The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Mayfield, Niners, Lakers

Episode Date: May 6, 2022

The main reason teams aren't going after Baker Mayfield The Niners may have made a mistake with Trey Lance Why Frank Vogel was fired by the Lakers   Guest: David FalkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. It is a Friday in Los Angeles. So good to be here, along with Alex Curry. It's the herd wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chief stops by today. In 15, 20 minutes, we're going to have David Falk on. He was the first super agent in the NBA, Michael Jordan's agent, David Falk,

one of the smartest guys that's ever represented athletes in the history of the country, still nimble and smart and got a lot of things to say. We're going to bring him on today for several NBA stories. Alex Curry is joining us. Joy Taylor's given a commencement speech at Barry University in or around Miami. She gave it. Oh, she already gave it. She was officially Dr. Joy.

That's great. It's awesome. We got a pack show for kind of your last day of school before summer break. Yeah, I'm going to be out leaving tonight, going to Europe. So let's start with this. If you ever are lucky enough to work with somebody that's really, really, really talented, even if you don't get along, even if you have different personality, you'll always be best served to try to make it work the best you can if for no other reason

than selfish reasons because if that person leaves you and you don't make it work and they leave and crush it with somebody else it'll land on you that you were the problem you see this in divorces uh you see a divorce the woman leaves the marriage and flourishes in her new life the husband sinks. It was him. Wasn't her. She's great with that. It was him. So another story comes out today about OBJ and Baker Mayfield. I know I know, I know, I know, I know.

You think I'm going to pick on Baker. So I'm going to try to keep this semi-generic, just so you don't think I'm picking on him. According to ESPN's Jake Trotter, a very good reporter, somebody I follow, a Brown Starter was asked about those YouTube videos that were linked when OBJ, just before he left Cleveland, OBJ's dad put out videos of like Baker and OBJ,

OBJ is wide open, Baker couldn't get him the ball. And Jake Trotter talked to a Brown starter who anonymously said, I didn't look at those videos, I didn't need to. I saw it every day at practice. So I think I said this on the air. I'm pretty sure I did. I was told that Baker and OBJ were fine initially, but it got very chilly later in the relationship.

And again, this has been my criticism. on bakery, makes everything harder than it needs to be. But I really do think, and this is a good lesson for me and other people, if you work with talented people and you're not a perfect personality fit, make it work as best you can. Because when you split, you will be judged when that talented person goes and flourishes elsewhere. You will be judged. And OBJ goes to the Rams, McVeigh and Stafford, and crushes, and crushes.

And every GM in the league saw it. every receiver in the league saw it, every Cleveland Brown saw it. It hurt Baker. He can't get work. It really hurt. I mean, Baker's got a couple of things working against him. He's got a combative personality. But you know what?

Jay Cutler got a bunch of chances. So did he. I mean, combative personalities. I mean, Aaron Rogers, he just got the highest contract. He can be combative. Kyler Murray's going to get a good contract. Combative personality. And he's kind of expensive, not terribly expensive, but 18 million is kind of expensive.

Baker's not that expensive and he's not that combative that you wouldn't give him another chance. I think the OBJ thing hangs over him. By the way, OBJ said he'd be willing to go back to Cleveland once Deshawn Watson got signed. So that tells you what I was told about Baker and OBJ. It didn't work. So there's no reason Baker's unemployed. He's absolutely one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the NFL. He's not that expensive.

I think it's the toxicity, the combatants. and the OBJ situation. And it really goes down to something of fundamental principle I have had a criticism about Baker. Just make it easier. Stop being snarky. Get along with people. Make it work. We've all worked with people in our lives.

I mean, I've been in this business 25 years. I've worked with people I love, people I don't like. Just make it work. Just do the best you can. You're not going to be working forever. Somebody will move on. But what you don't want to do is, doesn't work at all, they leave and crush and it lands on you.

So for selfish reasons, get along with people, especially talented people, just figure it out. And by the way, we know this that sometimes historically in football, the wide receivers have been bigger personalities. Tom Brady, Antonio Brown, he makes it work. Tom Brady, Randy Moss, he makes it work. I mean, Tom's the greatest example of he just figures it out. He gives of himself, relinquishes a little power, is there for the player. We know that wide receivers are the first to break the huddle.

They tend to be the NBA players of the NFL. They're empowered. They're probably the most talented people in the NFL. Sometimes they come with a little personality. T.O. came with it. Andre Reisen, Michael Lervin. There's been a lot of them. Make it work.

