The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Rodgers, Lakers, salary cap, NBA

Episode Date: March 7, 2022

Reports are saying Aaron Rodgers doesn't know if he wants to stay in Green BayLooking at the Lakers over the last 9 seasonsWhy you never want to overpay for a player no matter how high the salary cap isGuest: Ric Bucher Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now, as is customary on Mondays, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, rolling up my shirt sleeves. I'm about to say, rolling the sleeves up this morning. It is a workday, Joy.

That's your hard hat. Might as well. Out here breaking story. Packed lunch. Jack Hammer. Ready to go. Joy Taylor is joining me. I really like this time of the year.

I really do. I got the Combine ends, free agency starting. We're seeing NFL news. The NBA games now matter. There's a lot of big TV games. March Madness coming around the corner. Did a little skiing this weekend, but watched a lot of basketball.

Lakers game was fun on Saturday night. Oh, so exciting. So exciting. Get to that in a second. Let's start with this. So there's a lot of NFL reporters out there. One of them I trust is Ian Rappaport. He decided or reported a couple days ago.

Ian Rappaport reported that Aaron Rogers is, quote, torn on what to do in Green Bay. So that's important. So let's start with it. That's important because if you were in a relationship, I'm in a marriage right now. I'm not torn because there's a lot of good things in it. I can't think of anything that's pretty bad. But if you're in a relationship and you're torn, it probably, tells me there is something big missing

that you think you can get somewhere else. That word matters. Because let's look at the things and the boxes that Green Bay does check for Aaron Rogers. And these things matter a lot. Okay, let's look at things that matter for Aaron Rogers. They check a lot of boxes. So let's go to the scoreboard here.

Ease of winning. It's a terrible division. He's virtually guaranteed, as Minnesota's a rebuild and Detroit's in a rebuild and, you know, Chicago's in a rebuild. He's going to win the division. Get a buy in the first round. Relationship with the head coach. Well, it's not bad.

I mean, they joke around a lot. They're generationally same age. I would say that's very good. And it's very important. That's very, very important. I mean, Brady just retired and there's, you know, discussions about turbulence with the head coach. Familiarity continuity.

Well, that's a check. That matters. like we're all kind of creatures of habit, right? You know how to drive to work. You got your bosses. You got your parking space. There's a continuity and familiarity in a small town. He likes it. He's happy there. Compensation, not an issue. A lot of times people leave jobs. They don't feel they're fairly compensated. That's a big one. That's like number one or two on most checklists. His compensation's fair. Colleagues he likes. Well, he tells us he does. He may like the new guy in Denver, but we do know that he's got really good relationships in Green Bay.

reasonable amount of control. Well, they don't have an owner. He wanted a voice in the room. He got himself Randall Cobb. So I think it's reasonable to say, yeah, he's got some control there. As much as any player would have. Okay. Okay.

So check, check, check, check, check, deck, depth of talent. And they don't have it. You watch the game again San Francisco, folks. After a touchdown on a scripted first drive, no more touchdowns. Let me ask you. When Devante Adams was bracketed, who did he throw to in that game? A running back, Aaron Jones. He doesn't have a, all these years with all those Green Bay receivers, he didn't trust any of them outside of Devonthe.

Cap space, a problem. Now, this is a problem for any team with a very expensive quarterback. So I'm not blaming anybody here. Aaron's great. He's paid a lot cap space. So Denver's top six in cap space. But let's focus on the depth of talent. What is happening to the NFL?

Another game. What is happening to the NFL? Like weapons now are really important. Think about the Rams. They've got the number one volume-wide receiver in league history in Cooper Cup. They've got Robert Woods coming back, excellent number two, top five number two in the league, top five. They got a third in Ban Jefferson. They drafted two receivers they like.

And they're still going to bring OBJ back. And I would not be surprised. Maybe a little shocked if the Rams didn't draft, another wide receiver. I just read a story this morning. The Chargers want Chris Godwin. They've already got a loaded receiver room. They want another one. Aaron doesn't trust a second receiver there.

And because the Packers are up against the cap space, they're going to let go of Zadarius Smith, an excellent linebacker. Now he had, I think, back surgery. But he's a very good player. So Aaron would stay in Green Bay. The division's easy. He likes his coach. He's got control.

