The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Mayfield-Browns, Durant, Lakers

Episode Date: July 8, 2022

Baker Mayfield and the Browns didn't work because Mayfield wasn't good enough You shouldn't give too much to trade for Kevin Durant LeBron James' relationship with the Lakers now Guest: Ric BucherSee 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was 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. 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. 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 Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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. 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 Hurd. You're listening to Foxxport's. Sports Radio. Here we go on a Friday, live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be, and however you may be listening.

IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. It is great to have you in today. A little baseball on the show today, Jason McIntyre, Tom Burducci, Rick Buecker. Alex Curry is joining us now. Joy's back next week. So it was in your neck of the woods last night, Manhattan. beach hanging out with a friend at a restaurant. Your favorite restaurant.

Yes. Slay steak. Your one shop every time you come to town. Very good. And so, interesting story developing on Kevin Durant. Very interesting story. According to Brian Winhorst, there is no bidding war for Kevin Durant.

The Nets thought there would be a bidding war. And there's not. Not that many people are interested. and now that the Rudy Gobert trade screwed up the market, the idea you have to give up a lot for Kevin Durant. People aren't done interested. It's funny, look at the top of the NBA right now. Boston, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Golden State.

Those are not All-Star teams. I know I know Golden State has some good players, but Draymond's passed his prime and Clay was talking off of brutal injury. If talent alone won championships, then Kentucky and John Calipari would have seven, not one. I think we've been trained to believe more talent always went. It's the Olympic model, right? The dream team stuff. But what's always been fascinating to me about the dream team stuff, take our Olympic basketball teams.

Anytime they face a chemistry-rich, cohesive, well-coached international team in the Olympics with a couple of NBA guys. The games are kind of close. We won the goal by beating France by five. The game was in doubt with four minutes to go. Their best player was Rudy Gobert. They had a good coach. They had chemistry. They had cohesion.

If you remember our last Olympic team, our great team, we lost a couple of games early as we were developing cohesion to far less talented teams that didn't have an NBA player. But we've been trained to believe talent wins. doesn't it, Kentucky? Talent wins. Doesn't dominate it the Olympics. They don't beat everybody by 40 points. You think they would with 12 all-stars. First round exits. People forget this. You bring Kevin Durand into your team. Everything changes. He may not like the coach. You have to give up some of your bench. You have to give up your future. Are we forgetting that Brooklyn was really good? Remember when he got to Brooklyn? They had Kenny Atkinson. Right now with Golden State, up for every single job.

Great young coach. Nope, had to get rid of him. Kevin Durant wanted Steve Nash or somebody who had played. And they had a really good bench. They had to give up some of that to get KD. Oh, the chemistry was great. Now we screwed that up because Kevin Durant and Kyrie were going to be this magic elixir. The Brooklyn Nets were going to take over the league.

It's this idea that you get Kevin Durant and it doesn't screw things up as well. You have to give up stuff to get him. And now, again, because of the Rudy Gobert deal, you're going to have to give up more. Oh, yeah, Katie gets hurt a lot. So when he gets hurt, okay, we can rely on our bench. Oh, we gave it up to get him. Well, we've got good chemistry. No, we're developing it because we had to give up that to get him.

So, like, I like Kevin Durant a lot, but he's needy. And there's a lot. And you have to surrender a lot. And if you look at the top of the NBA, it's not all-star stuff. It's chemistry stuff. Milwaukee's a chemistry play. And Golden State. Everybody gets along.

Andrew Wiggins fits in. It's a chemistry play. Boston, a lot of people said going into the finals. It was like, well, Boston's better than Golden State. But they didn't have the experience, the cohesion and the chemistry. Or the coach. We don't know if Steve Nash is a great NBA coach. In fact, we know he's not a great NBA coach.

We're just wondering if he's a competent NBA coach. And maybe he is. But maybe he's not. And they had one. So this idea that there's going to be this massive bidding war for Katie, I think he works in Phoenix, but the reason I think he works in Phoenix is because the sons don't want their center DeAndre Aten anyway. So he's not a – DeAndre Aten's not great for chemistry, right? Macaille Bridges is and Booker is and Chris Paul is and Monty Williams and that stuff would all stay, we think.

