The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Nets, Bucks-Bulls

Episode Date: April 21, 2022

The Nets experiment has been a complete failure The Bucks-Bulls series is going to last longer because of injury It's looking like the Sixers won the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade  Guest: Albert BreerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. What a Thursday live in Los Angeles. It's the heard.

Wherever you may be. And however, you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Pack today. Joy Taylor is joining me. NBA playoffs. So much fun. I'm having. The villains are in big trouble, by the way.

Katie, Kyrie leaned into being the villains. These villains are in big trouble. Well, you know, sometimes when you play the villain, it doesn't end well. Foyled in the end. That was a great night last night. How about Joel and beat? Well, we know he's great. And I'm going to get into that, too, because I think Philadelphia, I said they're going to win this trade,

and they are winning this trade for reasons we don't think. I want to start, though, with Brooklyn and the Celtics. The series is over. Boston is going to win the series. This needs to be said. There is a difference between how, and this is key, how a successful business operates and why it's successful. There's a how and a why.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie, they get the how. They've been on championship teams. I mean, Kevin Durant, with the Warriors for three years, he gets how. it operates. But KD and Kyrie, they don't get the Y. They're clueless. They just think, hey, couple hoopers. Throw us together, man.

A couple great hoopers. We're friends. It doesn't matter who coaches. Steve Nash, Steve Kerr, let's just get a guy named Steve who used to coach in the league and was a guard. Bench play system. Come on, man. These guys went in a podcast and literally before the season,

three years ago, said this. Coach, I was the first, he said I was the first person to call him Coach Nash, but I call him Steve. Steve is great, and I have a relationship with him that's going to build over time, bro. And I think it's also going to change the way we see coaches. I don't really see us having a head coach, you know what I mean? Like, Katie could be a head coach. I could be a head coach. Jacques Vaughn could do it one day.

It could be, it can be, it's a collaborative effort, I think, on our part. They really believe that. They really believe that. They're clueless. They don't get the why. They get the how. How does it work? But you got to give it a little time beyond yourself.

Sit down and think, why does it work? There's a reason Golden State and the Bulls and the Showtime Lakers work. People sacrificed of themselves. Kareem and Magic had to figure out totally different personalities. How do we give to ourselves and of ourselves? Draymond Green, Steph Curry, selfless, plans, able to be coached, be coached hard, to be confrontational and work through problems. Let's be totally frank.

The Brooklyn experiment is a massive failure. Three years, two first round exits, a second round exit, no chemistry, no plan, and a head coach. I'm told Steve Nash is over it, all the drama. But Katie and Kyrie didn't want a plan. They don't want to be coached. They don't even think they need a coach. And this is the mess you're left with. And it's interesting, right?

Because Katie and Kyrie, they kind of rolled their eyes at the rest of the league. They leaned into being villains. But they're lousy villains. Even movie villains. They antagonize the cops. They antagonize the good people. They antagonize law enforcement. Darth Vader and the Joker.

And it works for hours and days and years. But in the end, the good guys foil the bad guys. Law enforcement wins. These guys are terrible villains. Ten minutes into the movie, they got foiled. Like, yeah, you guys didn't have much of a plan there yet. There they are. They're the bad guys.

Put them, they're bad. Movies over. It'd be a ten-minute villain. They had no plan. They don't want to be coached. I mean, it's embarrassing. Anybody can coach us. What coaching does, and you're seeing it now,

great coaching not only elevates players, but Katie and Kyrie are great. We know that. But a great coach hides your flaws. McVeigh hid golf's flaws, right? Belichick could elevate Tom Brady. Make sure Dante Scarnicchio. Tom's not terribly mobile.

Doesn't like to get hit. Keep the 75-year-old offensive line coach. The great coach is hide your flaws. And Kevin's not terribly physical. He's not a soft player. He's not. He plays defense. Kevin's not soft, but he's not terribly physical.

and Boston with a great young coach knows it, recognizes it, and it's slapping and all over and pushing and in his face. And they don't run any plays. It's called rec center basketball. They don't run any plays. Kevin's left to himself. Kyrie's left to himself. And Kevin doesn't like that constant physicality in pushing and he's out of sorts. His ball handling's off.

