The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - LeBron's new deal with the Lakers

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

Jason McIntyre fills in for Colin reacting to NBA breaking news that LeBron James has agreed to a contract extension with the Lakers Thoughts on Paul George living the Clippers to play for the 76ers Is the era of the big 3 over in the NBA?   Guest: Ryan HollinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

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

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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.

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Hello and welcome to the herd on a beautiful Wednesday. Yeah, it's me. Jason McIntyre still in for Colin Cowherd. And I am sporting a mustache. I've been hiding because we'll find out soon why. Sports takes, you know, that kind of thing. Joined as usual by Alex Curry. Alex, how was Vegas?

It was awesome. Beautiful chaos. So now I can say we went for kind of like, a farewell tour to the Mirage because it's closing down in a week. Hard Rock's taken over. So this was kind of like a last day, last like... Nice.

Kind of was one of my buddy's spots back in the day. So, yeah. It was fun. I learned a new game, played Bacarok. Bacquharic. I've never played. I've heard of it. Yeah.

Wild. I've heard of it. Wild. I've never played. Yeah. Hopefully some good winning bets that we can cash it in the future. Yes.

My four days off, thank you to Fox for a couple days off at soccer. Went down to San Diego. Had a little fun. great. And, you know, I had hosted Friday, and I had what I thought at the time was an awesome take. Oh, my gosh. I thought it was sick. What if LeBron takes less than the max? And the Lakers coming to get a couple free agents. LeBron says, hey, you guys gave me JJ Reddick. You gave me Brony. I'll take less than the max. So I dropped that Friday. Thought it was awesome. Got a little pushback online, expectantly.

But then I'm in San Diego over the weekend, and my phone starts blowing up. LeBron is going to take less than the max. Lakers are going to get free agents. And I'm doing a victory lap like you, haven't seen. Folks, I'm telling my kids, guys, I nailed this take. It was so good. And they look at me, Dad, can we go get Jolato? Yeah, like, can we go get some ice cream? Then they don't care. And then I text the staff here. This might have been my greatest take in 2024. Feeling good. Oh, and look, and I know all the dopey social media accounts that follow this show, you know, and criticize us when we whiff, they're going to give me props for nailing this, right? I felt great about this LeBron take. And then it comes out, well, LeBron wants four or five guys.

and slowly but surely over the weekend, they start coming off the list. James Harden, not coming to Lakers. Jonas Valentunis! He went to the Wizards. And then the big one, Clay Thompson. That one hurt. That stung. Clay Thompson spurns the Lakers advances for the Mavs.

And at that point, it's, oh, damn, this is depressing. The Lakers aren't going to get better. Their only signing was Max Christie. somehow he got $8 million a year from the Lakers. So all of a sudden, LeBron looked heroic for like a 72-hour window, and then we get the news this morning right before the show. LeBron staying with the Lakers on a two-year max deal. Womp, womp, wamp, sad trombone.

It happens. LeBron tried. It was a valiant effort, and the Lakers end up with nobody. And now the question turns to, well, does nobody want to play with LeBron James? is the Lakers brand damaged. Danny Hurley rejected them. Now free agents are skiving him the heisman. Or is Rob Polinca just really bad at his job?

And it's probably a little bit of all three, right? I mean, listen, you can't totally blame Clay Thompson for saying, yeah, I think I'm going to go to the Mavs because they got a better chance at the title, and they were just in the finals last year, and unequivocally, they're better than the Lakers. So you can't totally blame Clay Thompson, even though LeBron allegedly called Clay to recruit him.

James Harden, why is he leaving the Clippers? It's his show now, right? Paul George, Clippers very clearly did not want him. We'll get to Paul George shortly. And essentially, James Hardin's like, oh, damn, we got a new arena. We're going to be on TV all the time. Kauai's probably going to miss half the season because that's what he does. And no, Paul George?

This is old-school James Hardin. I'm going to be rocking 20, 25 shots a game. Why would he go to the Lakers where he's going to be like the third banana to AD and LeBron. I obviously stay with the Clippers. The one that was kind of a slap in the face was Valanchunis picking the wizards, the lowly wizards.

I mean, the dregs of the league, they're going to be tanking for Cooper Flag. But, you know, I'm sure LeBron was kind of hurt because you need somebody to guard Yokic as Nuggets have extinguished the Lakers the last two playoff runs. And I guess I kind of sort of am having to take, like, a positive reaction to this.