But you give up a bunch of draft picks, DeAndre Aiden, maybe McAil Bridges. It feels like you mostly are getting rid of one guy you'll miss, but he's not a star and another guy you don't want anyway. So that's why I think Phoenix works. I think it works. But the basketball culture in America at every level is obsessed with talent. Just get me talent. Give you an example. So the trifecta in the NBA that everybody just fawns over is KD, Kyrie, and Hardin.

Everybody fawns over it. If you take the Steph years out of KD's career and the LeBron years out of Kyrie's career, two real stable true leaders. Katie Kyrie and Hardin have played 35 years in this league. No titles. That's reality because it's about cohesion and coaching and chemistry and benchplay. And these guys blow it up. Chris Mannix has talked about the idea that you can make threats,

but there's not going to be a big market for Katie and he may just end up playing remaining in Brooklyn. Kevin Durant wants out. But the Nets are canvassing the landscape, and they're not finding right now what they're looking to get back in return. And they know that they have leverage. Kevin Durant has four years left in his contract. And Kevin Durant is not Ben Simmons.

He's not going to show up at training camp and dog it. He's going to show up, and he's going to play at the best level he can play that. So unless the Nets get exactly what they're looking for, which what I've been told has been two all-stom. star caliber players and multiple first round draft picks. Their message to teams right now is don't bother giving us 50 cents on a dollar or 75 cents on the dollar. Again, there's no bidding war for Kevin Durant. Remember when we watched that Michael Jordan documentary, the 10-parter, who's great. Jerry Krause, who has passed away, got a lot of heat for saying Michael didn't win championships,

teams and organizations win championships. He got a lot of pushback for that. But Michael Jordan before Scotty Pippin and Phil Jackson, bagel. Michael Jordan after Scotty Pippin and Phil Jackson, bagel. And I think there's a strong argument that Michael's the greatest basketball talent in the history of the world.

And a big nothing burger without Robin and without Phil. So this idea that Kevin Durant shows up and you don't have to sacrifice things for Kevin Durant. Brooklyn had good chemistry. They had a good bench. They had a good coach. They blew it all up. And right now they're exactly what they were when they were less talented with Kenny Atkinson and more about bench than they're starting five.

They're a one and done team in the playoffs. All right. Here's the stories that are being written. I just read this one this morning at the athletic. The Browns and Baker Mayfield are trying to identify where it all went wrong. So, all right. Agents are going to leak stuff and Cleveland's going to protect their space and Baker's going to protect his space. I'll write the column for you.

Baker wasn't talented enough. Colin Cleveland was dysfunctional. Joe Burrow just got the Bengals to a Super Bowl. They've been the cheapest organization in the league my entire life. He got them to a Super Bowl. The Saints were called the Ains before Drew Breeze. The Colts were a mess. From 1978 to 1999, the Colts never won 10 games.

Then Peyton Manning arrived, and they became a 15-year juggernaut. The Packers went to two playoffs in 25 years. Then Brett Farve arrived, and they became a juggernaut. the Buffalo Bills went to the playoffs one time in 17 years. Then Josh Allen arrived. Their favor to win the Super Bowl. Baker wasn't talented enough. Yes, Cleveland was dysfunctional.

But do you realize right now in the NFL? There's probably three to four times more dysfunctional teams than there are great teams. It's always been that way. And the only way to quickly get out of dysfunction is get a great quarterback. Baker wasn't good enough. And in the fourth quarter, the resume is now complete. With four coaches in Cleveland, all four of them, Baker was a horrific fourth quarterback. He was bad, like 30th, 29th, tied for last in all the key fourth quarter metrics.

Completion percentage, passer rating, interceptions. Baker was lousy when it mattered most. I think he's a franchise quarterback. But this idea that we're going to rewrite the story, and it was this guy's fault and that guy's fault. I got Joe Burrow as an example. I got Josh Allen as an example. I got Farve as an example. I got Peyton Manning as an example.

