The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Knicks are going for it

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

Jason McIntyre fills in for Colin The direction of the Knicks to value chemistry and culture over "talent" is the right call Thoughts on the Lakers drafting Dalton Knecht What are the Dolphins going to do with Tua Tagovailoa   Guest: Yaron WeitzmanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

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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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRedio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hello and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the herd on a glorious Thursday here in California.

It's me, Jason McIntyre, in for Colin Cowherd. I'm where my Knicks Blue today. I think this is a Knicks' blue. Very excited for my New York Knicks. Winners of NBA Draft Week, I'm here joined today by Alex Curry. Alex, how are you? You've got to be feeling pretty good. They went all in on chemistry yesterday.

I love it. Let's just say, I mean, if you're going to bet on something, you bet on chemistry. We'll do a lot of Knicks today. We'll do plenty of Lakers. We got USA soccer today. I mean, it's a monster week. I'm happy to be back from sweltering Arizona. It was oppressive.

And I'm excited. You know, listen, I didn't quite have the energy on Monday. You know, a tough weekend in Arizona, watching my daughter's volleyball team. I'm back and refreshed today. And I got to start with my Knicks because this is as exciting a time as we've seen with the New York Knicks, maybe since the mid-90s with Patrick Ewing. Folks, the Knicks big winners trading for McAil Bridges. They are going all in on chemistry.

McHale Bridges was had for five draft picks, okay? We'll get to that shortly, but I've got to start with, I absolutely love what my Knicks are doing. Now the Villanova Knicks, because they got four guys in Brunson, DeVincenzo, Bridges and Hart, who won a title in Villanova back, maybe seven, eight years ago, and now they're reunited, and it feels, so good in New York. I know a lot of people are poo-pooing the deal. The Knicks overpaid.

We'll get to that shortly. But I need to start with something because it feels like for months on this show. We've been talking about how the Knicks have their, they've got to draft assets. They can go for a number one. They can go grab Carl Anthony Towns. The Knicks can go after Joe L&B. Maybe we can pluck him from Philadelphia. What about Paul George? All we've been hearing is, hey, the Knicks need either a number one star or a number two to go with Jalen Brunce, and who maybe isn't a one, maybe he's a 1B, and all that nonsense. Folks, the Knicks are disrupting or attempting to disrupt the NBA hierarchy of, you need superstars to win in the league.

You need one of the five or ten best players. You need the Shaq and Kobe. You need the Yokic, the multiple-time MVP. You need that superstar. And the Knicks are saying, not so fast, my friends, there's another way to skin a cat, as they like to say. We've seen this throughout the economy at large, outside of sports, right? We saw the internet disrupt traditional media. We then saw social media disrupt the internet and websites.

And now we're starting to see AI taking over disrupting Google and their dominance in search. And I mean, listen, in the vehicle market, we're seeing EVs disrupting automobiles in the NFL. Look what the 49ers are doing. Hey, we know everybody needs a quarterback and then you build around the QB. Why don't we try something different? Why don't we try building the infrastructure and then plugging in a Jimmy Garapolo, a Brock Purdy? And let's see how that works out. And they've been to a couple Super Bowls.

The Knicks are doing the same thing. We don't need no superstar. We can build with chemistry. And what they've got with this team in New York right now, folks, their odds shifted after the Bridges trade. they have now the third best odds to win the title after Boston and Denver. This is a massive shock to the system. And listen, you don't need to go far to see what Minnesota did when they said, we're going to trade a bunch of picks for Rudy Gobert.

They were openly mocked. Didn't go great the first year. What happened in year two? They were built to take down Denver, and that's just what they did in the postseason. Gobert matched up with Yokic. It went swimmingly Minnesota to the conference finals. If you look at this New York roster, one through nine, folks, they match up great with the Boston Celtics. You now have, between Bridges and Anirnobe, the two best defensive wings in the league to match up with Brown and Tatum.

Then you've got your point guard in Brunson. And oh, by the way, giving up five draft picks, I saw a headline on a website. Knicks fleeced for Mikhail Bridges. No time All-Star, Mikhail Bridges, for five first-round picks. Are you crazy? Doesn't really matter. The Knicks are built now to battle Boston. New York is clearly the second best team in the East.

That's undeniable. I don't care what Joelle Embed does. Joel Embed adds Paul George to Tyrese Maxie and the kid McCain, who I like in the draft. It's not going to matter. The Knicks are better one through nine. They kept Julius Randall. Oh, Jason, Julius Randall. Come on.