And I know people are going to be upset because everybody wants to take shots at LeBron. and hammer the Lakers. But hear me out, okay? What if the Lakers dodged a bullet by not landing Clay Thompson? Is that possible? Is it possible? The Lakers dodged a depreciating asset in Clay Thompson?

I know he had moments last season. I believe it was April. He went off and Clay had a really, really good month. It was like eight or nine games. But listen, between the pouting, the benching, I don't know if it was over his contract. It was just unhappy with the demise of the dynasty. Clay had some pretty rotten moments last year, and I won't even bring up the 0 for 10 to end the season in the play-in game against the Kings.

So it's possible the Lakers dodged a bullet. And I'm going to hit you guys with a bit of a truth bomb here. I looked at the Lakers roster right before coming on the show. This kind of surprised me. They have two guys over the age of 30 on the entire roster. Two, A.D. and LeBron. That's it. This is a young team.

So good news, big picture macro. Hey, Lakers, they're building something. They brought in a young smart coach in JJ Reddick to relate to the young guys. That's a good news. The bad news is, of course, they're probably not contending for a title with this team next year. Now, they won 47 games, which is nice, but A, it's in the West, and B, they didn't get out of the first round. Which, I think, points to a larger story in the league, and I'll pivot to this, is the end of the big three era in the NBA. It's over.

Caput, done. It had a good run. RIP. You can write the tombstone if you want. but there are no more big threes in the NBA. It's officially done. And the big three had an amazing run. Remember, you go back, Parker, Genoblee, Duncan.

They kind of ushered it in in the early 2000s. And then you had KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen. Big threes were in vogue. They kind of started the super teams. And then LeBron's like, okay, let me go create the Healds with Wade. And I'll go add Bosch. And we got a big three. LeBron goes back to Cleveland, another big three.

Then the Warriors get their big three with Curry and Clay at the time and KD. Big threes were what the league, they were driving everything. They're driving force behind the success of the league. And about 10 teams mattered. And every summer you'd see fans of about those 10 teams. How can we rejigger the roster so we can add a third star and, you know, become one of the super teams in the league? Super teams were hot. And the NBA said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

This ain't good. We don't want 10 teams relevant. We want parity. And the socialists in the NBA, sorry I had to make a political reference. I am all for equality of opportunity. I'm not for equality of outcome, which is what the NBA wants. But the NBA is kind of winning. Last six years, six different NBA champions.

And if you look around the league, folks, there are two big threes that, before the Sixers out of Paul George. That's it. There's really two official big threes. And that's the Bucks who went to play for Damien Lillard, Janus Middleton and Lillard. We know how that worked out. They lost in the first round. I know Janus was hurt. They didn't look good at any point last season. And then there's the Phoenix Suns who had KD, Beale, and Booker. And that flamed out spectacularly getting swept by the Timberwolves in the first round. Which leads me to Paul George in the latest big three. I'm using air quotes for the radio. audience because I don't know that it's a big three. I like Paul George a lot. I've always loved

his game. I'm on record. You can look it up. I mean, this guy at Indiana, oh my goodness, he was so good, went toe to toe with LeBron, smooth game inside out, let his game do the talking until he got kind of in his head and called himself Playoff P, which has quite worked out great. I like Paul George a lot. He came to the Clippers and they basically did nothing with Coahe Leonard. I know they won two playoff series in five years, something insane like that. This is, I know you can blame the injuries, but is Paul George really a superstar in this league? I was going to, I actually was going to pitch the staff. I didn't even tell them this.

If we do a top 20 players, is Paul George definitely top 20 in the league? I mean, all NBA right there is 15 alone. Paul George's fringe all NBA. I don't know if he's a top 20 guy. We could maybe break it down tomorrow. Yeah, I'll be back, hopefully. And I just don't know if this is going to work out. Philadelphia.

Okay? The Big Three era is over. And why is that over? Because you've got to round out your roster with minimum guys. Go look at the Bucks roster. It's three dudes, maybe a fourth if you want to count whoever their fourth guy would be. Bobby Portis is still there, I think. Like, who do they have after that?

Bucks don't have anybody. It's looking bleak in Milwaukee, sorry. And then you look at the Phoenix Suns and folks, that roster is really bad. They've got a poo-poo platter of minimum players to go with KD, Booker, and Beale. And nobody thinks, I don't even know if they're top eight in the West. So now you go to the Sixers and you're like, okay, well, they're in the East Jay. They'll be fine. And also, Tyrese is young and ascending.