That's where a great coach comes in. That's where a plan comes in. So when KD, multiple screens, high screens, pick and rolls, they don't have a plan. And I'm not sure they want to plan. I'm not sure they want to be coached. I mean, hell, they said, I'm listening, we don't need a coach. Kevin Durant, it's failed. We're three years in.

It's failed. KD. after. They're doing a good job of, you know, trying to cut off my scoring, you know, trying to limit my shot making, you know. So they, two or three people could test or somebody there in the lane when I'm driving. They might double here and there. So they're doing a good job. They're going to need to figure it out.

By the way, in the second half, good luck to figure it out. Kevin Durant was 0 for 10 with four turnovers. The guys combined shot under 31%. So it's just not something you can tweak. They are completely flummoxed. They didn't need a coach. It's absolutely failed. So I want to talk about, Chris Middleton got hurt

for the Milwaukee Bucks. That is not good. I still think they win the series, but it's not great. The Chicago Bulls, Demar de Rosen's a fascinating player. He's an L.A. kid. Wanted to be a Laker, didn't work out, so the Bulls get him. But years ago in the NBA, it was about 10 years ago,

eight years ago, seven years ago. Everybody fell in love with the analytic three ball, right? And DeMarjorosen was always super athletic, super good dude, but he shot twos. He's a mid-range guy. So everybody thought like, DeMarge Rosen went through this cycle six or seven years, where he's one of the most athletic guys in the league,

totally coachable, total baller, tough, relentless, fearless, gamer, mid-range, maven. Yeah, but he doesn't shoot threes. He's just athletic, doesn't shoot threes. And one of the things that drives me nuts about the NBA regular season is that it's lazy. There's too many games.

Players are exhausted. It's just three-ball, three-ball, three-ball. It's the easiest offense. Come down, shoot it up. But playoff basketball, everybody's equally rested, equally tired, and intensity wins. And the game becomes very situational. And Demar de Rosen, situationally, is a hell of a player. And the Chicago Bulls team, they don't shoot a lot of threes.

They're very good situationally. They've got guys that can get a bucket and guys that can get a stop. And that's really important in playoff basketball. It's why regular season NBA to me is an eye roll and why playoff basketball is completely consumable. The NBA regular season, guys are tired, the rest is an equal. They come down and play lazy basketball. Come down, shoot a three, back up on defense.

But when you play situational basketball and get mid-range jumpers on the baseline and you miss it, you got to get back on defense. It's hard. And De Rosen's great for that. And he was a forgotten player. Athletic, can't shoot. San Antonio moves on. People move on.

Lakers, no thanks. And now this is what he is. Perfect playoff guy. It'd be nice if he could shoot more threes. but the Bulls don't. They're kind of old school. They shoot a good percentage, top five in the league, but they don't shoot a lot of them.

But they've got get a bucket guys, and DeRosen is their best get a bucket guy. You know, it's funny about baseball. Everybody always talks about the analytic people, like five tool players. You know who the two best young players in baseball are? Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto. They don't run that well.

They don't play very good defense. They hit and hit with power. They're two tool guys. They do something great. And that's Demar DeRosen. He's not the perfect analytic player. He just gets stops and he gets buckets. And basketball gets very situational in the playoffs.

Right? Like the game slows down. It's not as lazy. It's not just every possession becomes very important. Because in playoff basketball, the arenas are packed. In playoff basketball, fans are standing opening tip. So what you have to avoid is. are going on these long runs, and it's like a 12-0-0 run,

and the momentum is huge, and you're like, Damar, we need a bucket. He gets one. The other guy's going an 8-0-0 run. Damar, we need to stop. He gets one. That's Kauai Leonard. That's why he's so valuable.

Kauai in the regular season, he's barely available. In the playoffs, stop and bucket, he's fantastic. So last night, and I saw it ruined Dwight Howard's career. He was a back to the basket center and suddenly the league's like, yeah, that doesn't work. Dwight just careened out. DeRosen similarly was going through this about five years ago. People were just like, he can't shoot threes.

