The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The code has been cracked

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

Colin hypes up JJ Redick for finally cracking the LeBron James code! We can really grade how bad the Lakers-Mavericks trade is until Anthony Davis returns from injury Tom Brady reached out to Matt Stafford about playing for the RaidersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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No brakes, all gas, or something like that. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. What a showcase it was. Ended up being a really good basketball game. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. I am. So it should be noted.

Lakers, Luca, LeBron, against the Mavericks, old team. The Mavericks, all their bigs are hurt. It feels like, so the Lakers got a lot of alludes. Jackson Hayes feasted. He would not get that if they were fully staffed. So let's add some context. Dallas's bigs were out,

so it was a very small team. That really helped Jackson Hayes. But I have two big takes on what was a weird night. There was a lot of emotions, a weird night. Number one is JJ Reddick, it's official, has figured out the LeBron Code.

is that for years and years, we've been trying to kind of figure this out. How do you move LeBron off ball? He's figured it out, and they tried it with AD. It didn't work. The LeBron Luca Code, one's a quarterback, one's a wide receiver. Luca's going to control the tempo, control the pace, control the game. He's going to play quarterback. And Luca can really fill up the box score.

First half, he was like Dennis Rodman. He was dominating the glass. Second half, he got some scoring. But 12 assists tells you how much. much and how often Luca had the ball. And he is a very deft passer, especially trying to find players down the floor. He's a great outlet guy, a great down the floor passer. He is running the show. So that's the first thing. You know, this is not, Darwin Ham would frustrate Laker fans. Does he know offense? J.J. Reddick knows offense. We got five games. It took Eric Spolstra about a dozen

games to figure out LeBron and D. Wade, and Spolstra is an all-time coach. I think J.J. Reddick has figured out LeBron Luca in about six games. I think he figured it out in Denver, and he figured it out last night. And my number two take is that allows LeBron, and I talked about this yesterday, to have these five-and-six-minute energy spurts where he's just remarkable. But what I watched last night, I've already texted one of LeBron's guys. What I watched in the fourth quarter last night is the greatest performance I've ever seen by an old NBA player in a meaningful game in the fourth quarter. LeBron was easily the best player on the floor.

I could not believe what I was watching. 16 points, racing down the floor, making defensive stops, alley-y-ups. I've never seen an old man fourth quarter like that in a game that had some relevance. It had some resonance. They're trying to get the Luca LeBron thing right. It's Luca playing his old team. If you had never seen LeBron James play, if it wasn't for his hair line, let's be honest, you would have watched that fourth quarter and thought, who the hell is this 26-year-old?

He's amazing. I could not believe what I was watching. His energy was a notch above every other player on the floor, and he's the old guy. Even on that tip, he positioned himself aggressively, he got the tip, then followed it up with a game-clinching shot. And both LeBron and Luca, one of the things that's really obvious, how happy, how joyful LeBron looks. This is bad for the NBA. I today, five games, I would sign LeBron to a two to three year contract.

You can see, it's like a kid that gets a new bike at Christmas. He is a new ice hockey game. He is so happy. He is so joyful. They tried for a year. He loved AD. But AD can't initiate offense. AD is not a quarterback.

He was like the best tied in in the league. LeBron then had to play quarterback. Now LeBron can get up the floor, conserve energy, wait until they need him for five and six minutes spurts. And I'm telling you, I sat and watched that fourth quarter. I could not believe what I was watching. He was so far and away the best player on the floor. And I know, Dallas was missing Biggs.

He was getting shot to the basket. He would normally not get. I'm baking that in. I understand that. But I think J.J. Reddick has figured it out. I think it happened faster than the de-wayed LeBron convergence. I think it happened about the same time. I think Kyrie and LeBron figured it out pretty quick in Cleveland.

But there's a Magic Kareem feel to it where Magic runs the show. But if you got to about four minutes left, Magic gave it to the big fella. You drop in the skyhook. Now, there are obviously much different games. Luke is a much better score than Magic. And Kareem doesn't run the floor like LeBron. Old Kareem doesn't. But there is a magic Kareem Field to it where, hey, Luca Magic going to run the show, both great passers, both can score, both just tremendous self-awareness on the tile.

But we're going to give it to the big fella down late, the old big fella, and he's going to clean stuff up. And, I mean, JJ Reddick talked about it and Luca after, that was fun to watch. And what I saw was energy, happiness, joy. I'm telling you, I don't know if I've seen LeBron this happy since the championship era in Cleveland. I mean, that's what it looks like. His body language, his energy, it's palpable. Here's the coach and Luke after. He gives off a certain level of joy, and I feel that joy, and it gives me joy.