And Tyrese Maxie is a nice player. Paul George, really good wing. I don't know if he's a top 20 player. And then there's Joel Embed, who is, was the MVP two years ago. And we know he's a terrific player. He's always hurt. by the way, Paul George and Joel Embed, two of the most injured players in the last five years in the NBA playoffs.

So you're telling me that's a big three? I won't even get into the machinations of, what was the Paul George market like? Well, the Knicks could have had him and said, no, we're good. We're going to go with no-time All-Star McKale Bridges in bed on chemistry over star power. And, you know, allegedly the Clippers were talking to the Warriors

about trading Paul George there. but then it comes out that the clippers were never serious. They're not keeping Paul George in the West. So if you take the Warriors out and the Knicks said no, and the Orlando Magic, you know, they had the cap space and all of a sudden they used it on KCP. Seriously, they gave him 66 mil. Maybe they got win.

Paul George wasn't going to pick Orlando, but Orlando didn't even make an offer to Paul George. And so essentially, Philly fell ass backwards into Paul George. That's how they ended up getting their third star. It's not like there was this race for Paul George. George and he had to take six meetings because nobody has cap space. It doesn't work anymore. The math doesn't add up.

And I'll end with this. And I'm just, I like Paul George. He's a smooth player. He's a really nice guy. He appears, by all accounts. And this is probably going to come off a little harsh, but this is just real talk and Paul George get ready for it. In all the big threes that we've seen that come up short, somebody is the fall guy.

somebody gets blamed, somebody has to take a step back, whether it's crisposh with the heatles, going from like a 24 and 10 guy in Toronto to, he's spotting up in the corner and he's like a 16 and 10 guy. Kevin Love in Cleveland. Remember what he was in Minnesota? Analytics, darling, I think he was like 25 and 11 in Minnesota. Stats have to come back.

You're playing with LeBron. And you look at some of these big three, somebody's got to sacrifice. and I'll ask you this, Paul George, are you willing to sacrifice? Because I'm telling you right now, Tyrese, they love him in Philadelphia. He's a homegrown guy.

He's a young talent who is big time ascending in this league. He might be on the Anthony Edwards track for all we know. He will not, Tyrese Maxie, he will not be taking a step back. Do you think Joelle Embed is going to be taking a step back? Joel Embed, beloved in Philadelphia, probably not on the level of Kelsey and Hertz, but they love Embeddeed. He's bulletproof. The guy doesn't show up in the playoffs often. Go look at what happened against the Hawks. Go look at what happened even more recently against the Celtics when they were

up three, two, and totally blew that and be no show. And he's bulletproof. He doesn't take any hits anywhere. Paul George, you're going to be the fall guy. They're going to come after you. Well, Paul George didn't defend. He couldn't defend the wings. Paul George's offense. He shot four of 16. Paul George, I hope you're ready for that because it's tough. They're going to blame someone. And unfortunately, Paul, it's probably going to be you. End of the big three era is disappointing. It had a great run. And now we usher in the two plus one or two or three. But good luck to the Sixers. I will at some point in the next two days break down what I think are the top eight in the East. And the Sixers will barely crack my top four. I'm telling you,

watch out for Indiana. Just pacers are going to be spicy. So Alex Curry, I am excited for so far NBA. free agency's been been fun it's been like beautiful chaos we got some big moves but like as you were just saying the leak's kind of in the middle of a transition right now you're saying big three are out warriors dynasty and their big three is officially done with clay thompson going to dallas and then you have like the big stars that were the big names of the last decade plus two decades lebron currie kd they're still great but they're not they're not the selling point anymore as we're seeing with all these trades in the free agency and these first couple of days. So it's just, it's new. Yeah. It feels like a bit of a reset button in the NBA.

All right. Coming up next here on the herd, a lot of drama in Dallas. The latest is we got a defender taking shots at the star defender. Oh my gosh. Is it over for the Cowboys? That's next here on the herd. 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. A win is a win. A win. A win is a 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.

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 podcast. 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 tantons 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 Jette.

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 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we

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

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

on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Over winter break. And the wife and I started watching the show called The Office. This was at the time of like DVDs or whatever. So I think we downloaded or bought the entire first four seasons of the office.

And we get really into the show. It starts Steve Carell. And there's a gentleman on that show named Andy Bernard who went to Cornell if you watch a show. And he had an incredible line that has stuck with me until today. I want to get it exactly right. I wish there was a way to know when you're in the good old days before you've actually left them. Okay? Let that sink in for a moment.