What he's telling you is, we don't have enough good players. You're not torn in any relationship. If you check all those boxes, if you just move depth of talent to Green Bay, what would you be torn over? There'd be nothing to be torn over. He looks at Denver. It's Cortland Sutton. It's Jerry,

Judy. It's Tim Patrick. KJ. Hamler was hurt. It's Noah Fant. It's a young star running back. So I think he's not looking at it going, yeah, I can't wait to play Mahomes twice a year. Because there's a story out today. Denver's in the lead if he leaves. Now, I've told you from the very beginning, I don't think he's leaving Green Bay. I think Aaron likes the power of having no owner. He's the biggest guy in the state. I think he likes it. I don't think he wants to be a villain. I don't think he has the guts to be hated. I don't think it's in his personality. I think he's staying in Green Bay. That's always been my take. And he's just, you know, he does what he does. He's pushing it out, pushing it out, pushing it out, kind of forcing Green Bay's front office to make some moves

here. I'm going to give you more time, more time. But this whole thing about he's torn. He's torn because he sees what you and I see. A game against San Francisco where after a scripted opening drive, they couldn't score a touchdown. Green Bay does not have. have a Super Bowl roster of elite skilled talent. They don't. Denver does. That is the only reason he's torn. Everything else outside of depth of talent works in Green Bay's favor. And we should have, we should have news in the next couple of days. We're there. I think the whole thing's funny. So we've talked about this. Great NBA game Saturday night. Lakers, Warriors. And we've talked about this. Wilts Chamberlain and LeBron aren't perfect comps,

but Wilk Chamberlain was literally better physically than the league. And LeBron has literally been better physically than the league. I mean, as great as Kobe Bryant was, we saw something comparable. It was called Michael Jordan. There's a lot of comps for a lot of players. Not really a comp for LeBron, you know, big, strong handles, scores, distribute, Swiss Army knife. It was a little Wilt Chamberlain. At one point in Wilts' career, he decided, I want to lead the league in rebounding. And he did. I mean, there was one year, Wilk Chamberlain, averaged more minutes a game playing than there are minutes in games.

Because he played in overtime, too. Wilt was so gifted, he would decide, I want to lead the league in this. I've done this. I've done this. I want to lead the league in this. So LeBron has decided this year, and I think he's going to win the scoring title, he wants to prove he can, knew the scoring thing too. And so Saturday he had 56. It was great. He was mesmerizing. I never worry about LeBron James. He works out. He's committed. He's intense. He's a distributor. He's the

greatest Swiss Army knife in league history. That alley-out was pretty special. But can we, this is the Lakers, right? The standards greater for the Yankees and Alabama football and Ohio State football than, ooh, one big game for one big player. I want you to think about this. last nine years for the Los Angeles Lakers, easily the biggest brand in the NBA. Last nine years, they've had seven losing seasons. That's with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

If the Oklahoma Sooners or Alabama football had seven losing seasons in nine years, if Kansas or Kentucky basketball, seven losing seasons in nine years, if Yankees Red Sox seven losing seasons in nine years, If Packers, Cowboys, Steelers, seven losing seasons in nine years, what would you say? There's some issues upstairs. It can't all be coaching because you would have fired multiple coaches. It can't be all players because you'd have moved off players in nine years.

It would tell you that maybe ownership or the executive suite isn't right. Kobe and LeBron, biggest brand easily. nine years, seven losing seasons. Does anybody want to talk about that? We can talk about big Saturday night for LeBron. This is the Lakers, not the Orlando Magic. What are we doing here? I'm watching people freak out about it.

I mean, it was fun, and LeBron's great, and he's going to win the scoring title. But 10 of their next 13 games are on the road. Seven of those teams are playoff teams. Probably not a playoff team. There's standards in Los Angeles for the Lakers, or the Yankees in New York. or the Buckeyes in Ohio State or, you know, the wildcats in Tucson, you know, Arizona Wildcats.

Like they make the tournament. That's a given and they win games in the tournament. You're not hoisting banners for Pac-12 championships. You've done that. Been there, done that. It's really amazing. The Lakers have had four coaches in nine years. That's like what Detroit does. They've had 112 players in nine years. That's like what Orlando and Cleveland do.