I mean, look at the Saints. Disfunctional. Breeze is there. They're not. Breeze leaves. They're right back to being dysfunctional. Cincinnati looked really dysfunctional. When Joe Burrow got hurt early in his first year, by the end of year one, they're like, oh, they're the Bengals.

And then Joe Burrow came back and they were functional. That's the reality. Disfunction is all over this league. Good God, look at the Patriots a couple of years removed from Tom Brady. They look dysfunctional. They can't draft. Matt Patrician's the O.C. There's one way to solve dysfunction.

Just go get a great quarterback. And it doesn't always solve it, but it goes a long way. And Baker just wasn't good enough. And he really wasn't good enough when it mattered in the fourth quarter. The numbers don't lie. Stephansky, Hugh Jackson, Greg Williams, Freddie Kitchens. It didn't matter.

He was bad in the fourth. He was really bad in the fourth. I just wrote your column. It's not that complicated. Well, this dysfunction. And that dysfunction. The league is full of dysfunction. At top of my head, the Giants are dysfunctional.

The lions are dysfunctional. Until this last draft, the last few years, Philadelphia has been dysfunctional. The jets are dysfunctional. Washington is dysfunctional. The Houston Texans are dysfunctional. Jacksonville's dysfunctional. I mean, even when they're good, the Chargers at times can feel like dysfunctional. The Bengals forever were dysfunctional.

So don't give me, well, he had to overcome. Folks, this league is full of great quarterbacks who have had to overcome. Derek Carr pulled a sinking ship into the playoffs last year. I don't want to hear about it. Baker's last two years, he had a good coach, a good GM, a great O line, a good roster. He was snarky, impulsive, and was terrible in the fourth quarter. Nothing changed, even though he had the right people around him. There's your column.

So, you know, I saw a story in regards to, it's interesting. I think we all do this. There's an old term called senioritis. And any of you go to high school, yeah, most of you, right? You go to high school. And then all of a sudden, like, you're in your last semester and you're going to graduate. And they call it senioritis. where there's like really no consequences for not giving a rip anymore.

And I think LeBron James has a little senioritis, according to a story today. We'll talk about that coming up. 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.

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

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space.

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

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-taped 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 kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

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 Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. 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. 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, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know, they say you don't remember pain. that's why women can have multiple children,

is that we tend to be optimistic. I've had enough therapy in my life, is that we all exaggerate mostly the good and the bad in our life. But as a protective mechanism, I don't remember the rainy days, and I grew up on the coast of Washington State. I do not remember the rainy days. I remember the summers.

I remember being on my motorbike. I remember shooting baskets in my yard. I grew up in the continental United States. in the wettest part of America. And I don't remember the rain. Is it a protective mechanism? Is it my brain protecting me from the sadness and the loneliness of sort of being by myself? Perhaps it is.

But what we know about sports is nobody remembers the far of jet ear. They don't remember Michael Jordan with the Wizards. They don't remember Johnny Unitis or Joe Namath at the end. We just remember the good time. So there's no punishment. once you've got the rings, you've got the money, and you've got the legacy. And LeBron has all of them. There is a story this morning that LeBron doesn't care about the Lakers' picks amid the Kyrie Irving rumors.

Now, in fairness to LeBron, he's never been into young guys. He went to Miami for Wade and Bosch, not kids. When he got to the Lakers, he got rid of all the young guys except Kuzma. And after a while, he got tired of him. He wasn't even that young and he got rid of him. when he went to Cleveland. He didn't want to play with Andrew Wiggins out of Kansas. He wanted to play with Kevin Love.

I don't blame him. So in fairness to LeBron, he's never been like, I want to play with a 19-year-old and watch him develop for four years. LeBron got business to do, like when in titles, he's not interested in being your mentor and how to teach you play basketball out of Michigan State or Kansas or Kentucky.

He also sees right now the Lakers dysfunction, and there's not much he can do about it. So I'll defend LeBron on not carrying it. about the draft pick. He never really has. But the truth is it is called senioritis. When you get to the last year of high school and you can see the finish line, you start thinking, what's the point? There's no consequences for not getting A's. You're going to get out of high school and move on. Same in college. There's no consequence. You're going to get your degree. Your GPA is not going to matter. Many kids at the end of college have a job lined up.