You got to be able to shoot threes. He's athletic. He plays hard. He's kind of fearless. Yeah, I know, but he doesn't shoot threes. And I feel like the NBA's figured out. This whole analytic thing. I mean, we're all learning analytics, right?

Like baseball every couple years adds an analytic. football now is everybody's going forward and fourth down they weren't three years ago we're like figuring these analytics out and in basketball i feel like the forgotten mid-range player like the chris paul and the de rosen we're all like yeah like just hoisting up threes you know sometimes you just need a dude you just need a dude by the way the Celtics were terrible shooting threes last night brooklyn was better boston one good for demar um so joel mb we have more former Arizona Cardinals talking about Kyler Murray. This thing

has gone so public and so tasty and so ugly and 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. say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the 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 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 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fans. 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 podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 all day, but yeah, yeah. Literally.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. 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. You're now entering the No Bull Zone, sponsored by Credible Greatest. rates, none of the bull. So real estate agents will tell you, when you want to sell a home, get rid of the clutter. All those family pictures, it makes it too personal. People want to walk in and envision themselves in your home. They don't want to see all your grandkids. Clean stuff out. Move the furniture out. Clean the house up. You don't have to redesign the house. You don't even have to stage the house. Clean it up. Just clean it up. Just clean it up. when the Sixers took James Hardin.

They had an interesting team, but it felt too cluttered to me. Hardin was easy. He's a shot maker and a facilitator. He can be moody, but he'll make shots, and he can facilitate. We know that. He's become a much better facilitator. And Philadelphia cleaned up their house. They gave moody, enigmatic Ben Simmons to Brooklyn.

That's your headache. Andre Drummond had been a two-time all-star and a four-time rebound leader. He needed minutes in Philadelphia. We got M.B. Let's just give them Andre Drummond. And as Seth Curry, we've got to give Seth Curry minutes. Let's get rid of him. When I watch the Sixers now, there's so much more clarity as to what they are. And they're still figuring things out here.

But they got rid of all the clutter and the enigmatic Simmons in the backup center. We got to play certain minutes. And Seth Kier, Tyrese now has ascended since that trade. he was shooting 47% averaging 17. He's now at 20 points, 53%. More minutes, more shots, more clarity, knows what he is. Embeded, more minutes. Bringing Harden in didn't change the dynamic.

It's Embedd's team. He'll take the big shots. Rather have him closer to the hoop than outside. But getting rid of stuff, just getting rid of stuff, cleaning out the room is often addition by subtraction, they say. And I mean, you got, you got, Brooklyn's got a million questions here. When do we use Simmons? Will Simmons play?

Who can get along? It's just a mess. Philadelphia is like, we're good. We've got a lot of stuff we have to worry about. Let's just put that furniture in the garage and we'll bring one nice piece of furniture in to go with our nicest piece of furniture. and to me, when I watch them play, it's working. Darryl Morey knew it.

Too much clutter, too many questions, too much mood. Move it all out of the way. Lean on Embedededeed. Give Maxie the Ballmore. Harden, oh, you to score or facilitate. We'll figure out how to use Tobias Harris. He can be streaky. Here's the game winner last night from Joel Ambide.

Point nine on the shots. And B. And the crowd is silent. Everybody. Mouth shut. Move some stuff around. Get it out of the house. Take the pictures down.

Get it to Mbid. Give Maxie to Ballmore. Hardin will facilitate. Hardin's not even really scoring a lot. And they're up 3-0 about to close it. Joy with the news. No. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Nothing better than the local call on a big play or big moment. Oh, they get so jacked. Such a great job out of Kate Scott. I had to watch it back. I still can't contend. I don't understand why many people, Joe Al-M-Bee feels like they're villains.

I don't find Philadelphia unlikable at all. It's just because it's Philadelphia. I watch them play. They're joyful. They play hard. And by the way, they've got a lot of guys that can score. They move the ball pretty well.

You don't feel like Brooklyn where it's like they're not designing things. They appear coachable to me. I mean, listen, I don't love, you know, the knock on Doc Rivers has always been. He doesn't really design, you know, they don't love his schematic designs late in games, whatever. But to me, when I watch Philadelphia, I find them, I find them to be this growing chemistry play that is going to be a handful for everybody. Yeah, I like them. I think Twel and Beds the MVP.