Just do the best you can to make it work. Because now I think this thing lands on Baker and it hurts him. Folks, he can't get a job. There's seven teams that need a quarterback. It was a bad quarterback class. It couldn't get a job. What happens next year when the over-under on quarterbacks entering the draft is six and a half in the first round? That's the over and under I read last week.

Six and a half quarterback is going to be taken in the first round next year. You think he's struggled to, how do you struggle to get work now? I mean, Garoppolo's got an excuse. He's got an injury. He had surgery. So it can't just be the money in the combativeness. It can't because he's too good to be just sitting on the beach. The OBJ thing hurt.

Get along with people. if they're difficult. All right. The other story that we talked about in the last hour yesterday is that according to Mike Lombardo reporter, San Francisco coaches have been underwhelmed regularly by Trey Lance, who they gave up a bunch of picks to get in draft. So I think it's time for the 49ers to rip off the Band-Aid. I think they just got to, I think they have to figure out a way to rip off the Band-Aid.

So here's what we know about Trayette. Tray Lance. So we're going to check some boxes. We know this. He's big, strong, and athletic. So check those boxes. Now, Tua in Miami, is he big enough, strong enough, athletic enough? Mac Jones in New England, big enough, strong enough, athletic enough doubts there. So that does sometimes. That's an issue. Okay, we know those boxes are checked. I've stood next to Tray Lance. He looks like an NFL quarterback. Big enough, check. Strong enough, check. Athletic enough, check. It's not that. I've also had multiple discussions with him.

He's smart. There have been multiple stories out of San Francisco. He's smart. Cognitively, let's check that box. So what is it? Well, he's a quarterback. Let's go to the throw in the ball stuff. So let's break down.

He's thrown 71 passes in the NFL. Here's the rub. He's completed only 57%. And that's with Kyle Shanahan's offense. So Shanahan is known a little bit as a quarterback whisperer. Garapolo, Super Bowl, Matt Schaubb, Pro Bowl, Matt Ryan MVP. That's the thing Kyle does. Makes all the quarterbacks like a notch above what we perceive them to be. Trey Lance has completed only 57% of his throws. And if you take out the game against Houston

and they were about as bad a team as the league had last year, he's completed only 52% of his throws. That's like Tebow. So I have not seen enough of him. I know he played their small school and there was a scarcity of games in his career for two years. But we know the big strong athletic check check, check, the smart check. It comes down to the throwing part. And I will say this when I've seen aesthetically, when I have seen him throw the ball, mechanically, I don't love it. It looks clunky. And that matters. I've always said, Cam, Newton's mechanics got significantly worse over his career. He completed like 59% of his throws.

Sam Darnold, much as I love him, has a very slow release. It hurts him. Low completion percentage. Tim Tebow, super slow release. Under 60%. Even Matt Stafford, who's as gifted a thrower as the league has, sometimes his mechanics go sideways in Detroit when he was there. and his completion percentage would drop.

So that's my guess is that just the mechanics of him are not great. And by the way, if you're San Francisco, you've just got to figure it out. You've got to create clarity now. They're walking on eggshells. Like nobody wants to make the move. And here's why you've got to make the move. Because for two years, Josh Allen and Buffalo, after two years, we looked it up this morning, completed 56% of his throws.

Now, Josh Allen's got a bigger arm than Trey Lance and has a bigger guy than Trey Lance. So everybody went all in and trusted the process. And with Trey, maybe they don't have that arm or that size. But we know he's big enough, strong enough. We know he has a power arm. You got to rip the bandit off and go for it. Because if you are wrong, it's okay. It's not ideal.

But then you go get the next guy. Because everybody in this league makes mistakes. Think about this. The Rams are about as smart a team from owner, GM, head coach. the Rams are about the smartest team you're going to find in the league. They're certainly in a very elite class. They had Jared Goff in the building for three years. Every practice, every game, all that film.

The Rams guys, they gave them a huge contract. And a year later, they're like, yeah, we made a mistake on that. The Rams guys had golf in the building for three years. Every day at practice, every game, all that film. And they made a mistake. So it's okay if you make a mistake. We all make mistakes. Drafting's in exact.