Senioritis. And I think LeBron won that championship in Cleveland. He even acknowledged at the time, he said, I think it makes me the greatest of all time. Whether it does or not, that's the pinnacle. He went to Los Angeles. It wasn't all about basketball. We know that to be true. They didn't have the best roster. They didn't have the best ownership. They didn't have the best front office. There were other options that were better. He went for basketball and mostly quality of life in Los Angeles and growing his business. I got no problem with any of it. He had his rings. He had his legacy. He had a pile of money. I see this all the time. Michael Jordan with the wizards. We forget. He wasn't emotionally into it. He didn't care. He didn't care

about being coachable. He didn't care about getting along with teammates. I don't even think he cared about winning. He wanted to be an owner. And he made that move to Washington to eventually have a chance to be an owner. I saw it with Tom Brady last year. Remember last year at the end of the season. I had said this on the air at some point. Brady's not barking on the sideline. When he first got to Tampa, he was. But last year at the end of the season, he was. But last year at the end of the end of end of the year, like post- Thanksgiving, Tampa wasn't playing great, and Tom wasn't really into it. Because what's the consequence? He won a Super Bowl in Tampa.

He won the divorce. He's got his money. And we later discovered that Tom was moving into ownership with the Miami Dolphins until that blew up because of the lawsuit, Brian Flores, suing the dolphins owner. I think it's very hard to, once you've achieved something, and there's no consequence for not winning. LeBron's been very verbal about other things beyond winning. The scoring title. Playing with brawny.

Building his business. He's been very out front. Very verbal. Remember I was critical of Jason Tatum for lacking confidence? Listen to people. They'll tell you what they're thinking. LeBron's telling you, my priorities have changed. Like winning matters.

It's not everything. I think the same with Tom Brady. I think Matt Stafford's going to be a much hungrier quarterback this year and Joe Burroughs going to be hungrier than Tom Brady is. What's the consequence? So you see this all the time with performers. My entire life, singers, everybody, they strive for greatness. It's like six, seven years. And they get to the pinnacle.

They start winning stuff. That's another six, seven years, seven, eight years. And then they fight to stay on the top. That's another five or six years. and then they start doing things for paychecks. Tom Hanks, the Da Vinci Code movies. He admitted, it was good commerce. Doesn't make those movies 15 years ago. He wanted to make Philadelphia or Forrest Gump, but he wanted to win awards.

You strive for greatness, you reach the pinnacle, you fight to stay on top, and then you do stuff for the check. At some point in my life, I'm going to be on Depends commercials because it pays well. I've just come to terms of that. It's 15 years away. but there'll be a moment. I'll be selling coins or reverse mortgages. Hopefully it's 20 years down the line. Hopefully I'm still in that pinnacle thing and trying to fight.

But it's a reality. Is LeBron's verbalizing it? Like winning, he wants to win. I didn't care about the draft picks. If you told him, honestly, I think at this point, it's not a criticism. Like if you told him you could win another title or are you going to play with your son for two years? I don't know the answer. But I would get if it was, I want to play with my son for two years.

That I'll never forget. A second title, a second banner with the Lakers. And this is not a criticism. It's not. It's the strive. It's the reach. It's to defend. It's the, do it for a check.

So LeBron not caring about a draft pick. I don't think Brady cares about the Buck's draft picks right now. After Tristan Wirfs at right tackle, the first year to get him a title, I don't think he cares who the Buccaneers draft either going forward. Alex with the news. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line. I will be doing reverse mortgage commercials in 20 years.

You found me so good with the Depends commercial. I was dying of, oh my God, it's like engraved in my brain now. Hopefully it's down the line. Okay. A moment, we got this. All right, well, Damien Lillard has been extremely loyal to the Trailblazers and recently there had been some reports that he had some disconnect with the way the team has been run. According to New York Post, Blazers Governor Jody Allen refused to meet with Lillard.