I think they got a lot of good pieces and I think they won that trade. Yep. It's because it's in the city of Philadelphia. I'm telling you. That's what it is. I'm from Pittsburgh. I have no problem with Philadelphia. I've spent a lot of time there.

I don't have an issue with Philadelphia, but that's probably what it is. So Cleveland, however, I have had issues with. No one's quite sure what's going to go on with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland in that situation. And Kevin Stavanski spoke about it, but did not provide much of an answer when he was asked. That's a unique situation. It's fluid.

and we'll just continue to work through it as we go each day. It's a voluntary program. You know, what we won't do is we won't say who's here, who's not here. It's voluntary. The guys that show up, we're excited that they're here. We're excited to work with them. Yeah. I think, I don't think, I don't know how it's being played in Ohio.

But Cleveland's moved on. Baker's trying to get in better shape. And he's rehabbing his injury. I don't have a problem with either side. I think it's all fine. Baker's waiting to eventually get moved to a team. I had zero expectations of him coming to voluntary workouts. Most veterans don't go to voluntary workouts at all. So even if he was healthy, I don't know that he would be at voluntary workouts.

This is not, this is for fringe guys, guys who are young or new. Generally, the veteran guys don't go unless, you know, you have a new receiver that you're trying to work with or whatever. But I don't even know if I would expect Baker Mayfield to be there. When I think about the Baker Mayfield situation more, though, I do. I think I'm, I feel lucky that I'm a slow kill. What do you mean? I'm not a reactionary person. I don't always make the right decision. That's for sure. I made lots of terrible mistakes. But I'm a slow kill. So if something happens that upsets me, I don't immediately react. Yeah. I just take a beat and then decide if I immediately react, what could the possible worst case scenario be? Or should I just wait and destroy this person on my own time when I can. and make sure that I finish the job. I don't think Baker has that in him.

And I think part of the reason why this is played out the way that it has is because he has that chip on the shoulder thing, which I think is a little widely exaggerated. Most athletes, most people who are in competitive businesses have a chip on the shoulder. Because in order to reach some level of success, you've probably been told no a thousand times. You've probably been doubted a bunch or had to overcome something in order to get there. Some doors are opened at the top for certain people. but that's not always the case. It's actually quite rare that that's how it happens.

Baker just stirred up a bunch of stuff the whole time. You made things difficult for everyone all the time. Never saying the right thing. Not going out on a limb for teammates. Fighting with everyone. Who fights with local reporters? I know. That's bad. So I thought about it this morning.

If this was not like Baker and all the stuff that comes with Baker, I think he would have a much more sympathetic reaction from everyone. Because what the Browns did was kind of insane. They just straight up moved on from him. After he sacrificed his body for an entire year and dragged them out of irrelevance and complete dysfunction and won a playoff game over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What the Browns did is what the Denver Broncos did. Now different circumstances, but it was the Tebow thing that you had a quarterback you didn't truly believe in, Baker and Tebow. Different player. Baker's much better. You didn't believe. But you had the fan base because each had one of

playoff game, you had a lot of kind of like... A little bit of emotional attachment. Yeah. For different reasons. Low information football people. Like, that's my guy where GMs in the league didn't buy Tebow at all and most don't buy Baker as a franchise guy right now currently. So how do you, what do you do to bring in a new player?

You have to bring in a rock star. Peyton Manning Deshaun Watson. Right. Where everybody immediately acknowledges, okay, that's a massive upgrade. If you just bring in a guy, you know, like a tribistic. you're going to create this fight in the locker room so Deshawn I totally

get why they did Deshawn because he was the star on the market they could get. The talent side of it completely shuts down any argument That's right. Nobody disputes that and now the Baker fans or they're in Denver, the Teebo fans in the end are muted, they look kind of silly

nobody is just like so when people are you don't have to like Deshawn or the whole situation but you have to at least understand why they went with a superstar. It's the same thing Denver did. The other things in Denver, you had Tebow, who's like, Tim Tebow, and then you'd be on to Peyton Manning.