He's trade bait. Maybe. He's also a two-time all NBA player in the last three years. Julius Randall is a very solid player to go with Brunson and Ananobe and Bridges. And oh, by the way, you got glue guy, Josh Hart. You got Dunday Devencenzzo. Folks, I know people are saying they're going to lose Hartenstein, the center who was invaluable. But I want to remind everybody what they did last night, the Knicks in the draft with 25.

They got a draft and stash, European player. And then at 26, they traded it. So now they're able to save. I think I saw the number was $3 million. If that is able to keep Hartnstein, that's another win for the Knicks. And I'm telling you right now, I remember those 90s teams. Remember, I was not a Jordan fan, I was a Knicks fan, born in New York. I love New York.

This team is ready to make a run like the Patrick Ewing team did in the 90s. I love the New York Knicks and what they've done this draft week. Now let's pivot to my also, my other team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Jay, how are you a Knicks Lakers fan? I was born in New York, and then the first couple games I went to as a young guy were Nick's Lakers, as fortune would have it. And I fell in love with Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers. And a lot has been written about the Lakers in the last 24 hours. They get one of the steals in the draft in Dalton Connect. Now, Colin likes to make fun of me, okay, for watching and gambling

on college basketball all season. He's, oh, Jay, what are you doing? I love me, some college hoops. And I'll tell you right now, Dalton Connect was one of the best stories in college basketball last season. This is a guy who went to junior college. He grew three inches from like a six three point guard to a six six wing. He went to the big sky. He went from second team all big sky to first team all American at Tennessee. He is an assassin when it comes to shooting. I think he scored 38 against Purdue in the NCAA tournament, which they lost. I think he gave UNC 40, dropped like 39 on Kentucky. This guy is a sniper. He kind of Florida might remind the Lakers new coach, JJ Redick of himself.

Here's Rob Polink of the Lakers talking about drafting Dalton Connect. We would have never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us as Dalton Connect. We had him, you know, as a top 10 player unanimously across our scouting boards. I was at the SEC tournament scouting him extensively. in my mind was like there's no way a player like this could be available for us to pick on draft night and he was nearly right a lot of the mock drafts that are respected had connect as a top 10 pick some top six now i've been doing the NBA draft for a long time i didn't have connect in the lottery because i know

the history he's 23 years old the history of 23 year olds in the lottery is littered with failure a lot of that has to do with hey this is a guy who was 22 23 as a college basketball player playing against teenagers. Of course he's going to slaughter them. And so those guys drafted high usually end up being massive failures. But Connect fell out of the lottery. And oh, by the way, he fell into the lap of LeBron and Anthony Davis. Pretty good place to fall. Now, Reddick, if you, if you guys recall, was a guy at Duke who was an absolute sniper, one of the best scores I've ever seen in college basketball. But his, you know, prototype was like, and this guy can't, who can he defend? Jay Mackie might not be able to defend you and your men.

League. Who could Dalton Connect defend? It's a different story, folks. It's a different league right now. You want those switchable wings. Will people pick on Dalton Connect? Maybe. Maybe, but you know what? He's got Anthony Davis behind him. I can tell you right now, unequivocally, Dalton Connect will be a key rotation player for the Lakers this season, unlike the guy they drafted Hood Schaffino last year, who did absolutely nothing. He was one of those upside plays. So Connect is a big win, which leads me to JJ Reddick and Connect. I think it's going to be a good marriage. I'm almost certain the Kineck kind of pushed for him, or sorry, Reddick pushed for Kinect. But something Reddick said at his presser was kind of glossed over. And I want to touch on it because I absolutely

love this topic. Here's J.J. Reddick talking about the media at his press conference. It's been a really interesting six weeks or so, just in terms of, you know, being part of the engagement farming industry. It's been really interesting. However, I don't really have a great answer for your question because I really don't give a like honestly.

I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don't want to dispel anything. I don't. I want to become a great coach in the NBA and I want to win championships and I want my players to maximize their careers. That's all I fucking care about.

I kind of love JJ Redick now. Engagement farming? What a phrase. Oh my gosh. Can I borrow that, J.J. Can I use that? Because it's incredible.