And reportedly wanted to sit down and have a conversation about the team and she didn't return his call. And then he tried to email her. Eventually, she just never responded and put him in touch with Blazers' vice chair, Burt Cold. This isn't the first time that Lillard has been unhappy with the Blazers. Chris Haines reported last year that he had concerns on whether or not they were trying to, trying to build the team into a championship contender. And this is where family ownership and business gets a little tough, especially if someone passes away.

And the next in line, this isn't your passion or this isn't maybe your first choice. It's how you lose a star player. Paul Allen was a huge sports fan. In fact, he's a bigger basketball fan, in my opinion, than an NFL fan. I could be wrong on that. But when I covered the Blazers, Paul Allen was at a lot of games. He really loved basketball. his sister is not, as I'm told, into it.

And this happens all the time. The Denver Broncos got very lucky. They got a very wealthy owner, highly capitalized. They'll be kind of a hands-off owner, I suspect, in Denver. But you get new owners, and there's a lot of different industries they come from, and a lot of different, some are needy, summer meddlers. And what I would say about the Blazers' new ownership, now that Paul's passed, it's not as sports passionate.

It's more of a business now. Yeah. And I mean, there were reports this week that they were not going to sell the franchises, but people have made offers and everyone has a number. And if this is how you're treating your star players, maybe you should think about it. Yeah. Maybe it's time to think about it.

All right. Well, Vaughn Miller signed with the bills this offseason, but apparently he was very close to joining the Cowboys, except he didn't like the offer they made him of five years and $70 million. He recently told Dan Pompeii of the Athlete. I told them I was ready to come to the Cowboys. I would have taken less to go to Dallas because it's Dallas, but I wouldn't take that much less.

I get it. Plus, Buffalo is a much better team. He's got a shot at another Super Bowl. So, I mean, he's going to be a rare player potentially because I think Buffalo is going to win the Super Bowl. He got one in Denver and got one in Los Angeles. And in both he was hugely important. And I think he's going to win one in Buffalo.

So that's very, very, you know, we'd always talk about NBA stars leaving to get rings. Vonn's going to be in a very unique class. So I think he made the right move. I think Buffalo's incredibly well run. Oh yeah. They've got a young owner, a great GM, an excellent coach, and a star quarterback. That was the right move. Yeah. And you have to remember, this is most likely his last contract. Yeah. Oh, it is. Yeah. And he wanted to go, like he wanted to go to the Cowboys, but the Bill's offered him six years, $120 million compared to five years, 70 million at the Cowboys. And as you mentioned, franchise quarterback, better coach, better team that's contending for the Super Bowl right now. So he definitely made the right decision.

All right. Well, the Raiders hired Sandra Douglas Morgan as their new team president yesterday, making her the first black woman in NFL history to assume the role. Morgan's hire comes two months after interim president, Dan Van Trell left the organization and Morgan spoke yesterday about her new opportunity. It's no secret that this organization has faced some recent challenge. But I want to be clear. I am not here to sweep anything under the rug or avoid problems or concerns that need to be addressed. The fact is I have accepted this role because I believe in the promise of the Raiders. I believe in the future of the Raiders.

And I believe in this organization's tenets of integrity, community, and most of all, commitment to excellence. I believe in the Davis family's legacy of celebrating and promoting diversity in every sense of that word. I believe in this community that we now call home that is embraces. that has embraced this team with open arms. That's pretty cool. You know, the Raiders had a bumpy, you know, what I like about what I see with the Raiders now is with Gruden was there. It was all about John.

It was all about John. And I think New England now has become all about Belichick. I don't like that. I think if you look at the NFL franchises that work in San Francisco, it's the owner, it's the GM, it's the coach. They all have to keep each other in check. They all have limitations on power. I think the Seahawks have gotten into trouble now because Pete Carroll has too much power.

I think Russell kept him in check. I think Paul Allen kept him more in check. So I think I like what the Raiders are doing now post-Groodin, whatever you think of John is, it feels like, I mean, John was bulldozing over Mike Mayock in draft selections. Now we've got a new coach. He'll work with Derek Carr. We have a woman now running it. Yep.