And in Cleveland, you had Baker Mayfield. And then you moved on to Deshawn Watson, who might not even end up playing. But both won a playoff game. Both had believers, but the believers were not in the front offices. Correct. Denver and Cleveland's front office didn't buy into Tebow or Baker. And so how do we get out of this thing? let's pivot to a massive star acquisition at their position.

Yeah, you had to pivot so hard in the talent direction. Spend the money. Yeah, there was no argument about it. Payton made a fortune. Deshaun guaranteed. So according to reports, Stephen Booker is likely to miss games three and four against the pelicans with a mild right hamstring strain.

He hasn't been ruled out for the rest of the opening round series, but he injured his hamstring in the third quarter of game two, contesting a transition dunk. The sons ended up losing. 25, 114, 14. He has battled hamstring injuries for the last two seasons, but game three is tomorrow night. In New Orleans, the sons are currently favored

by two, according to Fox Bet. I think that the sons will end up winning this series still even without Devin Booker. Yeah. If, I mean, obviously it depends on how the next few games go, but if they have a control over the series, I would imagine they'll just rest him until the second round if that's how the rest of the series ends up playing.

It's interesting. I think they'll win despite Devin Booker. Milwaukee without Chris Middleton is huge because I believe Chicago has more guys that can be between Zach and DeRosen and Caruso. Those guys can get a lot of buckets and they're also, they kind of know what they are. Like the Pelicans are still very young to me. Whereas like Chicago, I'm like, they've got a lot of guys that have been in this league a long time. Without Chris Middleton, Milwaukee could be in some trouble here. I agree. And it's a

it could be a much more serious injury than Emma Booker. Oh, no, it is. He sprained his MCL on his left knee in last night's loss to the Bull. So he scheduled for an MRI today. That'll determine the severity and give the team a timeline for his possible return. Game three is tomorrow in Chicago. The bucks

are favored by one and a half, according to Fox bet, but this could be a massive deal if he's out of he misses significant time. Yeah. And I just think the construct of of Phoenix is built to overcome. I think they can overcome it for the first round series. Like the Pelicans had a nice night the other night, but it's a long series.

And I think the sons have more. Milwaukee, I don't know if they can do it without Chris Milton, maybe in this first round, but moving on, I don't believe they will. And then there are also reports that Ben Simmons might be ready to make a debut game for nuts are down two. Oh, I mean, look, even if he does come back, the idea that Ben Simmons coming back and playing a few minutes a quarter is going to make this massive difference for someone who hasn't played basketball in an entire year and is coming off of a back injury.

I mean, guys, like, what are we talking about here? This is not a healthy Ben Simmons who's just hopping into a situation that he already has chemistry. What are we talking about? Also, you can watch a series sometimes. It's like, if you're watching a football game, and it's when these teams that have never played Alabama, come and play Alabama, like a Cincinnati, a few years, Washington. And you can watch the first two series and you see how hard it is for those teams to get

three yards. And you're like, oh, this is not going to change throughout the game. Doesn't mean they can't score. But when you watch Boston's defense against Brooklyn's offense, they're going to make Brooklyn work so hard. That's not going to change. And so what's going to happen is, I'm sure Brooklyn will go home and win a game because the officials, I mean, Boston's playing 90s physical. Yeah, and the officials in Boston are letting them play a very physical brand.

They'll get the whistle at home. So they'll get, I mean, they'll get the whistle at home. They'll win a game. But you can tell the Boston Brooklyn series that Boston's defense is giving a marginally coached Nets team that doesn't necessarily want to be coached fits. that will not change in this series. Now, KD may make more shots, more contested shots, but Boston is going to contest such a high percentage of Brooklyn shots. That will never change in the series.

And I think the series is over. I think Brooklyn wins a game at home. I think the series is over. Yeah, I also think it's wildly unfair to put that kind of pressure on Ben Simmons coming in after not playing for a year to a brand new situation coming off of an injury that he's supposed to make that kind of impact in this series. So Villanova's head coach, Jay Wright, announced his retirement last night after 21 seasons leading the Wildcats. He took over at Villanova in 2001 after spending seven seasons as the head coach of Hofstra.