And the hardest position to figure out as quarterback. But you've got to rip the band-aid off here. My guess is it's not the big, strong, athletic smart thing. And those boxes matter. It's the delivery mechanics. And you got to put him out there. Let's see if it works. Because Josh Allen, I watched him in college, and I watched him his first year.

he could be awful. I watched them against Oregon and Iowa. He was awful, wild, erratic. They cleaned it up. And he still can get a little sideways. But at least they got an answer by the end of year, too. I mean, you can't just keep, you can't keep walking on eggshells here. Go for it, all in, move Garoppolo every snap for a year.

If he can't get to 63%, 64%, got the wrong guy. It's okay. Even the Rams with golf, all that film, all those games made a mistake. Drafting's hard. Belichick can't do it well. It's hard. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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.

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to do a little kill. 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 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 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. Trip 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.

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Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. David Falk really was the godfather of being a super agent. In fact, the first time I ever heard the term,

super agent was when people talked about David Falk. He represented more than a hundred athletes. He was Michael Jordan's agent for 30 plus years. And there were for years and years and years, many people thought that David Stern, Michael Jordan, and David Falk largely ran the NBA. And true or not, I didn't know anything about agents. I never talked about agents. I never talked about agents, I never discussed agents. And then I watched David Falk's career, and he's so well represented, so smartly represented Michael Jordan, who Jordan to this day had the greatest representation ever. It's really remarkable if you go back and look from the commercials and David Spearhead and

all of that. Still friends with Michael today. And he is now joining us live from Bethesda, Maryland. You know, I love our discussions, David. And there's so many things here I want to talk about because let's just start with a big brand. You dealt with a big brand. The Lakers. Lakers is a big brand. Rob Polenka was an agent. He was given the range of the franchise. Some thought that was problematic. He likes his stars. Agents do. He brought Westbrook in. It didn't work. Do you think an agent

running a team, would that have been hard for you? Is it a good fit? It sounds like it would work, but it hasn't been great so far, David. Number one, Rob worked for Arndtellam, who's my best friend in the business, and I bought Arns business, so Rob worked for me for several years. I think the issue with the Lakers isn't so much Rob. I think agents are not necessarily uniquely qualified to run a team, but if they're bright and they understand the collective bargaining agreement, I think it gives them a leg up. On the other hand, I think that there was so much competition amongst the agents and a lot of ill will that sometimes maybe it's hard to make a deal or make a trade because people have like an extra grind.

But, you know, I think that the situation with the Lakers must be serious. LeBron is a very special player. There's no one in the NBA he doesn't think LeBroad is running the team. That he's overseeing the player acquisitions. he's overseeing trades. And to a large extent, he's even involved in the negotiations for some of the players. And, you know, I'm a big fan of LeBron's. I think he's earned his due.

He's earned his props, if you will. But, you know, there's an expression in the law that a lawyer who represents himself as a fool for a client. I don't think that agents would make it very well as players in the NBA. and I don't think that players necessarily are qualified to be general managers. So I think there needs to be more of a line drawn. And I don't think LeBron's helping himself, truthfully, in doing that because he's at the tail end of his career. He wants to win a few more rings to get in the conversation about who's the goat.

I don't know if you get in the conversation until you win at least six. And I think he should have a professional general manager work with him. to create a team around them that can win a title. You know, I could be naive here, David, but I don't think, when I think of Michael, I don't think he wanted to control personnel. Again, I could be totally naive. But, you know, Michael gave of himself to Phil Jackson. He trusted Phil.

It's well documented now, David, that Phil came to him and said, Michael, you're the best basketball player in the world. You've got to trust your teammates a little more. And Michael just gave himself to Phil. I mean, that's not easy. So my interpretation is Michael didn't, he didn't want to control personnel. Am I right or wrong on that? I don't think Michael felt the need to control personnel.

And unlike LeBron, Michael had the exact opposite dynamic. He had a general manager, Jerry Krause, who believed that players didn't win championships, organizations won championships. So he sort of went the other direction of what's happening today and really didn't give a lot of input to Michael. Now, the owner did. Jerry Reinsdorf, you know, was like one of the great owners in sports. He's bright, tough, but very bright, fair. You know, he solicited Michael's opinion on big things. But as I said, you know, I think that even ex-players, if you look at ex-players as general managers, you know, a few of them have done really well, like Danny

Aange, Danny Ferry, Larry Bird. But this doesn't automatically mean if you're not, if you're you play basketball, that you're qualified to be a general manager. Yeah, clutch sports and the Lakers. A lot of it's gone public, David. And I want to ask your opinion on this. I said it always feels like the Lakers can't do anything privately. It always gets out into the press. Is there ever an advantage to that?