And we're getting worked up because LeBron had a really good Saturday night. Does anybody want to answer the questions? Four coaches, nine years, 112 players, probably don't make the playoffs. Nine years, seven losing seasons. Yippee. LeBron went off Saturday. There are problems in this organization that are really, really deep. You've got an agent running things, nice guy, but an agent.

agent running a pro franchise. You had brother, sister, combo, own it, didn't get along. Still don't, from what I can tell. You've got an anemic roster way too old. Can't afford Malik Monk, the one young player I like, you like, and everybody in the world

likes. I mean, congrats on Saturday. LeBron's doing a wilt. He's so gifted, he's decided, I'm going to win that scoring title, and I think he will, and I think it's great, and I think he's mesmerizing. But, man, what's the standard just seems to me for certain brands. And remember, big brands always have a huge advantage

in sports. It doesn't matter if it's USC football. It doesn't matter if it's Notre Dame football. Big brands, because they all at some point hire the wrong coach or have a bad GM and they dip. But if you ever notice with big brands when they dip, they rise really fast. Didn't take Harbaugh long to win 10 games at Michigan. Didn't take Samin long to win a national title at Alabama. doesn't take long when the Yankees get it right because of their revenue streams, because what happens when big brands get it right, the networks move in, I mean, Lakers still are on TV constantly. They're not one of the top 10 teams in the league.

They're on television constantly. That means players watch them, merchandise sales, stars want to come to L.A., stars want to go to the big brands because it's good for their brand. You can sell more shoes playing for the Lakers than you can for the Pistons. So big brands in college basketball, football, NBA, it doesn't matter where they're at. Big brand, Chicago Blackhawks and hockey, it's a big brand. You're going to make more money as an NHL player for ancillary income

playing there than you are in Phoenix. So it's Saturday night people are freaking out and I'm like, nice game. We got a structural issue, a mile deep with this franchise because if you look at what's remaining and you look at their roster, the Lakers are not going to make the playoffs. That is the equivalent of Ohio State not making a bowl game. Kentucky not making the tournament. What?

Lakers not making the playoffs with the scoring champ, with LeBron James. In the east, he was taking the dregs of society to the finals, his first seven years in the league. I know. I come across as Mr. Negative guy, but sometimes,

it's like, what are we doing here? What are we getting excited about? The reality of having a good quarterback making great money. You are seeing it this morning, and that is coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashed. 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. Clever 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 podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're

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

where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So Thank you 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 podcast Wolfenshepardlah.com.

Love their shoes. Amazingly comfortable shoes. Go to wolf and shepherd.com. I never understand this argument. Well, the cap's going up next year, so you can overpay for this player. Oh, so you don't really understand how, like, economics work. Like, if you doubled your income next year, you still want to pay four times for that Ford Explorer? Or do you think that everything's a value proposition? outside of like the occasional experience we all have with our kids you go skiing you take them to

Hawaii or the Caribbean you're not sitting there counting pennies on that but we're all like we all have budgets right and the NFL's got a salary cap so I always love this oh the the cap's going up cap's gone up 90 million and eight years it goes up about 10 million a year there's never a time I want to pay Kirk cousins 45 million dollars I don't care if the cap was 120 million dollars the less cap hit an average player is, the more good players I can have around it. Right now, J.C. Jackson's a great corner for the Patriots. They're moving off him. He's a great corner. He wants $20 million. You're not that great. It's a value proposition. And so this morning, there's a story that the Cowboys have, last week, they're moving off Amari Cooper, and now they're moving off Demarcus Lawrence.

They've asked him to take a pay cut. He said, no, he's probably gone. DeMarcus Lawrence is a good player. Mario Cooper's a really good player. This is why you don't pay Zeke two years early, and it's why you don't pay DAC Mahomes money. The argument was always, you know, just the caps going up. There's never a time that DAC should make a round what Mahomes does. You watch Mahomes against Josh Allen.

You watch that AFC round. That's one of the greatest games I've ever seen in my life. It was unbelievable. Does Dak look like either of those guys? The answer is no. So let's stop pretending because the cap's going up. You can overpay for a B quarterback. By the way, that's what the Falcons did with Matt Ryan.