He reached the Final Four and won the national championship in 2016 and 2018. He did reach the final four this season, but lost to Kansas who won the championship. He said in a statement that he had the opportunity to live out a professional dream as the head coach of Villanova during his 28 total seasons as a head coach. He compiled a 642-282 record with 10 regular season conference titles, seven conference tournament championships, and two national titles. He is also in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

I was lucky enough when I was a fledgling sportscaster 35, 30 years ago. He was the assistant at UNLV under the late Rowley Massimino, and there are people you meet in your life and instantly know they're going to be great. And I met Jay Wright when he was 21 years old. He'd just been married. They were having their first baby. And he was this young coach. He was the number two coach on the staff.

Dignity, discipline, decency. You knew instantly. You'd walk out of rooms with him. And he looked like George Clooney. And before I knew who George Clooney was. And you would know every time you'd see him at a lunch or every single time you'd interview him, you knew you were looking at a superstar coach. There was no, it's one of the most first interpretations matter.

And Jay was a, well, that, I mean, we used to talk about it when we covered him. We're like, that guy's going to be a Dean Smith. He's going to be one of the greats. Yeah, he's had an incredible career. He owes the game nothing at all. He's going to remain at Villanova as a special assistant to the president involving in fundraising and advising and, you know, probably a few recruiting nudges as well. He loves that school. That's his job.

He's not going to the NBA. Yeah, he loves that school. Yeah, no, I don't, I don't, initially I was like, is it an NBA thing? But I don't believe that it is. I mean, like I said, he has nothing else to prove to anyone. He had an unbelievable Hall of Fame career. And guess what? More and more in life, people are just deciding like, hey, I have my legacy.

I don't need to scratch and claw and spend a couple extra years away from my family or, you know, away from my kids or my grandkids to prove anything else. Maybe I just want to go, like, you know, go travel. and chill a little bit and spend a little time more time at home, go fishing, whatever it is you're into. I think honestly, obviously sports in college is changing a lot with NIL and the transfer portal. And, you know, times are changing. And it's a big adjustment for some people.

And it's changed how you have to recruit and lots of other things. But also, I do believe, I mean, we're seeing this in the workforce a lot. A lot of people retired because of the pandemic. I think the pandemic kind of changed a lot of people's perspective on things. Like, you know what? Maybe I don't need to work this many. hours a week, I could cut back a little bit and enjoy my life a little bit. Maybe I don't need this much money or this much more to do. Yeah, it took people off the treadmill. Sometimes you get

caught on the treadmill in life and you just, you don't give yourself. You don't give yourself time. Forget everybody else. You just don't give yourself an hour or two a day to sit, play a crossword puzzle, think, relaxed. And that's not our, that's not our American society. That's right. It's not what we do. If you do that, you start to feel guilty that you're not doing something else you're supposed to be working on. So, I mean, I don't know why he retired, but I do think that's, that's changed the perspective for a lot of people. Good stuff, Joy. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. You know, I was thinking about this. Three years ago, Brooklyn, Katie Kyrie, Clippers, Paul George Kauai, Lakers get LeBron and eventually get AD.

Three years ago, three teams, Clippers, Brooklyn, Lakers. They got it. the great tandem stars with power and influence. Today, all three are a mess. Lakers roster, awful, unfixable. They gave LeBron power. Give me Westbrook. Shouldn't have done that. Clippers are totally beholden to Kauai Leonard's odd personality.

And Brooklyn said, we got good chemistry here. Let's take KD. Kyrie, get a new coach, blow stuff up. really top heavy, no second gear, not really a plan. The 2022 playoffs are a testament to coachability and chemistry and coaching and defense because good basketball is about cohesion, not power. Sorry guys. Sorry LeBron. Sorry, Karee.

Sorry, Kauai. The minute franchises are completely beholden. to players, you got a problem. I'm not saying the NBA is not a players league. I've never had a problem with that. It is a players league. Players that are coachable and players that are committed and players who are willing to be part of a system.