And now let's turn to the Dallas Cowboys who have won 12 games each of the last three seasons. Those were the good old days. They're gone. It's over. this team is disintegrating as we watch it week by week this offseason between Jerry Jones and his we're going all in nonsense followed up by crickets in free agency mediocre moves in the draft a quarterback who's looking to get paid a coach who's looking for a contract and is fed up with the owner a wide receiver in CD Lamb who wants to get paid and is now threatened

I ain't going to camp if I don't have a new deal. And then we've got the latest bomb, which dropped over the weekend. It's defense on defense crime, okay? You guys know Malik Hooker, former Ohio State defensive back, won a chip with the Buckeyes. Very talented player. He came on the same year that the Cowboys drafted Micah Parsons. And Malik Hooker went on Kishon Johnson's podcast, all facts, no breaks. And here's what he had to say about defensive star Michael Parsons.

My vice would be for Michael would be, you know, just make sure we're all right, you know, and being where your feet are because if we're at working, you know, the run game's terrible, but you're doing a podcast every week and you know, the run game is terrible. Then, you know, what are you really caring about? Are you caring about the crowd that, you know, is watching your podcast? You're caring about the success of our team and the Super Bowl that we're trying to reach. Oh, boy.

of course, Micah Parsons didn't take long for him to see this, and he then replies on social media, bro, you're my locker mate. Why don't you tell me this instead of go announce it on a podcast? And that's where it gets interesting because it's like, okay, Malik Hooker's a veteran. Why would he do this? Why wouldn't he just tell Micah Parsons?

Hey, man, chill with the podcast. Our run defense stinks. And it brings up an interesting question. Because back in April, if you guys remember, a Dallas radio host pointed out that four different sources in the locker room have said they're fed up with Michael Parsons. All the success went to his head, the early numbers, the defensive player of the year votes, all this stuff has gone to his head and he's a bit of an egomaniac, according to some Dallas radio host. And I don't know about you guys. But I think back to how the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones really built that dynasty in the mid-90s. and it was the Hershal Walker trade.

That was the impetus that started everything in the right direction. And a lot of people think, oh, you just move on from DAC. Okay, it doesn't really solve your quarterback problem. And DAC was, oh, that's right. He was a runner up for MVP last year. Okay. So then there's C.D. Lamb, who's very good. And, you know, obviously one of the top five, six receivers in the league.

And then there's Michael Parsons. And I mentioned this, I don't know if it was recently or last month. but as good as Michael Parsons has been in the regular season dude's been on a milk carton in the playoffs. Let's run the stats. I know this is not going to make Micah Parsons happy. I'm sorry, it's just the stats, Micah. But in the playoffs, you basically ghosted the Cowboys.

One sack in four games, a whopping four quarterback hits. You're not forcing fumbles. The regular seasons have been awesome, obviously. But where is the guy in the postseason? Oh, you mean teams can scheme him out? Or they can run at him because he's not a great run defender? Oh. Okay, gotcha.

And now he's doing a podcast, and it's clear, not everybody has the gravitas in that locker room to challenge Michael Parsons. The dude's an alpha. He's a monster on the defensive side of the football. He goes to all, like, the Mavericks games. He's a big dude around the – everybody loves him. So who's willing to challenge him? And that's Malik Hooker, a veteran.

Maybe, maybe, just maybe, Micah. Malik Hooker speaking for the locker room when he's saying, hey man, maybe you should show with the podcast and kind of focus on our product on the field. Now, I know we could say Malik Hooker, that's out of pocket. He's recording a podcast. What is that? An hour of his time,

two hours? Come on. Okay. But there's clearly a faction in the locker room that thinks that. I don't think Malik Hooker's gone rogue here to put this out there. Maybe Dan Quinn would talk about it if asked in Washington? I don't know. Is anyone else

capable of standing up to Michael Parsons? We know Jerry Jones ain't going to do it. He loves his homegrown guys. He don't want to get rid of CD Lamb or Michael Parsons. I'm just putting it out there. There's a couple teams with a quarterback on a rookie deal who can make a move for Michael Parsons and pay him. I mean, I think the Cowboys have to be serious.

If you're trading one of the big three, because he can't afford all of them if you want to keep this train rolling, I think Michael Parsons has got to be the guy. You'll get a big haul. I think Jalen Ramsey fetched two firsts back in the day when the Jags traded him. Why couldn't Mike? Michael Parsons fetch two first.

I mean, why can't Dallas get a hole for him and quickly reset? I mean, it's much easier to find a pass rusher. Is it not? Than it is a quarterback? And you could say, well, Dax's not a franchise quarter. Okay, he was runner up for MVP, but continue to take shots at Dack Prescott. I mean, again, I showed you the Michael Parsons playoff numbers. They're not there.