Have you noticed what's happened to Atlanta since they did that? They haven't been in a bad division. Non-playoff team. Have you noticed the Vikings since they started paying huge money to Kirk Cousins? Yeah, they kind of regressed, don't they? There is never a moment to pay average to above average. And I think I've always said, hey, Dax's a franchise quarterback. But you guys just all want to wheel out the wheelbarrow and give $45 million.

I'll give it to Josh Allen. I'll give it to Patrick Mahomes. You can give a lot of that money to Aaron or Russell Wilson. There's a handful of guys. You start paying Matt Ryan that. You start paying Kirk Cousins that and Dack that. And this is what you get. Dax got too many wins against the Giants, the Eagles, and the Washington football team.

And not enough wins in the last three years against great teams. They faced a wild card team at home and lost. That's what they are. So you stop telling me all you economists out there. I mean, for a while, you were all epidemiologists. Now you're all economists. They just want to pay. There's never a time to pay average players great money.

And Dak is a good franchise quarterback. He's not great. He's not special. He doesn't have that kind of Mahomes Josh Allen-Armtown. You're not running around like Russell Wilson or Kyler or Josh Allen, not doing that. He's good. He's dependable. He's a good kid. He's a hard worker. There's a lot of intangibles I like. But as tangibles, they're a notch below Mahomes. So when you're when you're quarterback, there's a real trend here. Even for great quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Aaron, the more money you take, you don't have a great second corner or a great third wide receiver. You start looking at these cap hits, the biggest in the NFL last year. Matt Ryan, no playoffs. Rogers, one and done.

Kirk Cousins, regressing. Let's move past Deshaun. Ryan Tannehill, one and done. Russell Wilson, fourth place. Dak, one and done. You say, what about Mahomes? Okay, Mahomes is probably the greatest quarterback talent in the league. I would rather not pay him 35, but I'm going to pay him 35.

He's also a good kid. I got no drama with him. Some family drama. I got no Patrick Mahomes drama. But you start looking at all the high. highest paid quarterbacks. There's a trend here. The teams are regressing. The teams are one and done. The teams don't have that third receiver. That second corner, that second decent tackle. DeMarcus Lawrence, Amari Cooper, good players. See ya. You can see it coming for miles. Joy with the

news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. By the way, not next year the year after. Dax a $45 million cap hit. That is a lot of money. The year after that, in 2024, he's a $48 million cash. And again, there was, I can think two things. He's a franchise quarterback, and that makes me throw up a little in my mouth. 45 million a year is, that is like a rare, rare, rare Mahomes. I'm not sure there are four guys in that category. I'm not sure there are.

Yeah, it's so complicated when you get into the market for what a franchise quarterback is. But you have to have them. Yes. and you have to pay them. But there's only a very slim amount of guys that you would put into that category. But that's like, you know, that's what the market dictates you pay for them. I mean, like right now Atlanta and Minnesota. I mean, the coach just got fired.

They're running through coaches in Atlanta. The Minnesota coach got fired. And the Minnesota coach privately, it's reported last week, was like, he doesn't make enough play. Yeah. I mean, at least with Matt Ryan, you made it to a Super Bowl. He won a league MVP. So I can at least justify that. Her cousins is a different situation.

But since he's made big boy money. Oh, yeah. I mean, there's no question about it. But you can justify that in at least making it to a Super Bowl. I don't know what Minnesota is doing. They're clearly, the more he makes, the less they have. But like, look at what Washington's been since Kirk Cousins left there. Oh, there's.

See, again, two things. They're franchise quarterbacks. Matt Ryan's going to get some Hall of Fame votes. I'm not disputing that. But it's like, there is. trend on that top 10 list. One guy. In fact, none of those guys

got to a Super Bowl. One guy we all look at and go, yeah, of course, you'd pay that. Nobody's going to argue over the Mahomes thing. For the record, that's why they paid him early, because that's actually, when you look at the numbers of the other quarterbacks, Kansas City's getting a discount on him. Like, he's probably worth 45.