Draymond and Steph and Clay. That franchise is not about Steve Kerr. It's about them. But they're willing to be part of a collective and a cohesive unit and play together. Brooklyn, the Lakers, and the Clippers. Oh, the stars, all are a mess. And in each instance, the franchise bent too far to either the agent, the star, the stars, look at them now.

I don't think Brooklyn's fixable. I don't think the Lakers are fixable. I do think the Clippers, because they have a very strong coach and a great front office and a tremendous owner, I don't think the Clippers are broken, but they've been way too beholden. to Kauai Leonard. Like, like, I mean, come on. Let's do some public stuff here. We are paying you this.

It's okay to talk publicly. Give everybody a heads up. But, you know what I mean? With great power comes great responsibility. LeBron's like, I don't want a head. I didn't made it. That Westbrook thing wasn't me. You wanted all the power.

You wanted to say, Clutch sports and LeBron, you want all the power. You got to own it. You got to own it a little bit because it's not working. What's working is Phoenix and Golden State. And last night, Chicago and before that Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

Philadelphia's got a powerful coach, it's got a powerful GM, it's got a powerful star. It is a collective. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right.

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

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of 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. podcast. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Good to have you in. Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter Monday morning quarterback. We got a draft coming up next week.

And we've got players won out of their franchises. So I said this yesterday. The Jets are a perfect fit for Debo because they got two early picks. San Francisco would take one because they gave up picks to get Trey Lance. You know, and we've got wide receivers everywhere. Your takeaway on the Debo situation, do you think he'll be moved? pre-draft or during the draft? I don't think they want to move them, but, you know, right now as it stands because this has become

public, the Niners are going to get phone calls. And, you know, I guess it's sort of up to the teams, the other teams, to put something in front of them that they can't refuse. And really, there are two things at issue here, Colin. And they both relate to the role he played down the stretch last year. You know, my understanding is the negotiations really have been non-existent. This has been about the role that Devo Samuel wants to play going forward. because he played so much tailback, and this isn't just like a gadget guy, right?

Like, this is a guy lining up and running like inside zone and playing a traditional tailback role. He's worried about the wear and tear in his body. You know, and then the other piece of it is that he sees himself as a receiver. And over the first half of last year, he was second in the NFL in receiving yards. By the end of the year, he was the third option in the passing game for the Niners. He was behind Brandon Ayuk and George Kittle because so much of his time was spent in the backfield. And so I think for Debo, a big piece, this is how he sees himself as a receiver and what the role he played last year could do to his longevity.

And what's so interesting about that is if you look at different teams and the way they may value him, I think there are a lot of teams that would say he is so valuable because he can do all those things. So if he doesn't want to do those things, what does that do to his value? That's what's so interesting about it. And that's where I think somebody like a team like the Jets that has so much institutional knowledge with both Michael Flore, the offensive coordinator and Ron. Robert Salah, the head coach, having come from San Francisco, would have real insight. And what they do, I think, is sort of a tell on how all the Niners people look at it. Okay. So the Kyler-Marie situation, I compare Kyler and Aaron Rogers all the time because they're not your traditional leaders.

They're kind of aloof and everything goes public. And organizations hate that. So there's another story out today where former Cardinals are talking about Kyler and the dysfunction with the Cardinals. And you know the organization and the owner of the Cardinals hates this stuff. I mean, would they move him? where are we at with Kyler Murray in Arizona? I don't think they have any intention of moving him. You know, the way I see it, like they had sort of viewed this as we're going to handle it in the summer.

And I think Kyler saw that as a real red flag. When Kyler's camp was told that in January and February, you know, Kyler's a former teammate of Baker Mayfields. And last year the Browns told Baker Mayfield to sit tight. And now we're seeing how all of that played out. And I think the way that Kyleers camp really looked at it was that, that draft day, that's a deadline for them because that's where the leverage changes. Because before the draft, there are a bunch of different teams that need quarterbacks

and that might be willing to give up draft capital and draft picks to go and get Kyler-Murray. Once you get past the draft, depth charts are set. Teams have kind of moved on. Teams are looking at building towards the season. So I think as Kyler's camp saw it, is like if we are going to ask for a trade, it has to happen before the draft because if we get past the draft, there may not be very many suitors left. So that's why I think the next seven or eight days and how Kyler Murray's camp handles it

is going to be critical. And the Cardinals are sort of where they've been, which is we're going to handle this when we get to the summer. We have a bunch of other pieces of business to do. We view Kyler Murray as our franchise quarterback and we want to extend him. But, you know, we want to wait to do it. And of course, you know, Kyler envisions a scenario then where the Cardinals may have some leverage because there will be nowhere else to go, and the holdout rules, of course, ahead of training camp are pretty stringent.