Everybody, there's checks and balances. Nobody has too much power with the Raiders. That is, and by the way, that is exactly how the Rams work. Stan runs it, but he's not a meddler, but he has ultimate control. McVeigh has control of the offense. He hands the defense over. Less need runs the draft. He certainly asks Sean McVeigh for what he wants, but he doesn't just go to the

offensive side. He drafts a lot of defensive players. Dallas, Jerry's got too much power. Belichick's got too much power. Pete Carroll's got too much power. It doesn't work in football. I don't think it works anywhere. I think Golden State's a great example of this. Kerr, Bob Myers, Steph Curry, Draymond. When Kevin Durant went there, they were great,

but it felt like everybody was bending over backwards to make sure Kevin was happy, and the chemistry was not right. So I like what the Raiders are doing post-Groodon. Everybody gets to say, everybody held accountable by somebody else that's competent around the cubicle. Yeah, and I had a chance to talk to Mark Davis recently, and he's a very caring and thoughtful person who wants the best for his franchise. And the bottom line is Sandra was the best fit for this position and the new culture that they're trying to build within the Raiders. And I hope this is just the beginning that you see a woman, a woman of color in a high power executive position that deserves to be there because this league desperately needs some more diversity.

Oh yeah. It does. Ownership too. Yeah. Alex for the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Yeah, the Raiders were, you get these power vacuums where when Gruden got a 10-year contract, I remember when maybe it was Mike Shoshchevsky, I forget, somebody got a long contract. And Shishovsky did fine with it. His personality was fine. He's a grinder. But when John got a 10-year contract, I didn't like it.

And I said it at the time. First of all, he's been out of the league forever. There are certain businesses like football and tech that are so fluid and so rapidly changing, you can't be out. You could leave a post office for 10 years and come back. It's the same post office. Grocery stores. There are certain industries you can't leave for 10 years. And even though John was on the periphery, he came back and had way too much power. And we find out from some emails, that power becomes ego and pride. And you say terrible things and do dumb things. And everybody wants power and leverage. To be honest with you, when LeBron didn't have power in Miami, it's the most

successful he was. Riley ran the team. And then Eric Spolstra held him accountable. And it was DeWade City. The most successful LeBron has been is when he had the least power. And then LeBron at the end of Miami had more power and wanted Shabazz Napier and it was a terrible draft pick and it didn't work. And same with Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant had the least power in his career in two spots. Oklahoma City and Golden State. He won a lot of games there. He only won championships and won, but he won a lot of games. And everybody wants power. You know what?

You don't want that much power. The truth is it's so hard to be great at more than one thing. Randy Moss, great football player. Tried basketball. Didn't work. All right? Michael Jordan, unbelievable basketball player. Tried baseball.

Didn't work. Who's great at multiple things? It just doesn't work that way. And so, I mean, LeBron, great basketball player. But he mostly lets his fellows around him. he's got four or five guys around him, they run the business stuff. And he's got pretty good business instincts. But you got to know what you are and you got to know what you're not.

And I think sometimes, I think Kevin Durant's a cautionary tale of he wanted power. He wanted to say, remember he and Kyrie, we don't need a coach. It's a disaster. Like, you've got to want to be coached. You've got to want to be part of something beyond yourself. And so as everybody's trying to seek power, the teams in the NFL that I don't like right now have these power vacuums. it's all Belichick, literally naming a defensive guy to offensive coordinator. Pete Carroll, blowing up the Russell Wilson situation.

That's not the way it works. And that's what the Raiders were with Grood, too much power. The NFL coach should not be able to go to the GM and bulldoze him. Are you kidding me? You know how hard it is just to be a general manager? And you're a coach, and I'm not sure a great one at the end, and you're bulldozing him. So I think Kevin Durant wanted that power and wanted that freedom. He had it and blew it up.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Mike check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game? What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson. Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches,

and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things, hoops culture, that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move, and tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

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

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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?