They're getting him now for 35. Yeah, no, he worked that contract like that purposefully. You're never going to move on from Patrick Holmes. So why wouldn't you give him most of those super long? Patrick. Patrick also wanted to have, I mean, Patrick's smart enough to look around the room and go, I want a second star receiver. Yeah. So. Well, the Nets were unable to pull off the win against the Celtics yesterday, losing 126-120. Jason Tatum had 54 points. He was unbelievable. Yes. But Kevin Durant also had an amazing game and hit a milestone in his career. He became the 23rd player in NBA history to score 25,000 points. And he spoke about it. And his faith in his team. team after the game. I should be at 30 right now, to be honest, but it's cool. It's cool to

reach that milestone and be amongst the grades. And I just got to keep pushing and keep going and see why I end up. It's easy to be concerned. It's easy to be worried and pissed off and mad. Easy to do that. We could point fingers and, you know, blame our season on other things. But let's just go play. They're at a time. And I'm confident in this group. They've lost 17 to 20, so they're just not winning enough. They're 32 and 33, 9th in the east. Still no full-time Kyrie. And there's no timetable on Ben Simmons.

I will say this. Boston, Brad Stevens move upstairs. They have a new coach. And they're interesting. I don't think they're a finals team, but everybody's going. You know, again, these TV games are so funny, Joy. LeBron scores 56 on TV. In the world, Boston has a very good TV performance.

Yeah, everyone overreacts. Yeah, everybody over. We do that with Monday Night Football. ball. So we start watching the NBA every year in March because we're getting to the playoffs, right? So we start really watching it and we're overreacting. Boston's a playoff team. They're going to win a first round. They're going to be, you know, they're going to be a really interesting matchup. And I like Jason Tatum. He's a very good one-on-one player, but I got news for you. If I need a bucket, he's not one of the four guys in the league I want. And people go crazy about that, but I've seen

a lot of this Boston stuff. There is a ceiling to Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum. I've seen it multiple times in the playoffs. I'm interested in them this year because they are well run and they do have a core group so I do wonder I think the matchup will matter ask yourself this

a minute and a half left if I gave you if I gave you M. B'd Hardin and Jason Tatum in what order would you for take the shot I would take MBEed Hardin and Jason Tatum third and everybody and I love Jason Tatum I think I'm going hardin first

I think people are going certainly make that argument because he'll draw a foul. Yeah, and he's just one of the best scores of all time. Like I just, one of the best offensive players ever. I've seen the Boston thing multiple times. The Mark is Smart, Jalen Brown, Jason Tainab. I've seen this multiple times. Yeah, I'm with you.

But that's what I'm saying. I think the matchups will matter for Boston because they do have that core group with a lot of experience, which matters in the postseason. That's a huge. That's why they're going to win one and maybe two rounds. Yeah, well, Katie's being positive about it, but I maintain that this, this net situation is something to be worked out in the off season. So Josh McDaniels has high expectations for the Raiders this season.

He said they have no time to waste. They want to win it all. He said, I don't think it today's NFL. There's really any time to do rebuilding anyway. This certainly isn't that type of situation for us. Yeah, the rebuilding thing is very complicated in the NFL. They made the playoffs. They're not in a rebuild.

They're in a reboot. That's different than a rebuild. If they hit on a couple of draft picks on the defensive side, I mean, they have an elite pass rusher, an elite quarterback, an elite tight end, a very good running back. In a weapons league, they do need a speed receiver. So they have to draft a speed receiver. But they do have, I mean, there's a lot of elements here.

They made the playoffs from a very talented division in a more talented conference. I don't think they're rebuilding. In a completely dysfunctional year. They closed the season with four consecutive close wins over non-playoff teams to get into the postseason. and they had a 10-7 record, so they need to re-sign Max Crosby. They seem like they're going to work on a contract extension with Derek Carr. They need to find a replacement for Henry Ruggs. Yes.

But they were outscored over the course of the season, scoring 374 points while allowing 439. They have some moves they need to make on the defensive side. That's the worst point differential by any team with a winning record this season. Yeah, they need a speed receiver. Like they could go on the market and get it, but Henry Ruggs was like that was a reason they drafted him. That was a need. Now he's gone. so they have to go get that on the free agent market, I would guess.