So I want to go to you. Your mock draft has the Jets taking an offensive tackle at 4 and Drake London, the USC receiver at 10, which is basically saying this defensive coach is saying, we got to make this Zach Wilson kid work, like really fast. I mean, and I don't disagree with that. That's why I think they'd be interested in Debo, because if Zach Wilson struggles again,

they're not going to, they're not bailing on him for another year, they'll move off the coach. That's my interpretation of your draft board. Yeah, I think the Jets really look at it as we have to start to get answers on Zach Wilson. They have two years to do it. We saw what the Dolphins did this year, and they have one year to do it.

I think the Jets have really tried to get ahead of this. And extending Braxton Barrios, bringing in Corey Davis last year, signing Lake and Tomlinson drafting Elijah Vera Tucker last year, drafting Elijah Moore last year. You have all of this offensive infrastructure, and I think the idea is you want to get answers within the first three years.

And so while we have the capital to do it, because remember, once you pay a guy at that position, everything changes, we need to get answers on them. And this has become the pressure point in each of these, you know, in each of these situations where teams take quarterbacks in the first round, that you get that answer after year three. You have that in hand when you, when the guy's eligible for an extension and when you have to make a decision on that fifth year option. And so like to me, what the Jets are doing right now is they're setting things up so they'll be able to get answers on Zach Wilson over the next couple of years. Now, that does not mean that they won't necessarily take a pass rusher or a corner up high. Remember, they have four picks in the top 40. So that could look

different. Like, there could be a receiver in the 30s. There could be an offensive lineman in the 30s rather than in the top 10. But I do think with at least a couple of those top 40 picks, they're going to put infrastructure around Zach Wilson. Good stuff. Albert Brewer, Monday morning quarterback covering the NFL for over 15 years. Great seeing you, Albert. Awesome. Thanks, calling you know it reminds me of something remember Norman Schwarzkoff the Desert Storm the four five star general I think he's a four star

general could be my apologies if he's a five star general he had a theory one time I read a book about him and he talked about sometimes you have to do things and even if you fail it creates clarity you do certain things in leadership positions and he inherited an issue

when he moved up within the military he said let's just make a decision and it may fail miserably but then we can move on knowing that plan doesn't work. And that's what Albert Brewer is talking about. Let's get Zach Wilson, I mean, last year, a lot of offensive pieces this year. Get a receiver, get a tackle. So now we've got a lot of good players offensively.

We may give up a thousand points and we may not win a lot of games, but we'll figure out can a guy play. Because now he's not bereft of talent. They've got some pieces here. And so I would do the same thing. When you get the start, sometimes we know instantly. Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes. You're like, yep, that's going to work.

But there's a lot of times you're like, okay, we are so void of talent. Is he good and is just overwhelmed? So I like that idea for the Jets. Let's go heavy offense early in the draft. And this year, we're going to figure out if he can play or not. That's exactly what Miami is doing with Tua. That's right. So Cedric Wilson, Jalen Waddle, Tyreek Hill.

Upgrade. Offensive line. It's like we're going to. Yep. By the way, if it doesn't work, the next quarterback inherits those. But, you know, sometimes failing creates clarity. All right. I don't know if I want to do it. I tell my kids this all the time.

Sometimes just be aggressive. Like take a chance. Oh, that was stupid. It doesn't work. Just don't make the same mistake twice. We move to hour two in our program on a Thursday. How about those Celtics? Wow.

It gets the hurt. 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 I-Hard Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 Cliver Show. This is a place for raw, unfields of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.