And it's a sample size of four games. I get it. Look around the league. Defensive edge rushers can be had anywhere. And you're telling me this. This guy, he's causing riffs in the locker room. Woo-hoo! Cowboys, y'all got problems.

Let's go to Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. It's a hot mess in Dallas. Can we just agree on that right now from Jerry Cohen. We're going all in this offseason to nothing happening. And then it's never a good sign when you have drama leaking out of the locker room to national media.

Well, it's good for us. It's great for us. And also, like, a lot of players have podcasts now. Like, as long as they're not doing it on, like, practice days, game days, like, on their off time, let people build their brand. Let him cook. Let him, yeah, let him build his brand. Okay. Let's talk about the Lakers, though, because they officially introduced her 2024.

Draft picks this week in all eyes were on Brony James. The Lakers' second round selection knows that he's going to have the spotlight on him during his rookie season. But he says he feels prepared to handle all of the pressure. It's for sure the amplified amount of pressure. I've already seen it, stuff, media and stuff on the internet and stuff talking about. I might not deserve an opportunity, but you know, I've been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. So it's nothing different, but it's it's more amplified for sure, but I can get through it. I just want to come in and get my work in and get better every day.

I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad, but that's always there to take part of it. But it wasn't a main focus amount of it. And when he talks about pressure, like, yeah, he's grown up with pressure and the spotlight on him, being LeBron James' son and being named after LeBron James. But the moment that his dad mentioned a couple years ago that his goal was to play with his son, then yes, of course, that's been top. of mind and top of everyone's mind because we knew that was going to happen and it did happen. And it reported that the Lakers are going to sign him to a four-year, 7.9 million dollar guaranteed rookie deal, which the only thing that's like not super common for the second round is a guaranteed contract.

So this is going to come down to like if he doesn't live up to expectations, I think the finger pointing is going to end up on his dad and LeBron James. But at the end of the day, like, this is a really cool situation. We've never had a father-son duo in the NBA. If it works out, he's going to have all the resources right in his fingertips. And the emotional side of it for LeBron being able to treat your son like a teammate, however that's going to go, we don't know yet. We did see one of the legendary father-son duo's Ken Griffey Jr.

Talk about that when this does happen, him and his dad are going to be front row watching this and supporting it. But again, we don't know until we see what he's capable of on the court. I think this is a dream of any dad who's got kids in sports. Like, you know, my son is now 13 and we play pickleball together sometimes. And we wreck some people. We did get beat by two grandmas. Some of these grandmas, Alex, I'm not kidding. They play pickleball hard.

I was like, do you guys play a lot? It's the retirement sport. This lady goes, we play about every day for the last three years. I was like, holy cow. But it's like super fun playing with your kid in a sport. It's living out a dream. Yeah. So I can't add even a math.

I can't fathom LeBron. playing with his son against, I don't know, the sons or whatever, and, you know, they're on the court together. That's going to be cool. It's going to be really cool. People can poo the contract, whatever. I don't care. It's a guaranteed contract. Still a legendary situation.

Yeah. Hopefully it goes well. It's going to go well either way. Even if they lose games, it's going to go well. Okay. Well, let's talk about the champs now because Jason Tatum and the sell takes have reportedly agreed to a five-year, $314 million Supermax extension. And this comes on the heels of the franchise's 18th NBA.

title where Tatum led the team in points, rebounds, and assists per game in the finals. This deal is now the largest in NBA history, surpassing the extension of Boston gave Jalen Brown just last year. So, I mean, Boston, they paid everybody. They also paid Derek White this offseason. The band is back together and they're looking to run it back. But I think the weirdest thing that kind of came out this week with the Boston Celtics is their majority owner announced that he's going to be selling his shares in the teams.

You just won your 18th title. You just gave all of your guys their max deals. And then now you're out. And Jason Tatum was also reported saying that he was shocked about the timing in this situation and he hopes that the culture and the ownership will maintain itself.

She shouldn't be shocked. These guys are businessmen first, sports fans second. So they're going to look to cash out get paid, right? That's obvious. It's funny that Tatum, I saw all these negative comments when I posted about Tatum on Instagram and all these guys like, oh, he's not even a top five player. Like, what are you guys talking about? Just the market. We know this. Yeah. Like, he's up for a contract. Yep. He's going to get more than the last guy.