The Raiders are just a team I'm just a little hesitant of. Yes, same. Because the core structure of that team remains in place. And that's just how it's. But you could do worse than having an A-list quarterback pass rusher, tight end. And I would say Colton Miller is a... Oh, yeah, I'm not talking about it on the field.

I think they're going to make some moves. Oh, off the field, there's a lot of... I just think structurally, like this, you know, I've seen this before. Yeah. So Von Miller seemed to fit in perfectly with the Rams after being traded from the Broncos. According to Ian Rappaport, the team and Von Miller have mutual interest in him returning next season. He's scheduled to become a free agent later this month, and he is expected to command a big payday. But the team plans to do everything it can to bring him back. He has never hit free agency.

And according to Mike Garofalo, he plans to explore the market before committing to a return. The Rams traded a second and third round pick to the Broncos for Miller, during the season. I think that that was well worth the trade on a Super Bowl, so whatever moves he made were worth it. I can totally acknowledge he was so much better than I thought. He was having an ankle injury and then he had five sacks and eight tackles for loss in the final four regular season games and played a huge role in their defense. Oh, God, he was, last five games he played, he was magnificent. Like really, between him and Aaron Donald, he had an interior force and an edge force. He was a handful. He had four sacks and six tackles for

loss in the postseason. The Chargers, Broncos, and Packers are reportedly interested in pursuing him this offseason. It will be interesting to see what he does because when you have never hit free agency before, it's obviously something you want to explore. And, you know, he's had a long career. So, you know, does he go for the big payday, whoever's going to pay the most or does he go for a situation that's more comfortable? But that's what's interesting about what the Rams have done is because they have cultivated such a unique culture here in Los Angeles. They are a team that I could see moving forward, people taking less money to play for. Yes.

It's a winning. Not just because of the, you know, the Los Angeles and all that, which is obviously a huge appeal, but playing for Sean McVeigh and this organization that clearly is very pro player, but not in a way that is dysfunctional in a way that we are going to go and all in all the time and take advantage of the roster that we have. And also, they're kind of working the compensatory pick situation. So they're going to get, they have like, it's amazing. They keep giving up picks and they have eight.

many believe they'll have eight picks. So the league comes out and gives you compensatory picks. Nobody knows really it's the, it's one of the, it's the Bermuda Triangle of NFL operations. Nobody knows quite how it works and how many you get, but people are predicting eight picks. And they've drafted well.

14 of their 22 starters are drafted and developed players. They're very, they're very Golden State Warriors in some ways. Really smart. They don't really understand how they're able to make all these moves and be in the positions that they're in, but they just continue to do. Last year they paid two quarterbacks, Gough and Stafford.

But similarly to what we talk about all the time around the league, there are only a handful of good coaches, there are only a handful of good GMs, there are only a handful of great quarterbacks or great at any one particular position. And all of those things being in place matters. Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. You said top of the show, I made a mistake. Top of the show, I said, Wilts Chamberlain decided to lead the league in rebounds. I don't know why I said that. He decided one year to lead the league in assists as a center. And centers back then weren't handling the ball.

So Wilk Chamberlain at one point in his career decided, I'm going to leave the NBA and assists. And it was just like, all right. And he did. And I've said this. I think LeBron this year decided at some point, I'm going to lead the league in scoring. I got no problem with it.

I mean, I got no problem with LeBron saying with this group and this dysfunction, you know what, they need my points. He's not around. Westbrook's not as productive. They need my points. I'm going to leave the league in scoring, and I think he will. All right, call on right, calling right, calling wrong. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

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

and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things who's culture that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move. And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast, 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. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars family. and 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 on day, but just a lot of it. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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 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. Oh, hope you had a great weekend. to be back. The combine wrapped up. I will say this. I was on the phone texting a lot of execs in the NFL about this. It is an underwhelming draft in terms of great players. I think the pass rusher for Michigan Hutchinson is viewed by most as the surest thing. Even the top

Evan Neal's the top tackle prospect from Alabama doesn't have very good change of direction. Some of that's because he's like six, seven and a half, 350. But he's not as good as Rishon Slater, who was not considered a number one pick a couple years ago from Northwestern, Evan Neal is not considered as good a prospect as Slater, who's got way better feet and way better change of direction, which with all these, you know, pass rushers these days, the Vaughn Millers, we've never had better athletes rushing the passer. You've got to have good feet and you've got to be able to change direction. Slater's fantastic.