That's just how it's always been. Him and I communicated the very first day he got to L.A. was just like, are you comfortable being coached with honesty? And he said, yes. Are you comfortable being coached with the recumption? He said, yes, that's what I want. And I said, okay, great. And you and I are going to be good. And it has been.

The closure is going to take a while, I think. I know it's just, it's not ideal. But, you know, like I said, I'm glad this game is over. You know, there's a lot of emotions. But we go little by little, you know, and every day is better. That's a fun watch. Isn't it amazing? Jimmy Butler to the Warriors.

Luca to the Lakers, you look up and you're like, maybe they won't have a TV rating problem next three months in the NBA. So let's be honest. Obviously, Nico Harrison's legacy, this is not going to do it any favors. But this needs to be said about the Luca trade.

We have to be fair. If AD was healthy, and he'll be back in a couple of months for the Mavericks, it may be too late, but if AD was healthy, Dallas is an excellent team. Okay, first of all, Kyrie Irving now gets the ball in his hands more often.

He's magical. He is the greatest 6-2 closer in league history. He is, in my opinion, he is the most skilled basketball player in the world. Left hand, right-hand, outside, mid-range floaters. I've never seen a player like him. This is not a revelation. Everybody knows this. But now that he gets the ball more, holy, whatever.

The kid's magical. Number two is AD's a perfect fit with him. In the one game they played together, AD took the rockets to the cleaners. He dominated 26, 16, and 7. AD is a perfect fit. He'll anchor the back line. He'll anchor the defense. He doesn't need the ball in his hands.

So Kyrie and AD are actually, you could argue, a better fit than Kyrie and Luca, because Kyrie's not a great defensive player. Luca's worse. And AD doesn't need the ball in his hands. That's better for Kyrie. And he's a great defensive player. I think he's the best defensive player in the league. And here's the other thing.

Dallas has got a lot of very good supplemental or role players. PJ Washington, Clay Thompson was hot as hell last night. Spencer Dinwiddie's always been a pro. Max Christie. Derek lively when he comes back now, two or three months. Generally young athletes, he's young, get healthy faster than you think. But Dallas actually, I think their roster fits better than the Lakers. Lakers have more playmakers.

Between Austin Reeves, Luca and LeBron, they are top heavy on playmates. But I would argue the Dallas Mavericks have the best center rotation in the league when everybody's healthy. I think their pieces fit really, really well. And if AD wasn't hurt, I mean, it's a lobsided trade because of Lucas' greatness and his age. But if AD was playing right now, I think Dallas is good enough to win the West. I really do. I really like Dallas. I think Jason Kidd has done an unbelievable job.

Kyrie Irving gets the ball more, and it's just a bunch of, there's a lot of depth, there's a lot of good rotational, supplemental players. I like Dallas. Hell, last night, they got no size. Lakers had their number one rebounding game of the season. Jackson Hayes is eating, and nobody to guard the tin. And they hung around. They just hung around.

I mean, Luca has so much respect for Kyrie when he got matched up with him in the fourth quarter. It's almost like he just waved the flag. It's like, this is not going to end. So we can bag on Dallas all you want. If AD was healthy, this is a really well-constructed basketball team, and I thought their effort last night was surprisingly good, and here's the coach after. I thought we did a great job of the emotion of the game,

understanding what our game playing and our job was a terrifying way to win. We put ourselves in a position, came up short. but I thought the guys fought. As you brought up, we were down 16, and we didn't let go to the road. We kept fighting and found our way into this game and could have went either way, but they were the better team tonight. I'll just say this. Lakers got a big lead in the first half.

That game could have been over at half. Dallas kept hitting threes. Clay Thompson was huge. I mean, Dallas had every reason to pack it in. I thought it could be a bloodbath, and it got real close with about four months. minutes and a half, I thought this could be a bloodbath. And Dallas just scratched and clawed and fought with none of their bigs. I mean, they could have lost by 30, and you'd have just said, yeah, yeah, that's what I thought

it was going to be a bloodbath. So, Lakers may have won the trade. Dallas is well-constructed. That is a well-constructed team. J-Mack is being cynically looking at me. I'm saying at the end of that first half, when it was like 12, if that thing was, we're would have ended up 18 at half, 30 end of the third quarter. You'd have come home from your luxury seats and thought, I saw what I thought I would saw. Be honest, when that thing was tied in the

fourth quarter, if Robraun wasn't playing the best fourth quarter of his last decade, Lakers don't win that game. Yeah, no, that great point. It looked like Luca kind of ran out of gas, the emotional cold war on him. He didn't do much offensively. He had a couple of nice passes, but I can't believe you just won 11 minutes raving about this game. And zero mention of Austin Reeves, who, by the way, smart move by JJ Reddick. He put Austin Reeves on Clay Thompson after Clay got hot. Final five minutes, zero baskets for Clay Thompson. I'm telling you, man, this Lakers team is, the Mabs are well constructed.