I mean, he let, as you said, led the Celtics in points, rebounds and assists. I thought he should have been MVP in the finals, whatever. First team all NBA, three years in a row, I think. For my money, Tatum is unequivocally a top five player in the league. I don't know how people can say he's like seven, eight, nine, whatever. It's just, it's stunning to me that people continue to be negative about Tatum when I think he's just tremendous. Like everything about this guy, I like. They got the job done.

Like, if you're going to get a max deal, it's 100% going to come after you win a championship. He's a big reason that they got there. It's funny. Everybody loves like, Shea Gilges Alexander got a lot of money. Can he get out of the second round first? Like, Tatum's done way more than that in his young career. I just, I like Tatum, and I don't like anything Boston, as I continue to say, repeat. All right, well, let's move to the W because the WNBA All-Star team has been announced and rookie sensations.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Rees headline the team. They are the only first-time All-Stars in the group fan voting for this year's game skyrocketed. Compared to last year, Clark finished with the most votes at just over 700,000. While last year's leading vote getter, Aja Wilson had less than 96. thousand. Whoa. So again, Hold on.

Hold on. Wait, repeat that. So Caitlin Clark finished with over 700,000 votes. The leading vote getter last year was less than 96,000. Oh my God. So if that also doesn't amplify the Caitlin Clark effect, people who like aren't believing in it are just haters. Hold on.

700,000 versus 96 last year? Yeah. Oh my gosh. The leading vote getter. That is staggering. Yeah. I mean, Caitlin and Angel Reyes. have let, like they have lived up to the height. Do we know what Angel Reese got? How many votes?

Or no? I don't have that run down. Interesting. They didn't like that. But the other interesting part is the all-star team is going to be playing the U.S. Olympic team on the 20th just before they head to Paris. So the all-star team is playing the Olympic team. But aren't there some who are on both? Probably. So this will be interesting to see if Caitlin Clark goes off, obviously, because that was a big conversation that she got snubbed. But also, also exciting to see. the heated rivalry of Clark and Reese on the same team. Right?

Because that's going to be crazy. Yeah. So you want full disclosure? I mean, I said this on my podcast a couple weeks ago. For the first time in my life, Alex, in my life, I voted for the WMBA also. Good for you. I've never done them. I've never done that before.

We're talking about WMBA in A-Blockes on national TV. That has never happened before Caitlin Clark. She is changing the game. She is the chosen one. And get on board or just like, Yeah. Stop being a hater. It was one of those.

I think like some pop-up was like vote on the WNBA also. I was like, wow. Okay, I'll do it. Now, I did vote for Angel Reese and Clark and Wilson, the star from Vegas. But I wanted to add, did you see, oh, somebody just sent me the votes here. Okay. So Angel Reese got 382,000 votes. Who.

Fifth highest total. Caitlin Clark obviously had 700, so not quite double Reese. Caitlin Clark's teammate. Yeah. Ilya Boston got the second highest votes. Our teams getting all the eyeballs. I mean, they were breaking, they broke another record last night. The Aces and Fever game had...

I watched some of that. Yeah. It was like the most attended W. NBA game since 99. I mean, listen, this stuff's crazy. She's selling out arena. Just a quick note. So, recently, Caitlin Clark played Diana Tarasi. The fever played whatever team, Tarasas is a Mercury, maybe.

And it was weird. I watched some of the game, and Caitlin Clark is getting, like, standing ovations when she scores. The whole crowd in Phoenix. Diana Tarasi's hometown. And then it came out that one of these websites said it was like the most watched game of Diana Tarasi's career. And she's the one who came out with a couple like, oh, well,

Caitlin Clark's going to get a wake-up call in the WNBA. These are professionals. I mean, she did. She did. She's a leading double team. She's getting blocked. I think wake-up call in terms of competition. No doubt.

But she is, she is the chosen one. She is the reason they're having chartered flights this year. Most of her games are nationally televised. She's selling out arenas. They're moving to bigger arenas just to be able to get more fans in because they're selling out like that. And I totally get it. Diana Tarassey is a legend.