Neal's a mountain of a man. He could block the sun, but he's not great at that. So it's just not a great draft in terms of special players. everybody would rather trade down. Everybody. Everybody wants to trade down except for maybe that team that wants Malik Willis, the quarterback, then I think you'd see a move up for him. And by the way, I'm a draft guy.

I love the draft. It's just not a special year in terms of top elite talent. Rick Buecker now joining us live. Rick, I am so, I love to be right. Harden, Embed. Honestly, I have already bought my playoff tickets. This is amazing. what do you make of the instant success for those two?

Yeah, I think it's good that you got your playoff tickets already because you want to hit that first or second round because we don't know if it's going to go beyond that. It's a marathon, not a sprint. And yes, they have looked impressive, and they've defied all the critics who said, two ball dominant guys, it's not going to work. Tyrese and the other pieces that have benefited from that combination,

the way James has shared the ball, without question, it has worked faster, better than anyone expected. But I get this from GMs and scouts all the time. Don't tell me when things are going well. Tell me how a team responds when things get a little sticky, when they get a little tough. That's what I need to know. And we got James taking a night off already. Yes, it's a back-to-back. Yes, he's coming off of a hamstring injury that happened to get him. out of Brooklyn. But the reality is that there are no days off when you get to the playoffs. And it is a grind. And they're going to have to demonstrate that they're able to match that grind at both ends of the floor. So look, I will stand corrected. It's better than I thought it was going to be

initially. But it's not enough for me to convince that the long-term chemistry of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat and teams that have been through the fire collectively that the Philadelphia's 76ers are ready to knock them off. Well, I can't wait for it. I think the East is going to be, it's very rare, but I think the East is going to be far more entertaining than the Western Conference playoffs. I cannot wait to watch these matchups. Now, so Saturday night, I sat and watched about an hour and a half of Lakers Warriors. And, you know, we all know Golden State's got a size issue. They're not big. Dremont's hurt. But there's, I mean, I love Clay Thompson. You love Clay Thompson. It's not there. Like, it's not there, right? I don't think they challenge the Sons.

From what I have seen, it's not there, right? Like, what do you make of Clay, the team, the structure, and where they're going? I do believe that they should be a better playoff team than regular season team if they have all hands on deck. But this has always been my position with the Warriors, with everybody expecting, hey, once Clay is back and Draymond, we get the band back together, then they're going to pick up right where they left off. I never expected that to happen because they're not right where they left off.

All of these guys, every single one of their key players, has suffered a significant injury. They're not the same physically. So that experience and that chemistry in the postseason, if you have everybody there and they can go 100%, then they still have a chance to recapture that old magic. but short of that, you're relying on guys that are completely unproven when it comes to the postseason. Most notably, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole. And there's no guarantee just because they're great in the regular season doesn't mean they can make the step up that Clay, Dre, and Steph did. So that's where the jury is out for me.

And I asked Steve Curtis, right before the trade deadline, I asked him about the size question, knowing that even if James Rowe's, Wiseman came back. It's a guy who's barely played. You don't know what you're going to get out of him. And you're basically running with Kavanaughney at the center. And I'd had scouts say to me, I'm not sure that you can win a championship with Kvon Luni as your only big man. You can't probably. And I tend to agree with that based on what we've seen. Yeah. So the Westbrook situation, when he came here, I've never been a Westbrook guy, so we all know that. That's pretty obvious. But I did say in this trade, I said, listen, A.D.'s always hurt. LeBron's getting older. He's going to give you 34 minutes and 24

points. I'm okay with it. I'm not going to trust him in the postseason. Well, now his production is 34 minutes, 18 points. At the end of that game Saturday night, his turnovers were bizarre. They were so bad. Now there's a story, it's irreconcilable, it's over. Is it worse than you thought? Now, there's another story that Vogel is actually one of the last defenders of Westbrook. Like everybody else wants to bench him. Did you ever think it would get this bad, this toxic this quickly? No, no. I never thought it was going to be this bad. And while I didn't expect it to work out in the playoffs, because of what we've seen with Russell in the postseason, I did think he could be the engine that drove them during the regular season. Yeah, that's what I thought.