But this Lakers team? And I think one of the things that jumps out to you is these guys really like playing together. Like, sometimes you can watch. I've criticized quarterbacks in the NFL for this, like body language when they're trailing. And like Matt Stafford's got good body language. you can never tell if Matt's winning or losing. His body language is positive. He's barking at players.

The Lakers' body language with LeBron and Luca, LeBron, that's the happiest I have seen him since the Kyrie LeBron championship year in Cleveland. Even when they were winning in COVID, it always felt like he was waiting for AD to kind of take the baton, and this is not a knock at AD. He's not an initiator of offense. He's a finisher, but he's not a guy.

The Lakers wanted him to take it over, and to his credit the last two years, Ady's been a monster defensively, a little inconsistent offensively, but a monster. And I thought Austin, A.D., and LeBron was a good fit. You watch this fit? They have playmakers. When LeBron would miss a game,

Austin Reeves was like the only playmaker on the floor. They now have three legitimate playmakers. So other small things. So Luca would be sitting on the bench, and of course I'm watching interactions with teammates, but when someone's shooting free throws, a Mavs player would come down to the Lakers bench. and like dapp up Luca.

Good to see you, man. Everybody loves Luca Donchitz. Colin, this trade just, it's just so strange. Lakers all love him. The Mabst players love him. I'm sure you saw all the videos. Everybody congratulated. The only guy who wanted to trade him was the GM.

I mean, it is still. Well, I mean, if you go back and remember what the Lakers were before the Pau Gassal trade, I mean, they had a couple of years where Shaq left and Kobe's like talking about Chicago. And then they landed Pau Gasol. And I remember sitting on a plane thinking, man, They gave up a little, but that was a heist. That feels like a heist. This is a heist with a better offensive player.

So, it's... Listen, they're going to the finals. This is going to be a Lakers show. Now, rim protection. Jackson Hayes is a hip-hop fun. He's a pogo stick. The guy can jump out of the gym, and he really fits. I don't know if a bit of a space cadet, you know, headbutting the ball when it goes through.

Well, what do we do with? But let's be honest about this. Jackson Hayes is a huge beneficiary of this. Because Austin, LeBron, and Luca are all great passers. Jackson Hayes is getting more free lunches last night. It just lobs. You know what it felt like DeAndre Jordan playing with Chris Paul? Lobb City.

Yeah, I mean, it was just like, DeAndre is like, yeah, I'm going to get 18 points tonight. 12 on Alley Ups. If you feel like owning a home is out of reach, Rocket is here to give you the keys to the dream. They believe everybody deserves a shot at owning a home. Visit rocket.com or call 800 for Rocket. 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. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

but this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

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Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel,

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Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

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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. So I thought this was notable. There's been a lot of talk about Matt Stafford being interested in leaving.

I'm told he's not interested in leaving, but he wants more years and more money than the Rams will give him. And a lot of the teams out there, you know, the Giants, tire, fire. coach GM on the hot seat, Steelers, tone deaf to offense. Cleveland, yuck, not interested. The Raiders thing is interesting. So there's a story this morning that Tom Brady reached out to Matt Stafford and said, would you consider us? I just want you to say this out loud.

Because the NFL's magic potion, more than any sports league, is immediate hope. I mean, go to the Rams pre-McVeigh, the Texans pre-C.J. Stroud. the commanders before they flushed everybody out. They were a laughing stock. So the idea the Raiders could turn it around, just say this out loud. Pete Carroll, Matt Stafford, Chip Kelly O.C., Max Crosby, Elite Passrrrrrisher, and Brock Bowers, an unbelievable once-in a generation tight end. That's pretty interesting.

And they also landed probably a 10-year center last year in the draft, the highest-readed center. they look to be pretty good at offensive tackle. So there's two things Tom Brady can sell. Number one, no state tax in Nevada. California has 13.5%. Money matters. Don't listen to anybody. No state tax. Number two, the Raiders will give you more years and much more money.

I'm telling you the difference between a two-year deal in L.A. And a four-year deal with the Raiders could be $70 million. You have to consider that. I've said this with the Raiders. They check a lot of boxes. Now they've got a head coach. They have a left tackle. They've got an elite edge rusher.