I do a little Kim. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. 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. 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 Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is 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. It's just interesting. So Kevin Durant doesn't have, at the top of the hour, we're going to play a game on this. Who would I trade Kevin Durant for? individual players, not deals, not packages. Most of the great young players in the NBA, remember, if you trade Anthony Edwards for

Kevin Durant, just something to think about. Anthony Edwards doesn't cost anything for the next couple years. Also, he's not in his prime yet. And we're moving into a generation now where professional athletes' primes last well into the 30s. It used to be 32, 33. It's getting closer to 36, 37, because, nutritional and training standards. Anthony Edwards hasn't hit his prime. He hasn't hit it. He's probably

two years away from it. Then I'm going to get nine years of prime. And if you look at his body, he's built like an NFL linebacker. That body's not going to get hurt. That's a durable body. I'm reading all these, I'll do this top of the air. I'm reading all these stories on what I'd trade. The T-wolves, the Nets wanted Carl Anthony Towns, Aunt Edwards, and four draft picks. I wouldn't trade Ann Edwards for him. The other thing is Minnesota, the city loves Anthony Edwards. Do they want a random guy coming in they're not sure could leave tomorrow? Like, I think all that stuff matters. There's a reason there's no hot trade market for him.

In Brooklyn, they had chemistry, a good coach, and a bench. They'd give up all of them. Let's go to Rick Buecker. By the way, Buechers in Vegas, baby, for the Las Vegas Summer League. So I'm going to touch on this to start. So I'll get the chat home in a second. because he went from great to not very good to not playing. Let's start with Palo Boncaro for Duke.

Now, we knew going in, he had the NBA body. He was the kid that he, like LeBron, he walks into the league and he's a man physically. What did you make of his game last night? They got it right. Not just because of his body, but because of the way he plays and his demeanor. He had all the swagger of a number one pick in the way he played. I'm a little concerned about the motor, which is one of the reasons why he wasn't the foregone conclusion as the number one pick. There's a couple times where he could have got out and filled a lane.

If he wasn't the show, he wasn't doing a whole lot of extra work. And there were a couple times where he measured his defense. That was a question mark coming out of Duke and all the zone that they played. but there's an added weight that comes with being the number one pick. And I think you saw it with both Chet and with Jabari Smith, you can't play through them. You can play through Paolo Ben-Caro, and he's very comfortable being that number one pick.

So five years from now, we may revisit this and say, hey, they didn't take the guy with the greatest potential. But as of right now, the Orlando Magic and Orlando, are going to look like they got it right. Okay, so Chet Holmgren had a great opener. After that, he looked tired, and then they didn't play him in the third game. What do you make of that? What are you hearing from scouts and people?

Yeah, look, we made way too much of that debut. It was against Taco Fall. And there's a reason that Taco Fall has been, in spite of being 7,6, and 300-some pounds, that he's still looking for a home in the NBA. Chet, through the first two games, gave you everything that you would hope to see on both sides of the equation. He confirmed all of the things that scouts positive and negative have said about him. The skills are tremendous. The toughness, in spite of being 195 pounds and over seven feet, was on display.

He's a great teammate. But you can physically move him around. And there's still a question of he's sort of an offensive perimeter player and yet has to play defense. Now, he can get down him in a stance and he does that uniquely well for a guy of his size, but he's going to have to protect the rim. And can he protect the rim against the bigger, more talented bodies? That's going to be the question. So he demonstrated why everyone is so intrigued with him.

But he also demonstrated why there was no chance he was going to be the number one pick because the upside and the downside are just too extreme. And especially once Orlando got the pick, the joke going around NBA circles is that Orlando could not afford to take another long, skinny center with questionable future because of his physicality. So it's a worthwhile gambit for Oklahoma City, but I don't know that it would have been worthwhile for anybody else.

So Brian Winhorse reports today. There's not a big market for Kevin Durant. And at this point, I mean, people want him. And I do think Phoenix works, but it mostly works because they don't want DeAndre Aiton. So they'd be giving up a whole player. They don't want. But I go back to Brooklyn. They had Kenny Atkinson, an ascending young coach.

They had a nice bench. And I kept reading stories about, oh, their chemistry is great. Well, you had to give up all three. This idea, if Kevin Durant went to Phoenix and you only only, gave up DeAndre Aiton, compete for the championship. You're going to give up your future. You're going to give up your big. You're going to give up a great wing defender.