It would be a tough matchup. Yeah. With Mello, Russ, AD, LeBron, like on a nightly basis, you could have somebody different stepping up and they'd find a way. way to overcome that age difference. But what we've seen is, and this is in part because LeBron James has become a scorer. And so Russell Westbrook has to be more of a playmaker. And I will give him this. One, he's still trying to play hard. He's still giving you the same kind of energy, at least offensively pushing it. He hasn't been giving it at the defensive end for quite some time. Neither has LeBron. So neither has Mello. So there's that. But, but, you're asking him to be a playmaker for all of these pieces and play at a pace and to set up all these

different guys. And that's just not what he's been. He's tried to be it. He can't be that at an efficient level. And I've said this too. Everybody's looking at it going, what happened to Russell Westbrook? You just weren't paying attention. Like, he's not significantly different than he was in Washington or in Houston. Yeah, you're right. He just didn't have the spotlight on him every minute of every game with the expectations that come with being the L.A. Lakers playing next to LeBron James. Good stuff.

All right, Rick Buecker, Fox Sports, NBA analyst, my friend, on a Monday, great seeing you again, ramps up. Right now the NBA season gets very interesting. Good seeing you, bud. You got it, Colin. The Eastern Conference playoffs are going to be great. You got Philadelphia is now a real team. Get Brooklyn out of here.

They don't matter. Boston's playing great. Miami's a top seed, but nobody trusts them. I don't. Chicago's going to be fun. It's good when Chicago's good, right? Big City, good brand, the fans, the home games. The Western Conference playoffs, let's just put it out there.

Phoenix with Chris Paul is way better than everybody. And then Golden State is banged up, as Rick pointed out. Everybody's been hurt. All their guys have been hurt. I just doesn't feel like a championship year. Denver, similarly, talented, but guys are all banged up. And then there's a lot of bad in the West. You know, it's funny, for years and years, the NFC was better than the AFC in the NFL.

And then all these AFC GMs hit on all these quarterbacks, all these Josh Allen's and Lamar's and Patrick Mahalms and Justin Herberts and Joe Burroughs. Now the AFC is much better very quickly than the NFC. Now, I don't think Aaron's going to go to Denver. I don't. He'll announce it soon. I think he's staying in Green Bay. I think he's going to get a big contract.

I think they're fairly desperate. The Jordan Love Pick is not working. But if Aaron went to the AFC, F. Like, it's lobsided. It's like comparing the Big 12 to the SEC and college football. Like, it's lobsided. And for years and years, the West, I mean, it's been like 30 years.

The West has been better than the East. But that doesn't make the matchups better. I think the Eastern matchups are fantastic. And there's just enough, like Milwaukee has the best chemistry, the best guy. And Chris Middleton, when he's hot, they're tough. But they've been in a lot of close games. They're not as good defensively. Lopez out is not the same size, rebounding team.

So I think you're going to have – just because you're not the best conference, doesn't mean you don't have the best matchups. Styles make fights. I think the Eastern Conference, Miami, Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Boston. Really interesting, really good matchups. A lot of long, long series. I think we're going to get down to Milwaukee, Philadelphia, 6, 7 games, and probably, probably Milwaukee's depth.

They have a third score. They go, you know, you got Janice, you got Middleton, Drew's having a great year. You know, Philadelphia, it's hardened and beat if one got hurt, one got in foul trouble. Tobias Harris is kind of the lost guy in this hardened move, but I love it. It's really, really good. All right, Colin Wright, Colin wrong around the corner. Don't forget, buy your next car from anywhere you want at driveway. They've got over 25,000 new and used vehicles, all inspected by experts.

Transparent, no haggle prices. Right now, go to driveway.com. Their motto, auto, done easy. Driveway.com. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, hour two. Next. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing huge. potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with

the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Elish. Each episode, we pick a hear. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits. my basketball and college football journey or my career in sports media. Well now, I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the 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. This is an IHeart podcast.

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