Are they wonky upstairs? Yep, they are. Absolutely. But Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll give you a legitimate coaching staff. So, I mean, Pete Carroll, when people asked why Pete Carroll would take the Raiders job,

don't think Tom Brady doesn't have an influence. Tom Brady starts there. When Tom wanted to do, to do this and he wanted to be part of this thing, that changed my outlook on what could be possible. I've found out since how consistently he is a great competitive mentality and spirit, and he passed it right through to the rest of the ownership groups. It's been incredibly fired up and jacked to do something special. I always talk about do you check four or five boxes in this league. head coach, offensive coordinator, left tackle, quarterback, one great weapon, pass rusher.

Matt Stafford shows up, Raiders check all those boxes. They're a little better than people think defensively. They were all beat up last year, but they gave Kansas City fits two times they played them. So this one, this is a much better opportunity than New York. You're playing indoors, no state tax, you've got a brand new coaching staff. I get Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll. That's attractive to me. and the Raiders will give you three or four years.

Rams are not going to do that. The Raiders would give you $50 million. Rams may not do that. So now, now, this also makes me think. I think, and I'm serious on this, money is something for Matt, all right? He's not going to get all the Super Bowl trophies. Folks, the difference between living in California and living in Nevada state taxed, if they give you an extra year or two, that could be a $75 million swing.

You've got to do your due diligence. on that stuff. I know you don't think that matters. The media's always said it doesn't matter. It matters to agents and players. It matters to every business guy in the country. What are the regulations? What's the state tax? What are housing prices? I'm just telling you, the Raiders is a

very, very interesting fit, and I think Sean McVeigh and Les Sneed and Stan Kronky. No. That's the one that scares him. That's the one. I mean, again, he would be going to the other conference. You wouldn't have to face him regularly. That one I'm going to

keep my eye on. And this makes me believe that Aaron Rogers, again, what have I said about Aaron Rogers? In terms of fit, the Rams are great. Bad coaching staff to great coaching staff. Aaron fitting with the Rams, Stafford of the Raiders, it makes sense for a lot of reasons if, and I don't think he wants to,

if Matt Stafford leaves. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, let's start. Start with another quarterback, Aaron Rogers. The Jets moved on from him wisely. And some, you know, are saying, well, what's their quarterback situation going to be like? Well, Jake Glazer, when he broke the news, there was some issues in the locker room.

Quentin Williams tweeted out in displeasure of dumping Aaron Rogers, saying, another rebuild year for me, I guess. Well, yesterday at the Combine, Coach Aaron Glenn addressed his star's tweet and other players, Colin, were apparently upset with the move. Yes, I have talked to him. And listen, I understand the reaction of the players, but I would say this. Every decision that men would make is to win and to win now. So I understand it.

But again, this is not going to be the last decision I make. That's not going to upset some people. That's okay. But as men, we talk about it. We make sure we keep it in the house that we're going to continue to do. Very interesting. There is not a quarterback on the market that played as well as Aaron Rogers did. in the last 10 games.

Actually, Sam Darnold played better than... There's no way the Jets are bringing Darnal back. There's not a viable quarterback on the market. They're probably not going to trade for Stafford. They don't have what you need. I am curious. We talked about the Jets. They need a culture change.

It sounds like everything Aaron Glenn is pushing in the media. He has focused more on anything than culture. Not scheme, not plays, not offense, not defense. culture. Well, where did he come from? Detroit, which changed the culture first. Indeed. That's a very much a gym. There are what I would call Brabils, one of these, Harbaugh's one of these, Dan Campbell's one of these, they're culture coaches. So is Sean McVeigh, but he's also a good, you know, he's a good schematic guy. And a lot of the culture guys, Aaron Glenn's probably more culture than a scheme guy. There's nothing wrong with that.

Many of the great coaches are, but that, I find that culture coaches miss more infrequently than scheme experts. There's a lot of young. Brandon Staley was supposed to be a brilliant defensive scheme guy. It didn't work because he couldn't change the culture. So I'm just going to watch Aaron Glenn. I have no idea what's going to happen. But I will say Aaron's last 10 games with a bad coaching staff, pretty darn good. Let's just say

for the record, you know, last season I went in with some expectations for the Jets, healthy Aaron. I forgot what they were. Right now, they're a six-win team, Max. With their current quarterback. That may be a little rich. But I'll just say this. I'm going to give Aaron Glenn a one-year pass. I'm not going to kill him for the first year, right? He's got to change a culture. That might mean

getting some guys out of that locker room. Like telling Quina Williams, hey, we got to keep that stuff in-house. Quina Williams, one of the alphas on that team. He may rub some guys the wrong way and have to shove them out. So I think it's going to be a little bit of a struggle this year for the Jets, which is kind of on brand for team. By the way, another reason the Patriots

will be the wild card team in that division. Oh, dear. All right. Let's move on. Let's go to the Bears. They hired Ben Johnson this offseason in a move that GM Ryan Poles believes will take Caleb Williams to the next level. Well, Ben Johnson spoke to Tom Pellasaro of NFL Network yesterday and talked about how ready Caleb is for next season.