Is that a strategy by the Lakers? Or did you want to do stuff privately? Then unveil it to the media and the fans? I always want to do stuff privately, Colin, because there's so much pressure in this business to make deals, to make trades, to sign free agents that you don't want to put the spotlight while you're doing it. And so when the press used to ask me, what's the likelihood of a player staying with this team or getting traded, I would never respond. I said, let's do a post-game wrap-up. Let's discuss it after it happens. And I can explain to you what our thinking was.

but I would never, with few exceptions in almost 50 years, try to get out in front of these things publicly. To go one step further, because the NBA shares the revenues 50-50 with the players, 50.1, to be exact, the more things that get out publicly, which undermine the credibility of the business of basketball, cost the players money.

Ben Simmons is Exhibit A, if you will. You know, I've done a lot of that in my career. I never did it publicly. I think it undermines your relationship with management. It makes it more difficult to do it the second time around. And more importantly, I think the public is fed up with guys making $40 million who feel they're not being treated fairly by their team. In an age we're having inflation and a pandemic and people having trouble paying their bills, it's just a little too much drama. So I think that, I think the NBA should levy very serious crimes against agents and players when these kinds of things go public because it undermines the credibility of the game. You know, I want to go into a couple of different areas here.

So Michael Jordan famously said, I would never recruit my rivals to come to my team. So we have a social, a cultural change where that is more understood now. But there are certain players, Damien Lillard, like he wants to be in Portland. And Janus, he wants to be in Milwaukee. and Luca may not be the personality that he's going to get on the phone and call up guys. Now, Steph Curry has, KD has, LeBron has. As an agent, would you be comfortable with your player that you represent getting on the phone in recruiting guys?

What do you make of that? You know, it's a very interesting question. First of all, before I answer the question directly, in Michael's day, there were four to five times more superstars than there are today. And so I think if a player today does what LeBron did in 10, you know, when he went to Miami and tries to get three stars to play together, I think there are only six or seven superstars in the whole league. And so if you concentrate him in one or two teams, I think, again, you're making it very difficult to have parity.

And as a business, the last thing the NBA wants to do is have teams that aren't in the hunt in freaking January, you know, halfway through the season. So I don't think it's a good thing for the business of basketball. And at the ripe old age of 71, my prison in evaluating these things, Colin, is really what's good for the game. You know, the game's been great for so many people, the star players, agents, coaches, general managers. And I think all of us have an obligation to sort of give something back to the game. So my comments aren't personal, you know, because I want more players.

or want to recruit certain guys. It's really about the game on a macro level. And I think that, number one, it's illegal for agents to be tampering and making trades and stuff during the year. What's the penalty for players doing the exact same thing? A player's unhappy in one place and a superstar calls him up and said, hey, stop playing or take it easy, don't get hurt. You'll be on my team next year.

I think it undermines the whole credibility of the game. So there are many different reasons I don't think it's productive. And again, this is a question that Adam's going to have to deal with, of how you create a level of disciplines so that the players can't do something that agents aren't allowed to do. You know, I knew David Stern. He used to come on my show twice a year, and we would argue, and it was great. It was very fun and playful, but I loved wrestling with him. And he was tough.

He too. Yeah, he was a smart guy. But, I mean, he would go back at me, back in. back and forth, and I liked the Tugabor. And he was tough. I knew several people that went into negotiations with him, and it got ugly, yelling, screaming, it was tough. Now, Silver is perhaps not conciliatory, but Adam Silver is a little more gentle.

He tends to be viewed as more pro player. And I don't know if that's true or not. Is there anything? And maybe it's because when David took the league over and you ran it, you had, you were coming from a place that the league was broken, and you guys were fixing it. That's quite possible. Now the league is crushing.

Is there anything that Adam Silver does that you look at today and maybe it's a criticism? Maybe you're not comfortable. Maybe you think he's the compasses off. How do you view him as a commissioner? Well, first of all, I really like him personally. He's incredibly bright.

As you suggest, you know, the times have changed. You know, David had to be the way he was to grow the business from what he inherited in 1984 when he's coming off the time when the NBA files were on tape delay. You can even imagine that. And I think he got the owners in line. Adam's coming in a different time. He's younger.