You may have to give up somebody off your bench. And I get it. Like, if you look at the top of the NBA right now, Milwaukee and Phoenix and Golden State and Boston, the chemistry. We watched it all in the playoffs. The chemistry is fantastic. So I do get it, Rick. Like, I don't know how much.

And I love Katie. Outside of Phoenix, I don't think Miami works. I've seen all these projected trades. Phoenix is the only one I like. I like Phoenix. I like potentially Boston, even though I've gotten no indication that Boston is interested. The Clippers are another intriguing situation, again, haven't heard them involved. We've heard essentially Miami and Phoenix in particular, and obviously they reached out to Minnesota.

But this is not on Kevin Durant and his value. This has been caused by Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timber. Wolves because once you gave up or once they acquired five first round picks Utah did for Rudy Gobert, that changed the whole dynamic. If you're giving up five first round picks, of course, of course Brooklyn is going to say, well, we want Carl Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and like we need to find a package that is bigger than the one that the Minnesota Timberwolves got, gave up for Rudy Gobert, simply for appearances sake. Otherwise, it looks like they didn't get enough on the dollar. And I do expect that they're going to get something reasonable. The problem is

that once that Gobert trade went down, it reset the market. Now everybody's got to look at it through a different lens. And to your point, has to take that big gulp and say, do we really want to mortgage our future the way the Minnesota Timberwolves did to get Rudy Gobert, even though Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert are not in the same stratosphere, but he is 33, and how much are we giving up and where is that going to leave us? So I believe that that's why you haven't seen anything happened to this point. By the way, there's discussions that LeBron absolutely wants Kyrie and Kyrie wants the Lakers. Is it the best place for Kyrie? We know it's good for LeBron, it's better than Westbrook. Is it good for Kyrie?

You know, I have a friend of mine who says when you're facing issues, he goes, wherever you go, there you are. Like, if you're trying to go someplace else to fix problems that are essentially of your own making, you have to get to fixing your own problems first. And so it's really hard for me to look at Kyrie and say, there's a spot that makes sense. Because Kyrie's issues are of his own making. Is he going to go to the Lakers and be any different, be any more available, be any more coachable, be any more connected to his teammates? I mean, he has before, so you would hope that that would be the case.

But the expectations and where the bar is set anytime you have Kyrie Irving, the fact of the matter is he hasn't come close to meeting those. He has been, look at his record, certainly with the Brooklyn Nets, they've had a losing record every time he's been on the floor. Two years ago, they had a winning record, but James Hardin was an MVP candidate in those games. Without James Harden, he was 10 and 11. So that ultimately is the issue, is that I don't know that there's the ideal place for

Kyrie unless Kyrie decides that he's going to take a different approach to how he plays. Rick Bueker, good stuff. Joining the Summer League. Love this stuff. Good seeing you again, bud. My pleasure, Colin. Yeah, top of the hour. I'm going to go through all the young stars in a discussion about Kevin Durant and who I would trade him for.

And I think this idea that it's been established, Kevin is sensitive and can be kind of flaky and impulsive. And I don't think fans like that. I think fans feel, if you look at the television ratings in the NBA last year on a local market basis, the highest rated teams were about teams that had drafted and developed, players. Golden State and Milwaukee, the Cleveland Cavaliers had excellent TV ratings. Darius Garland, Mowgli, and then they can bring in a Jared Allen. But fans want something they can put their arms around. Kevin never let you put your arms around him.

Steph Curry let you put your arms around him. Very, very mobile people are always outsiders. I know in my career, I've moved a lot. You always feel a little bit like an outsider. You know, you're somewhere and everybody's like, well, you're not this. guy or she's been here forever. And that's the reality of mobility. But Kevin, like, adds another layer to it where he is, like, very impulsive. Fans want to grab you. They want to put their arms around you. They want you to be, you to care as much as they do. And Kevin never gives

that off. Hour to next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on humor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey. Day and head writer Streeter 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. 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. 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, 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 conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast.

Guaranteed human.