Man, I tell you what, he's hungry. He's hungry. I'm trying to watch the Super Bowl with my family. I made it back to Detroit just for a weekend, and I'm watching. And my phone just keeps buzzing, and it's Caleb time and time again, you know, what's going on here? What do we think? Oh, that was a cool play, things like that.

And so it's, I just know this is a hungry individual that. he's ready to get this career started of his because he's got a chance to be pretty darn special. Sure does. I like that. Little Caleb Williams and me. Sometimes I text you during games. Oh my gosh.

How fired up are you about this? And you usually don't reply. Hopefully he's not that aggravating. You've got a cigar in your mouth. But I don't know what Bears going to the playoffs is you? My guess is they're going to be on the doorstep. I cannot figure out what Minnesota is doing with Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. Detroit's going to be a playoff team.

I would say they will be a much more organized, entertaining, offensively liberated team. Like I said last year, I picked the Bears for fourth last year before the season. I said that the division's too good. I think there'll be a much better offensive version. You will feel at the end of the season or at some time in the middle of the season, oh, they run an NFL offense. They know what they're doing.

The offensive line last year regressed so inexplicably because it looked like it was young and getting better and last year it just circled the drain. My guess is they will attack the offensive line in the draft or free agency. Trey Smith could go there. Keep your eye on that. I think what you want when you get a new coach is a functional offense because you don't have to be a great defensive team to win in this league. You have to be functional. They were awful last year. You didn't know what you got series to series.

It's just going to be tough for them to get to the playoffs. Remember, Niners are going to bounce back. We know McCaffrey's going to come back healthy. We get that. We know Washington, they're not going anywhere. If the Giants get Stafford, like, I do believe that NFC could be tough for the Bears. Four teams from the division are not going to make the playoffs. That's not happening.

So maybe Packers fall off? I don't know. Final story, Colin, is to the NBA where your, yes, your Golden State Warriors, blasted the Hornets. Now, La Mello Ball didn't play, so I don't know what you want to put stock into this one. But the Warriors won by like 75 points. It was the franchise's 3,000th win. Golden State joining the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, and Sixers is the only teams to reach that milestone.

They are now six in one since acquiring Jimmy Buckets. Colin, points per game are up. The defense is better. The net rating is through the roof. Three straight wins and by 20 or more. All of a sudden, Warriors are creeping up on the six seed. Isn't that interesting? there was a young sportscaster who told people implore the warriors.

Don't listen to the analytic mavens. Get Jimmy Butler's IQ, EQ and physicality. Just get him in the locker room, and he will change everything. He's sort of the anti-Andrew Wiggins. You know what you get every night. He's absolutely dialed in. You know when he's on the floor. Andrew Wiggins, even in his prime, could drop 30.

I wasn't sure any of the points matter. He's a little bit, the antithesis of Wiggins. He's very intentional. Every possession matters. He's aggressive sometimes to a fault. He will get your team to the free throw line. I don't care what analytics say. He is a really good fit with this team.

I love Butler. I'm just going to say, Colin, we haven't seen any adversity yet for this team. I want to see Draymond Green yell at Jimmy Butler. I'll say right now that's not happening. You will not yell at Jimmy Butler. Those days are over. You can yell at Andrew Wiggins. You'll take it.

But you're not yelling at Jimmy Butler. So I want to see what happens when they're in a close game. And, you know, I'm very curious. I think Draymond yells at players who need to be yelled at, and Jimmy Butler and Steph are not those kind of players. That's a good point. He doesn't, you know, he attacked KD when KD got into his fields. He goes after Wiggins or KManga.

He drove KD out of town. Okay, but I'm saying, Dramon badgers and gets on guys Jordan Poole that need to be sort of put your arms around him and get them straight. Yeah. So if they, if they're the six, and they face like Houston or Memphis, they're winning that series. Oh, absolutely.

