The Blazers have been below average suboptimal defensively for years. And Jaylon Brown still gives you 20 some a night. What did you make of my, what do you make of Dame starting over, blown it up? making a big deal with the Celtics. Yeah, listen, I think Portland, if they want to be honest with themselves, they are stuck. And the only way to get unstuck is to move on from the best player the best player the franchise has had since Bill Walton. And that's a hard pill to swallow.

And no new team president GM wants their first move to be. We traded Damien Lillard. But that might be the only move they have. if they move on from him, is Jalen Brown the best you can do? Maybe not, but it wouldn't be bad. You know, I was, I underrated Jalen Brown. I have an old tweet out there that Celtic fans love sending my way when I called him a homeless man's Kauai Leonard.

He's better than that. I missed a bit on Jailen Brown. I didn't think he would be the scorer that he's been to go along with the great defense. The problem is with that trade, Colin, I think Celtic fans are in denial about their team. I think Celtic fans still believe that Tatum and Brown is some duo that can actually do damage in the East. I think Celtic fans would tell you,

oh, we have the younger guy, we have the better defender. Portland's going to have to throw stuff in. We're not going to throw stuff in. But yes, if I'm Boston, of course, you're going to have Marcus Smart and Jalen Brown for Damien Lillard. I'm also not that worried about Dame's game and not aging well. because he's such a great range shooter. I mean, the guy's my height.

He doesn't rely on his athleticism. His quickness is important, obviously. Yes, if I'm the Celtics, I sign up for that. If I'm the Blazers, I have hard conversations about if we need to blow it up. And if so, I try to do a little better than Jalen Brown and Marcus Smart, but that wouldn't be a terrible package. I want to see you do Wednesday tears. You have your tears.

I got my hurt hierarchy. So introduce your tears and tell me what you think. I want to see that. I bet Kansas City. Oh, come on. You got Kansas City number one. Their offense is a mess.

They can't run the ball. Okay, let me ask, you know what? You know what? Honesty moment here, Colin. Honesty moment. If before the year, I had said to you, here will be the scenario

headed into week 14, okay? The Chiefs are going to essentially be tied with three other teams atop the AFC, because there's three other four lost teams. I know the Patriots have one more win, but let's just call them all tied, right? The teams are going to be tied with. One of them is going to have a rookie quarterback.

One of them, their best players done for the year in Derek Henry. And one of them, their defense is just falling apart week by week in Baltimore. So you're like, hey, where are the bills? Where are my beloved bills? You know, it's Josh Allen's conference. I'm like, no, actually, they're not very good. And you're like, oh, or the Browns? Where are the Browns? No, they've, they've fallen apart as well. You'd be like, oh, okay, so the chiefs are well positioned. And then if I were to tell you this, Colin, here's the crazy thing. The last two months, their offense, pretty shaky. Well, Nick, how are they winning?

Oh, they have the number one scoring defense in the NFL for two months. Be honest with me, Colin. Is that a scarier Chiefs team than if I told you they're 8 and 4, how'd they get there? Ah, 35, 31 every week. 35, 31 every week, defense stinks, but offense is rolling. What Chiefs team is more threatening to you? The one we have right now with the best defense in the NFL for two months and all of a sudden the offense is shaky or if it was the same one in the last couple years.

Great offense, bad defense. What's scarier? I think Mahomes playing his best football is the scariest thing in the league. So I would say if you told me, yeah, he's back to be in Mahomes where he can trail 24-0 in a playoff game and win going away. Saying their defense is good, I'm like, all right, it's nice to have a good defense, but it's an offensive league. I think they got to get their offense.

I'm just curious. I didn't see the herd hierarchy because I try, I don't want to pollute, you know, I don't want to have the tears polluted with your takes. I only watch it afterwards, so I haven't gotten to it yet. Do you have the Patriots ahead of the Chiefs? I'm just curious. I think I do. One spot, yeah.

Next and neck and neck. Oh, okay. So the Patriots can win. The Patriots are allowed to win ugly with defense. Well. The Patriots. by the way, who this week scored fewer points and allowed more points. Well, no.

They played in the North Easter. The reason I have the New England Patriots above them is they have, and I think it's important in January, they have a running game. If Kansas City actually was running the football really well, I wouldn't worry about their offense. They'd figure it out. I worry when you don't run and Mahomes appears broken. Then I worry, because I don't know what they do well. Oh, Malm's broken. Well, kind of.

Oh, nobody on the internet clip that and throw back. in Colin's face. But I, listen, I'm very, so I just want to make it clear, the concern with the Can City Chiefs, the official Colin Gower position is, don't trust their passing game enough. Okay, Mahomes is broken. See, because here's what I think. And listen, I, you know, I'm just a foolish fan from the Midwest. I think that the most talented quarterback in league history who had the greatest opening three

years of a career is probably going to snap out of this little mini fun. did just hang 40 on the Raiders a couple weeks ago. And to go along with that when all of a sudden you have a dominant defense might just be the best team in football. But what do I know? Listen, maybe Cliff Kingsbury, Kyler Murray, and Mack Jones are going to be in the

Super Bowl and a herd hierarchy is going to look great. I'll take the chiefs Packers. I think it'll probably be Chiefs Packers. Well, I was, now we're too late on time, but I do know that is, and I give you a minute on this, the Boston Writers,

you're really irritated. You think Mack Jones is an enigma, a problem for New England. Well, I don't know that he's a problem. But this idea, I just, people are sending me tweets from Tom Curran, Jeff Howe, Seth Wickersham,

about how this game, the few has passed since in 40 years, had nothing to do with the quarterback. And by the way, if you like those tweets from Curran, Wickersham, and Howe, by any of their latest books, all of which happened to be about the Patriots.