There's no question. It's just funny that the little jabs and the tweaks that these people are taking at Clark are now coming back. Oh, Diana Tarassi, never before have this many people watched a game you've played in and it has nothing to do with you. It's all about that other girl on the other side of the court. That has to eat her up inside. That she's like a six-time Olympian

and nothing she's done in her career can match what Caitlin Clark's done for the league right now. Sorry, Diana Tarassey. Great player, great career, no doubt. You have to give credit to the women before her who have, like, created the game and the quality of the game that there is, but it does take that one person,

that polarizing person, to do what Caitlin Clark has done. And she is that person. She is the chosen one. If the quality was that good, wouldn't people have been, paying attention before now? People like to watch and root for someone that they follow and see, and she became a sensation in college, right? First time ever, the Women's March Madness Final

had higher viewership than the men. Caitlin Clark, she is the reason that all of this is happening, and she carried that into the WMBA. There was a question if she could, and she 1,000% did. Tarasi was on some great Yukon teams, stacked. Nobody cared. I'm sorry. Nobody cared. Nobody cared. No audience. Now Caitlin Clark shows up. Oh my gosh. Sorry, I'm going in. I know it's a little harsh. I got to appease my Caitlin Clark. The Hive. What are they called? The Beehive. Beyonce has her crew. I just wish it. But Caitlin Clark has a lot online. There's a lot of them. She does. Anyways. Alex Curry with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Boy, Clay Thompson leaving the Warriors. What a story. The end of the Big Three era in the NBA. We'll talk to Ryan Hollins next year on The Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of The Hurt, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor.

It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week. explore some amazing facts about human nature and more.

Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

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

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

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 Ton, 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-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 Jek. 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, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan, Ryan, Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Back here on the herd,

let's welcome in Ryan Holland's 10-year NBA veteran to break down all the chaos of free agency. Ryan Hollins, nice pool there in your backyard, no man. How's free agency treating you so far? It's good. You know, no complaints on my end. I think it's been exciting to see. There's been a lot of movement so far.

So I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, let's start with the death of the dynasty in Golden State. Clay Thompson leads. Chris Paul also left Warriors kind of flailing here. Haven't done much to improve the team. I don't know. Just put the Clay era in perspective. I know he wasn't amazing last season.

still, I think he made the fourth most threes in the league. This is still a loss for the Warriors. And you just wonder, like, are they about to go through some major drought here, given the aging roster, the young guy's not ready, and just kind of the feeling of it's over now that Clay's gone? Yeah, I can definitely see a drought from the Warriors coming. Clay Thompson, although he wasn't as productive as he has been in the past, you had to guard him, you had to hug him.

You know, there's a no help rule when guarding, Clay Thompson at the end of the day, and those guys can find a way to compete and win games. Now, you know, coming up short, come playoff time and not making the deep run, those are the expectations when you pay out the salary that you do there and you bring in to Chris Paul. You don't bring in Chris Paul, you know, to just barely make the playoffs or the playing. You bring him into, you know, win ball games. So obviously the Warriors are looking at moving a different direction. The botched tree with the clippers not going through.

That was a huge, huge loss. And you know what happens, you know, and the Lakers have seen this in the past, the Warriors, because how good they are. Nobody wants to help them. Nobody was winning, you know, the clip was like, man, we're not sending you Paul George so that you can retool and potentially win. And again, they're going to have to find a way to make this happen on their own. I'm intrigued to see what happens with Steph Curry, you know, how he's going to go through another year of, you know, kind of his guys not being ready, not having the weapons and assets around him. So I don't think Golden State's them dealing. There's probably a couple more moves that they may want to make

because obviously when you have Steph Curry on your roster, you have an older Draymond Green, you're still going to be in win-now mode. So Mike Denlead is going to have his hand, his work cut out for him. All right, Ryan, I got to ask you, who's a bigger loser in the Clay Thompson free agency decision? LeBron? Because LeBron didn't call him allegedly and try to recruit him.

Or the Lakers who allegedly said, we can offer you four years 80 mil. they didn't actually have the cap space. They would have had to make some moves. But can you pick one of those two or are they kind of co-joined? Clearly the Lakers, LeBron is good. Yeah. The Brom is good, man.

Come on, man. His legacy is set. He's in L.A., his son is on a team. Life is good for LeBron. He's going to figure out things. You know, everybody, you know, serves this controversy about him. It is who it is. But in terms of the Lakers, you know, you kind of had a real legacy move there.

you know, the son of Michael Thompson grew up a Lakers fan, you know, could have, you know, made a move or had the same money to stay there, but elected to go to Dallas. That was a bit of the hit to the Lakers, you know, on top of, hey, not signing Danny Hurley, you know, when your organization that's that big, you know, kind of swinging and missing, that that's a tough pill to swallow. Now, at the end of the day, the Lakers are going to be okay, but, you know, you don't want to, you know, when you offer a player, you offer a coach, and those people decline, and they're not coming. and going into whatever the situation may be for any reason I'm not pointing to LeBron or anybody. It's a knock. It's a knock and it's a bit of a slap. Yeah, let's stick in the West for one more before we get to Paul George. Nuggets lose KCP. We know the Nuggets are going to slide back a little bit, okay? We know the Warriors are coming back a little bit. The Lakers haven't done anything.