Absolutely. I've been hyping Lakers to the finals. I'm not looking forward to facing Curry and Butler if I'm the Lakers. No. There are teams in this league like Houston that are built for regular season. They're young, they're long, they defend, but they can't shoot, and Houston eventually will get upended. They won't make enough baskets and key spots.

But they have two wings to guard LeBron and Luka, Draymond and Butler. But they won't make enough shots. They're not a good shooting team. Golden State's actually built for the postseason. Yes. They'll be rested. Everybody's equally rested. It's old guys that need a day off.

Butler, Draymond State will be better in the playoffs. Houston will be less of a team in the postseason. I'm just throwing it out there. I don't want to see the Lakers or Warriors if I'm anybody in the West. Those two teams scare the hell out of me right now. They're new, fresh, and tough. Yep, J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The herd. So I went on a rant yesterday, and I'm going to double down on it. In my life, political parties and sports leagues are cyclical. Almost all cyclical. A political party, the Democrats had lost three straight elections. They'd gotten blown out, and then Bill Clinton arrived and, oh, changed everything. They had their guy.

This is the reality. I saw the ratings for ABC up 29% when Luca and LeBron play. And oh, by the way, last night, TNT, wait till those ratings come in. That'll be up 40% year to year. Again, sometimes for political parties and leagues, it's just circumstantial. Right person, right time. Look what Caitlin Clark did to the WNBA. One player to the WNBA changed how they fly around the league now.

They got private jets. So Luca plus LeBron plus the Laker brand is good for the league. Right now, there are four really good teams in this league. Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, Warriors are four of the seven or eight good teams. Huge brands. When you add Jimmy Butler, two staff, to Steve Kerr and the Warriors brand, I'm sorry, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City can be good teams. They can't carry the NBA. I remember when Tim Duncan and the Spurs were dominating the league.

The ratings were in the tank. I remember when Michael Jordan left. 50% loss in ratings. You had Iverson. You had Marbury. The audience didn't buy them. The ratings disappeared. Baseball.

Sho'Hao Tani to the Angels. Nah. Shoaheotani to the Dodgers changed the ratings last year. When you get Jim Harbaugh to Michigan. If Jim Harbaugh goes to Purdue, it doesn't feel the same. When you get Jim Harbaugh to Michigan, it changed the Big Ten ratings. So I've said this before. Everything outside of the NFL is cyclical.

Republicans are cyclical. The Democrats are, the political right now, the Democrats are reeling. Like hyper-aggressive Trump and Elon Musk, Democrats are flailing. What do we do? They're complaining. They don't have a plan. They need their guy. They need their Trump or Clinton, whoever it is.

Putting Luca on the Lakers with LeBron, putting Jimmy Butler, who's a star in this league, and because he's played in Philadelphia and Miami and now Golden State with Steph, he's a star in this league. It's going to change the ratings. I'm not saying they're going to, I'm not saying everything's going to. going to change. The NBA still has challenges. Too many three-pointers. Seven-game playoff series in the first round are stupid. But Sportico came out this morning with the most valuable teams in American sports. The Cowboys were won. You know what number two was? Warriors. Three Knicks. Four Lakers. Brands matter for every league except the NFL. And when you have stars on the

Warriors, stars on the Lakers, stars on the Celtics, stars on the Knicks, take a deep breath. The NBA is going to survive. It's cyclical. They lost half their ratings when Jordan left, and the players that replaced him, the consumers didn't like or didn't buy. You know, the consumers weren't into Tim Duncan and the Spurs. They just weren't. They were a great team.

They weren't into them. But New York, Jalen Brunson, St. Butler, LeBron, Luca, Jimmy, you know, it works. They're going to be fine. Take a deep breath. Going to be fine. Coming up next, we were thinking about this this morning as I'm watching Luca and LeBron play, and it was a real event.

And we've talked about this, that America's become more of an event culture because our phones and were distracted and TikTok. and so you got to create urgency last night felt urgent. But I was thinking about they were showing shots of the crowd. The three biggest cities in America, New York, L.A. and Chicago. Why is L.A. getting all the stars? And I want to take all three of those markets and give you an example next. Live in L.A., it's the herd.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich David. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and, of course, the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture.

Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio

and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and of course on social media. That's Coveino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special.

So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down. Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast,

people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context,

and ask the questions everybody wants. answer. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The fastest racing on Earth is coming to Fox. The 2025 Indy Car season gets underway in St. Petersburg. The first stop on the road to the Indy 500, Sunday at noon Eastern, live on Fox. I bet that's another place I've been doing.

You've never been to. You ever been to St. Petersburg? The beaches down there? Russia? No, St. Petersburg, Florida. Oh, no, I have not been there. There's a couple good sports bars down there. They used to have this pink hotel. I forget the name of it.