He's much more technologically savvy. The biggest criticism I have of the league and the union is the conflict that they allow to allow agents and agencies to represent players in management. Adam's a lawyer. Michelle Roberts was a lawyer at Skadnardt's. There's not a law firm in the world, certainly not in America, that would allow a law firm to represent the United Auto Workers Union and General Motors and say they put up a Chinese wall to prevent any conflicts of interest.

And again, it undermines the credibility of the business. And I'm not saying that because I'm at a point where I will not sign any more players. So I'm not saying this because I've sour grapes or regrets. I just think it's really bad for the game. And the questions you're asking about, you know, clutch, and I like Rich Paul. I think he's a good guy. Maverick Carter is a good friend of mine. I have no ax to grind with Clutch or Rich.

Again, I just think that the perception that an agency is running a team is not productive for the growth of the business. Let me ask. And for the players that Rich is going to represent. Let me ask you, COVID was very, very difficult for a lot of people, our government, everybody, airlines. You know, Kyrie Irving made a choice. I'm not a big fan of mandates myself, David. I think Americans should have choices.

But it did put that whole Brooklyn net situation. It was very difficult for everybody. If you represented a player, let's say Kyrie Irving, there were a couple quarterbacks. I don't want to get vaxed. Kyrie has big strong opinions, the Vax. What do you do as an agent when it's not exactly lubricating the team in chemistry? What do you do as an agent? Are you powerless?

Do you have discussions with a player and say, you know, like I disagree with your stance? What does an agent do in that instance? Well, I think the number one job of an agent, particularly in you're representing superstars, is to educate your clients. And I think, you know, I think today most of the agents are being managed by their clients because they're afraid, they're intimidated to disagree with them or to challenge them because they're afraid they're going to get fired and go someone else who's going to panted to them. I think players of a level of career have a responsibility to the fans, to the team, and to the league. And, you know, he's entitled to his, his own views on vaccination.

But when you make $40 million a year during a pandemic and, you know, people are losing their jobs left and right, I think you have a certain responsibility, you know. And that's what I would try to, I would try to persuade him that there's probably not a positive approach to the issue. Now, I'm not powerless and I'm not omnipidate. I think at the end of the day, the client makes a decision. But if I felt really, really strongly about something, and I thought of players doing something that was so inimical to what I believe that, I would probably resign.

And I have resigned from players just for that very reason, not because of vaccination, because I felt that I was wasting my time advising them, and they were wasting their money paying me to advise them because they didn't listen to Stefan Marble. is a prime example. Bill Robinson. I just felt it was a marriage that wasn't working,

and I thought it undermined my credibility and my own self-feeling of self-worth because I didn't feel I was accomplishing anything. Let me throw another one at you. David Falk listening to our radio audience, a super agent, represented 100 players, Michael, for 30 years. This one, I'm not a backseat driver on this. I didn't like the move initially.

I know Rich Climman, the agent, I like him and admire him. But I said when KD left the Warriors and Bob Myers and Kerr and Steph for Brooklyn, I said, this is a tragic mistake. This would be Patrick Mahomes saying, I want to go play with a buddy with the Jets. You'd be like, you're out of your mind. Do not do that. So I'm not a backseat driver here. I thought it was a tragic mistake for one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. If you had represented KD, would you ever just say,

I mean, did you ever have to say with any of your clients, this is a terrible move? This is a bad move. This hurts your career. Well, ironically, most of the time, it was because players didn't want to move. They wanted to be the man on a team that was going nowhere and they weren't going to win. Glenn Rice is a prime example. I had a pound him for six months to go to the Lakers. DeKemmey Matambo, it was an extremely intelligent man.

I had a pattern to go to Houston and be a backup to Yalmay to try to wood a week. to try to wood a rig. So I was extremely opinionated. I still am. And I looked at my job as not to be a yes meant to my clients, but to be a mentor, an advocate. At the end of the day, you know, the one thing I'll say about KD,

and I agree with you. I really like Rich Kahneman personally, we're friends. I give KD a tremendous amount of credit because most players will leave a team figuratively for a dollar. KD left about $60 million on the table to leave Golden State and go to Brooklyn, and then he gave up another 20 to sign DJ. Now, if you're that strong, that's what you want to do. That's what free agency means.

You're a freedom of choice. Whether it works out or it doesn't, I give KD a lot of credit for exercising his own opinion. And if it didn't work out well, that's on him. But that's what free agency is meant for to allow, give him. give people freedom and choice. I mean, how many friends do you have who take a job that you instinctively feel will never work out for them? But it's what they have a passion for it.