The Suns, I don't think they've made a move. We're seeing a weird time in the West, aren't we now? Ryan, it appears like OKC, Minnesota, I don't know, Dallas, are those the three best teams in the West? They are. I'm not going to give up on the nuggets. I felt the nuggets just weren't healthy enough.

They were tired, you know, really fatigue set in so you can throw them in, Oklahoma City. I love the improvements that they made, bringing in Caruso and Hardinstein. They really just had to kind of just, you know, get some of those leaky gaps and fill them up. So I do like with the Thunder moving forward,

but they have to show me that they're old enough, they're experience enough to go out and win a playoff season, continue to move forward. So I think the West is wide open because, Jason, what we're seeing is because of technology, advances in technology, the older stars are still playing at a very, very high level, but they cannot play at the same pace

that they used to in the past. And when you got these young Anthony Edwards and Lucas that are continuing to ascend, so is it, Changing of the guard there. Again, last time we talked, we spoke about this, what? No LeBron, no Curry, no Durant. Those are huge changes in the NBA.

All right, let's go to the East where the Sixers won, allegedly, the Paul George Sweepstakes. I don't think there was any other competitors. I don't know. It just feels like the Big Three era is over throughout the league. The Bucks have a big three. They couldn't do anything. Suns have a big three, nothing for them.

It almost feels like the ship has sailed due to the whole punitive tax situation. in the second apron. I don't know. Is this big three going to work in Philly? I think that the question would be health. You know, whenever you have Joel and Bede healthy, you have a chance to win. He's that darn good.

But if he's not healthy, Paul George is missing. We're going to be singing the same song that we were with Paul George in L.A. But in all reality, what you get is that third option that where Tobias Harris is great in catch and shoot opportunities, rip and go, posting up a mismatch,

Paul George can put the ball on the floor and makes plays. I really think they have a star. Maxie, man, the kid is box office. He gets to the rim. He's downhill. And we all thought that when James Harden left, you know, Philly would be missing a beat. And they didn't miss too much with Maxie stepping into the road.

He really has taken strides. But Paul George puts them right there in contention. It's really just a matter of them being healthy and the depth. And when we talk about big threes, you know, normally I like to argue with you mix it up a little bit. But at the end of the day, I think what Boston has showed us, and we always have to glean for the champions, is their depth one out, you know, where the Nuggets looked tired, where Milwaukee was injured and tired, where all these stars were getting running to the ground.

Dixon Tatum and Jalen Brown got rest. Derek White, those guys got rest. They were not tired. And when they were needed the most, Drew Holiday, got rest. They weren't playing 40 minutes at night. You know, this wasn't New York Nick basketball. though New York had a heck of a heck of a season, it was their depth that won out. So to answer you, I think you need a big two, at least, but you got to be deep. And hey, man, hell, it's going to

be hard to argue that Derek White doesn't make that a big three. He's a dog, man. He's a dog. Last question. We got a minute left. Does just put the Sixers on par with the Knicks and Celtics in the East or no? Of course it does. No doubt. No doubt because Paul George still that got that Philly had to had in a very long time. He's one of better 3&D players in the league. He can go and create his own shot. He's clutch when needed. But you have Joel and B.

So it's a piece around Joel and B. We talked about the Warriors a little while ago. Philly's in a win now situation. When you had that type of talent, you cannot wait until tomorrow to stack your roster and Philly did a great job in the offseason. I give it an A plus new. Paul George was highly sought after.

A plus. Okay. All right, Ryan Hollins. Catch him on Fox Sports Radio's Sundays 9 a.m. to noon Eastern. Good stuff as always, Ryan. Enjoy the July 4th festivities, my man. Hi, my man. See you soon. Oh, boy, he loves him, so Joel Embed.

So let's see, Alex. Joel Embed is partnered up with Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Ben Simmons. Can't get to the conference finals. And we love Joel and Beat. Okay. Yeah, maybe Paul George is the missing piece. Wow, that's kind of optimistic.

You never know. I'm an optimistic person. You never know. Wasn't that to claim it? OKC, didn't quite pan out. Wasn't that the claim in the Clippers? Oh, yeah, also did not pan out. I'm just kidding around.

All right. Coming up next hour, U.S. soccer. Are we close? Are we close? Alexei Lala stopped by to help us sift through the ruppage. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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 game. and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it, with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. Before 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Thank you.