What am I missing in St. Peter? Is that a top 25 city in America? You're missing the top 25 city in America? You're missing the top 25 cities. The downtown is way upgraded over when I live there. Actually, maybe the hotel is the Viceroy. So you lived in Tampa and St. Pete? I lived in.

The old joke was the oldest people in the country live in Tampa, their grandparents live in St. Petersburg. So when I lived there, it was a little old, but it's not quite as crusty, and there's a lot going on there. That's more like the Mets have preseason or something? It used to be the Cardinals.

Cardinal that. So I was watching the Lakers in Luca last night, and it's an event. It felt like an event. And, you know, I was spending some time in Chicago. They're sports right now and are really, really tough spot. Like nothing in Chicago is good. Like nothing. NBA, baseball, NFL. And I'm just watching last night, and I'm thinking, it has been such a crazy five or six year run in Los Angeles.

Just the coaches. I mean, Freddie Freeman is a great baseball player. He gets lost on the Dodgers. I mean, it is insane. Clayton Kershaw is arguably our generations, Sandy Kofax. And right now, I wouldn't put him in the top 12 most well-known needle movers in Los Angeles. I was thinking about this this morning. If you took New York, L.A. and Chicago, and I would call it the dynamic dozen, the biggest, most well-known personalities, you know, they're obviously great players, but like they have a presence about them. And I would give you 12. Number one is Shohei Otani. He's a global superstar.

He's going to make eight, nine figures overseas and endorsement. Forget about here. The Dodgers average 4,000 more per road game than anybody else, and a lot of that is Shohei Otani. He's our Babe Ruth. He pitches. This year he'll return to pitching. He can steal bases.

He's good-looking. He is your classic, you know, Rinaldo, Messi. I mean, if you go look at what Messi did to the MLS in Miami, it's unbelievable what he did to attendance, ratings, and merch. That's Shoaheotani. Number two is LeBron James, and he is a notch below. show Hey Otani but again LeBron is a global superstar because unlike the NFL basketball is a global sport so show hey and lebron james are one and two i would put luka again comes from europe he is a global

superstar and this trade now will just magnify his brand so i think the first three you can't argue it's show hey it's lebron and and lucca donge now we can argue i would say number four who's been a star in sports for 25 years is Jim Harbaugh. Folks, he quarterbacked in the NFL, he coached at Michigan, he got the Niners to a Super Bowl, he literally went to the Big Ten and changed the ratings. Remember, in football, coaches are rock stars. Andy Reed is all over commercials. You don't see baseball managers and a lot of NBA coaches, even like a Greg Popovich. You don't see him doing national commercials. Jim Harbaugh is polarizing. He is a rock star. I'd put number five, Aaron judge who has had multiple national commercials.

He does not feel as global to me, even close to Shohei Otani, but he has prodigious power. He's got a Paul Bunyan. He's a good kid. He's good-looking, easy to root for, had a bad fifth inning in the world series. But, I mean, playing in New York, he is a notch below Shohei, but I would put him at number five. I would put number six, Matt Stafford. Good-looking star quarterback in Los Angeles with a Super Bowl trophy.

And now the talk of the town because of his country. contract, the last pure pocket passer. Again, a guy with national commercials, it's the NFL. He's one of the five best quarterbacks. Maybe I should have him above Jim Harbaugh, but Harbaugh has been, you know, I mean, a lot of Stafford, he was lost in Detroit for 12 years in the division with Aaron Rogers and Farvin, nobody talked about him. So I think Stafford's national exposure with the Rams has popped in the last five years. I'd put Stafford at six. I'd put Sean McBey a notch below him at He's considered the best young football coach in the world. And, I mean, McVeigh had Amazon willing to pay him $20 million a year.

That's more than they pay Al Michaels. I mean, think about that. They were going to pay him $20 million a year. I don't think at Fox we pay people that much. Okay, like for our NFL. So McVeigh is a rock star, a culture builder. Again, he's telegenic. He's, like, got photographic memory.

He's probably the best talker at the podium I've ever seen in the NFL. He's magnetic. I would put number eight, Juan Soto. Now he plays for the second most notable team in New York. But, again, he is, I mean, he's, he's, Juan Soto, there are arguments to be made on any given week. You know, he's baseball's best player. He's patient. He gets walks.

He hits with power. He's a star. And because he left the Yankees and went to the Mets, he's now polarizing. And that is a big factor on this list. A lot of people on this list are love, hate. LeBron's got a little bit of that. I think Juan Soto and New York's got a little bit of. little bit of that, I'd put him at eight.