They want to move to a certain city. They want to be in a certain industry. And that's what life's about. It's about making choices. If you make a mistake, hopefully you learn from your mistakes. What I don't agree with, and I take great umbrage and issue with, is the idea of KD and Karee, quote, running the team. When Kyrie came out with the quote, we have to sit down with Joe Si and fix the team.

No, that's not his job. His job is to play 82 games at a higher level, play better defense, and help his team win. It's not to be the general manager. By the way, I'm going to ask you a question. Any more than my job would be to take off my suit and go play for the Chicago Bulls to help Michael. Okay, I'm going to ask you a question. I'm not sure if you can give an answer. But since you said you are no longer taking clients, I think I can.

and ask this question. But if I can't, you know, tell me you can't. If I said to you, give me a player 23 or under right now. If you were a 37-year-old agent, you said, I like that kid, I like his game. Is there somebody out there? You're like, I would love to represent him. I like his style, his flare, his smarts. Is there a guy out there for you like that? John Morant. I met the guy for a couple of minutes at a bull's game when he was coming out of college. He was walking up the aisle with his father. introduce myself. I think the guy has got it all.

He's got flair. He's got tremendous basketball IQ. He's got guts. I love watching him play. I really do. If I had one guy, he reminds me, I would say he reminds me of Iverson, but he's got that kind of flare. Yeah.

That's really, and production. It's not just style. The guy really delivers in the clutch night after night. and he's just fun to watch. What a pleasure, David. You look fantastic. I don't know. You must be doing something right because you're a happy guy.

You look fantastic. I could talk for hours, but you know my business. I have certain breaks I have to hit. You're busy. I appreciate you always giving me time, David. Thank you so much. I always enjoy being on the show. We have to do a really long form one day, and I'll do the commercials for you.

You'll probably lose all your sponsors. All right, David. Thank you so much. The great David Falk. who represented Michael Jordan for over 30 years. All right. That was fun. Alex with the news.

No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Colin, what a legend right there. He's right, though. You guys need to do like a two-part special and just dive deeper. Yeah, there's, he's just got a real understanding. You know, he's totally pro-player, but what he's telling you is players do have certain restrictions. Yeah.

You know, we don't want them run. personnel. So, and again, he's as pro player as anybody ever. And, you know, his, his concern is players played GM's GM and there's a separation. I've said this in the NFL. Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll had too much power in the draft. They usurped it from the GMs of those teams. And it hurt them in drafting for seven, eight years. He understands both sides. He's a wealth of knowledge. That was really fun to listen to. All right. Well, the NBA has suspended Dylan Brooks for game three of the Warriors Grizzly series. following his hard foul on Gary Payton II,

and Draymond Green was recording his podcast when the news broke on a very cool network, and he gave his viewers his live reaction to the move. Breaking news, that is interesting. You get my live reaction. Again, what's the debate if he should have been suspended two games or blah, blah, blah? I think it's legit. You know, you get thrown out for a flagrant two. And as I've said, clearly intent doesn't matter anymore.

whether he was intense or not doesn't really matter to me but the reality is Gary Payton's second is out for an extended period of time it was a nasty fall defenseless player I get it I respect the accountability

from the NBA yeah I mean it does the fact that Peyton's out for a while makes it feel like it's very very just yeah it was the right call and we heard Stephen Jackson on the show yesterday also say who's an aggressive player, say it was dirty over the line. And you even had a teammate, Brendan Clark, say it was too hard. So they made the right call there. Set the example.

All right, switching gears. After 22 seasons in the NFL, Tom Brady is still as popular as ever. Brady's officially licensed merchandise was the best selling of all players for the 2021 season. This is the fifth time and the second straight year that Brady has led all NFL players in merchandise sale. Oh, they had Justin Fields at 8. Yeah. Mac Jones at 5. Aaron Rogers is at 9. But the thing is, like, Tom Brady, the man can't lose.

He is 44 and thriving. And he has figured out this whole social media thing, which I think has grasped that younger generation who now understand him. They want to buy his jersey. They want to support. And we even saw it yesterday when he went viral with the truth. TikTok with Justin Bieber. He gets it.