So, you know, one thinks maybe there's a little bias involved there, but what do I know? And the Wickersham's great, and I love him. The other guys are fine. But here's the thing. Folks, they are trying to, and by they I mean some members of the media and this Patriot Nation is trying to retcon us into believing we didn't see the game we just saw. That like, oh, why would they have ever thrown the ball? They were so effective running the football. No, they weren't.

scored one offensive touchdown. Their final eight third downs, they missed them all. Oh, for eight, two for 12 in the game. If Josh Allen is 2% more accurate, Patriots lose. This idea that, oh, the Patriots didn't throw because they never needed to.

Yes, they did. They would have liked to be up more than four with five minutes left. And while people were watching the game, and we know this is true. When you saw the Patriots never throw the ball in the first quarter, you're like, oh, no one's going to throw it when they're going into the wind.

But then the bills did. And then when they didn't throw the ball for the whole first half, you're like, oh, they're setting up the play action more than any team ever. But no, they just never threw the football. So, you know, again, I'm just a simple man. I tend to think that if you have the fewest pass attempts since Terry Bradshaw was still playing, maybe it says a little about the quarterback. Can it say a little about the quarterback? Just a little bit. It was the worst weather we've ever seen.

It wasn't raining or snowing. It was windy. It's windy. Oh, we can't throw the football. We got to play like it's high school district championship. On to regional. It's outrageous. All right.

Good seeing you, buddy. You got me all sweating and stuff. Very, very good. Good, passionate stuff from Nick Wright. Good seeing you, my man. Thanks. He makes good points. I don't know if I had Kansas City number one in my hierarchy,

but he makes good points back in a second. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me three-time Pro Bowl of LeVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up On Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion.

Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arrington, Jay Hushmanzada and Plexicoke Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of Ton Tons and Wants and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

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

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have eggs on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This holiday season, give the gift you know they'll love a gift card from Jersey mics. Give it to everybody on your list. Click up a few buttons. Jersey mics, be a sub above. Joel Clatt in about 40 minutes. He's not top of the hour. He's at the bottom of the hour.

Mark Sanchez, too. By the way, I said this. Six, I don't remember the last time this happened. Six huge college brands have a new coach. USC, Florida, Miami, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma. I don't remember the last time we had six huge brands make it. Now, here's what's going to happen. Three of these guys are going to be home runs, and three of them will get replaced

in about three or four years. That's the way it always works. I know you don't want to hear that, but that's the way it works. if you're telling me I have to guess who's going to make it, Mario Cristobal is going to stay as long as he wants. Lincoln Riley is going to stay as long as he wants. And I think Marcus Freeman will have a bumpy first year because Notre Dame schedule is brutal next year.

Clemson, Ohio State. It's a tough schedule. But I think Marcus Freeman will make it because of continuity and because basically they kept everybody on the staff. The recruiting's rolling. They return everybody. They don't have to change offense or defense. They have a ton of continuity.

But the reason, one of the big reasons that Christobal, Lincoln Riley, and Marcus Freeman are going to succeed, because one plays in the Pac-12 and two others playing the ACC, and those are bad conferences. I think the people who are going to struggle are going to be, and I think Brian Kelly could do the best. Billy Napier at Florida, Brent Venables, Oklahoma, and two years going to the SEC and Brian Kelly. I think those are the guys to bet on that would struggle. Forget about the cultural fit. think about this. Think about how good the SEC is. 13 of 14 teams this year are bowl eligible.

The basketball school in the conference, Kentucky, is now great at football. Arkansas, invisible for 15 years. Now they've got the right coach. Okay, so we know in the SEC, we know that Bama and Georgia are one and two. Get over it. They got the right coaches, the momentum, the NFL players. So all these new coaches, Billy Napier and Brent Venables in a couple of years, and Brian Kelly, you're battling for three. And by the way, now you're battling Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M.

You're all battling for three. And by the way, you got two things going against you. Your schedule isn't just harder than an ACCC or PAC 12 schedule. It's a thousand times harder. You also have the most impatient fans and boosters. If Brian Kelly's bumpy in year two, there will be buyout talk. And so I'll tell you right now, Lincoln Riley's going to roll at USC. Cristobal's going to roll.

And Marcus Freeman, with his continuity, I think it's going to roll. But the three guys, if you have to guess today that won't be there in five years, it's going to be the SEC guys. Schedules are brutal, fans are delusional, AD's field of pressure, boosters want guys out if you're struggling in year two or three. just my guess but Brett Venables in Oklahoma is fine in the Big 12 he better win first year he better win in the SEC or here come the dogs man it's a different environment down there third another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on humor 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 sidel help an acapella 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. full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a 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.