Nine, I'd put it at Mookie Betts, mostly because he's not polarizing. Now, he's a former Boston Red Sox. I think this kid's at unbelievable. Three-time World Series champ plays for two of the three biggest brands in the sport. Dodgers in the Red Sox still can't figure out why Boston gave him away. They didn't get enough in return. But, I mean, he'll play shortstop. Is he the most skilled baseball player?

He can play shortstop. He can play outfield. You could put him, you could bat him leadoff. You could bat him clean up. I think Mookie Betz is number nine. Number 10, I'd put Caleb Williams. He's a rock star. Between USC and the number one pick, again, this is not just productivity.

He's a good-looking kid. He's in front of the mic. He plays in Chicago. He feels like, I mean, let's be honest. We said this, you said this, J-Mack before last year. The Bears were the most interesting team in the league. It wasn't because of Montez-Swat. It wasn't because of Roman Dense.

The Bears were arguably the fascinating football team in the league last year, because of one person, it was not Matt Eberfluse, it was Caleb Williams, I put him at 10. Number 11, the very quiet, reticent Justin Herbert. Again, Justin Herbert is a quarterback in the NFL and considered one of the five best young quarterbacks in the league. The Chargers are the second most popular organization, but I think Harbaugh helps his brand. I think Jim Harbaugh helps Herbert, who's a really quiet, behind-the-scenes kid. I'd put him in 11.

And number 12, you may think this is weird. Petino in. I think Rick, if you ask basketball people, they'll tell you Rick Petino is arguably behind Red Arbock and Phil Jackson is the best coach in the sport ever. The fact that he goes to St. John's will not recruit high school players. Would you be shocked if St. John's ended up in the elite eight? Rick Petito is just as great magnetic. Again, major polarizing guy. He's led five different teams to the NCAA tournament. And you know how many people since Louis Carnaceka left? People have been

trying to get St. John's to work forever. Here comes Rick Bettino. Bam, they're great. So I would say these are the most dynamic. Now, if Rick Patino was younger, if he was at Kansas, he may be five or six. When Rick Patino was at Kentucky, Rick

Patino was, there was an argument, the biggest rock star in coaching in America, and I'm counting NFL. He was everything. And there was about a 20-year stretch, and then he had some personal stuff, blah, blah, blah, blah. But then now, Freddie Freeman and I had at number 13, the Dodgers' great, former Atlanta, Brave. Again, Braves, Dodgers, big brands. Oh, you're my guy, but...

This may be the best list ever produced for a television show. So there's this guy who plays basketball in L.A. who has a very famous beard. He's been an amazing talent, global superstar. He can't walk around in China because he's such a big deal. James Hardin does not make this list? Nobody likes James Hardin. What? What are you talking about?

What's his fan base besides like fanboys? First of all, he plays for the Clippers. Second of all, is he playing tonight? Third of all, he's way past his prime. If you look at all these guys right here, do you notice something? Yeah, Rick Petino's 79 years old. And still crushing.

He is crushing. So is James Hardin. He's playing well. I'm not sure James Hardin's home from the clubs last night. Honestly, he's known for scoring in that. Am I wrong on that? You're not wrong. You tell me the James. People are sold their stock on James Hardin.

They have sold their stock on Kauai Leonard. That's fair. That's fair. That being said, if Juan Soto... Five years ago, James Hardin's probably six on this list. I guarantee you Juan Soto could walk onto this Fox lot, take an elevator all the way up to here, and now one person will be like, oh my gosh, it's Juan Soto. But if James Hardin did that, his recognition, because he's been around for so long,

everybody knows him. Popularity out. But he's not relevant at all. He's not one of the 20 best players. in the NBA. He's not even close anymore. Right now? Oh, God, not even close. He was he, I'm serious. What is he the fourth best player on the Lakers today? He's not better than Austin Reeves, no.

Austin Reeves could make this list. I mean, if I had any input, if you asked me, J. Mack, when they were by the way, if Juan Soto in New York gets into an elevator, everybody knows who Juan Soto is. Probably, uh, I think the ship has sailed on Hardin. Really? Oh, I think he and Kauai. People are over it. You know, Tyloo watches his show regularly. Tyloo's a great coach. He's not going to be happy with that. He's not in the dynamic.

Like three Clippers assistants live near me. They're going to be ticked. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what?

We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to our first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick and sick.

Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. This is Saigon, the story of my family

and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. It's for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam!

There's a fire coming. to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports.

And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the big. biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.