Yeah. Tom's aged very well, not only in football sense, but in life sense. Business, too. We're seeing it on all fronts. He understands the game. Everything he touches turns to gold, including his seven Super Bowl rings, which is more than any single franchise.

Just simple reminders there. All right, moving on to the Cowboys who lost some major pieces from their team this offseason. Stephen Jones noted that the salary cap situation over the last two years, due to the pandemic, made it difficult to resign their potential free agents before they hit the open market.

And he said they want to do whatever they can to avoid that problem in the future. we ended up having more free agents than, you know, we normally would like to have because of the unknown. But certainly we feel like we're going to get back in the mix of getting some of these players, these young players that we want to keep around here, get ahead of it, get them signed so you don't have, you know, so you don't have that type of free agency risk that we had this year. So they lost eight big pieces here. Well, I mean, and I will say this.

Cedric Wilson is not the headliner. He is a tremendous number three receiver in the NFL. He probably views himself as a two. It's not just Amari. It's Cedric. It's two big receivers they lost. You need Michael Gallup to come off that ACL surgery and really hit it early. Otherwise, it's C.D. Lamb and crossing your fingers.

Yeah. The thing is, though, they blame the salary cap and the pandemic. But you have to remember, all 32 teams are in this exact same situation and going through the exact same things that you are and some winning teams figured it out. I don't know. The Rams, Super Bowl champions seem to have money coming out of everywhere. Yeah. Alex for the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport

and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players. We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it. I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble

stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey, from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little camp? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we picket 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're just so you're not. y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed Craig, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. 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 Facebook. 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, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Story, according to the athletic, the reason Frank Vogel was fired, he did not maximize Russell Westbrook. Wow. So the team, the Lakers trade for a guy who is perpetually a difficult fit in multiple places. Vogel doesn't want it. And because he can't make it work, he gets fired. Now, I want you to think about that.

Can you imagine in your life you're a boss, your owner tells you in any business, could be landscaping, you have to hire an employee. And you say he's a difficult employee. He won't fit. And the boss says you have to hire him. You do, he doesn't fit, it's toxic, and you get fired for a guy you didn't want. That is what happened with the Lakers, and that's why they're poorly run. Was Vogel supposed to be the magic shooting coach for Russell, whose career three-point percentage

is like 29, 30%, was he supposed to make him a 40% shooter? By the way, Westbrook's numbers with the Lakers ended up aligning very similar to his career. You know the biggest difference? His usage rate went down. Vogel took the ball out of his hand. That translated to Westbrook having the fewest turnovers of his career. And for that, he was fired. Somebody once told me, being an NBA coach,

is the worst great job in sports. You win, stars get the credit. You lose your fire. And this is why I've said with Westbrook, you just got to move them out of the organization. It's toxic. Billy Donovan's a very good coach now with the Bulls. Billy Donovan did something that almost never happens in pro sports.

NFL, NBA. He literally just left Oklahoma City. He wasn't fired. He went to the organization and said, and Donovan Sharp is attack. Like, I want out. what? It doesn't happen. For all the disappointments in the playoffs, Sam pressed to the GM never fired him.

He's like, I'm just going to get out of here. Part of it, the frustration of never being able to get out of the first round with Westbrook. First round. And so, you know, Frank Vogel was fired because a player who he did not want could not work, although he gave him fewest turnovers in like 10 plus years, which has always been the knock on Westbrook is, is, he has the ball. so much. You know, a lot of turnovers, very frenetic play, plays at one speed, a thousand miles an hour,

and Vogel got fired. It is remarkable. By the way, I'll say this. I'll save most of it for later, or maybe the top of the hour. But the Phil Jackson is being consulted on the Lakers next coach. Why this is odd to me, and I'll get into it next hour. Phil and LeBron's camp aren't friends, aren't tight, aren't close. So it's interesting.

The Lakers know this. So are the Lakers sending a message? It's our franchise, not yours. Which isn't necessarily a terrible message. I've said before, I think the Lakers sort of handed the franchise to LeBron. And as David Falk just talked about, he got to be very careful about that. You know, the greatest players of all time, are not good GMs.

And as David Falk pointed out, the players that become GMs, there's a handful that have done okay. It's hard. So it's interesting that it's public and they would consult with Phil and it would be out there because LeBron's camp, they are not fans of Phil. I'll talk about why next hour. One down, two to go. It's Friday in Los Angeles.

Thanks so much for watching. It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not. not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever, you get your podcast. 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, 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 Clivert Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.