And it's actually spot on. You guys, listen, once he said that, he was critically panned social media, columnists, all the traditional media. They ripped him. You don't come out slinging F bombs in your introductory press conference. But Reddick claims to not care. Now, I will remind everybody,

within the last year, JJ Reddick was part of that engagement farming economy that is the sports media. And he's not wrong. You guys know this, okay? This show will usually have something related to the Dallas Cowboys.

You could call that engagement farming if you want. The Cowboys built a juggernaut in the mid-90s just as the internet was coming along, the Cowboys become America's team. When their games are in the 4 o'clock window here on Fox, when they're on prime time, the cowboys get massive ratings. Okay, so is it engagement farming for us to talk about the cowboys all the time?

Or is that giving the people what they want? Now, the other side of the equation is, hey, Jason, do you give your kids what they want for dinner every night? Or do you give them what they need, which is probably a glass of milk and some vegetables? I think it's a happy medium between both. But I don't disagree with what Redick said. And he's not wrong about the engagement farming economy. It's a fascinating discussion. but here's what he misses.

It's one thing to be part of the engagement farming industry, which is what we are. I'm going to be blasting Kevin Durant, my guy, a little later in the show. I'm sorry, is it engagement farming? No, not based on what's going on right now in Phoenix and Houston to a lesser extent. But that's kind of how the sausage is made, no? Everybody is interested in someone, be it Caitlin Clark, Victor Wenbanyama, LeBron, and you're not engagement farming. you're talking about what people are interested in.

There are people in an airport right now, because I get text about it all the time. Jason, saw you on TV at an airport. They're walking by a TV, and they're going to see that bug on the screen, and they're going to see JJ Redick, F bombs, engagement. Whoa, do I need to stop and pay attention to this? Like, that's how it works. So Reddick can make fun of all of us engagement farmers, but that's the reality. Listen, I'm not going to come out here and start talking about the Utah Jazz.

I watched the NBA draft last night. Folks, for some reason, they spent like four minutes. talking about the Utah Jazz picks after the lottery. I'm like, what do we do? What are we talking about? These guys aren't going to play. Nobody cares about them. It's like, oh, you're not talking about something that's going to get my engagement?

Well, I'm going over to the internet and see what they're saying. So we are in an engagement farming industry. And Reddick, I'm just warning you. It's one thing to jump on a podcast and take shots and rip people. It's another to go through a game, collapse and choke at the end of it, then have to meet the media. And, oh, by the way, you get on a podcast. plane and the next day you got to meet the media again and again and again for eight months so reddick

paste yourself my friend okay i'm rooting for you i'm rooting for the lakers i'm rooting for the storyline but uh that's quite the opening salvo j j reddick fired off with two f bombs in a span of about 30 seconds Alex now i know you love a good f bomb let the expletives fly you had to love that right it was raw it was honest he's making a huge move to a huge franchise and if it's going to work, he has to do it his way. So the fact that he came in and just kind of gave that de-gaff attitude, JJ's dealt with the media, 15 years in the league. He knows what it's like to get hounded when you're not playing well

after the game, before the next game, consistently just trying to answer a question that there is no answer to at some point. So I loved this for JJ because it felt just watching his body language and watching him throughout that presser, he felt so confident and comfortable. And I felt confident and comfortable watching him just explain what he wanted for this team. Because at the end of the day, the whole point of that statement was, I don't care what you guys think.

All I care about is being a great coach for the Lakers. And that's all we care about, too. It's a good outlook to have. Very excited season ahead for the Lakers. Now, coming up, we have a little bit of negative stuff happening in Miami with Tua. Now, I am a Jets fan. We won't talk about the Jets today. I promise.

I just did, actually. It's not going well for Tool with the contract negotiation. We'll talk about that next here on The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this plastic. platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations

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

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

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with 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 yeah, yeah, yeah. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table. right now. Thank you 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field. and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth.

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different. intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. 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 tauntons 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. You are now entering the no bull zone. Sponsored by credible great rates with none of the bull. Ah, here we go. Miami Dolphins It's a so I saw this amazing clip on Instagram. I popped it on mine. Jerry Seinfeld talking to Howard Stern.

And just to get it right, Jerry Seinfeld said, I'm never not working on material. And Howard Stern says, well, that sounds torturous. And Seinfeld says, well, life is torture. You know, you go to the gym. You're like, do I have to do this again? You go to sit down to eat. You want to kind of eat health. Do I have to eat healthy again?

Life can be torturous. And I feel the same way. I'm constantly working on material. and takes, you know me, hot take happy hour. I love it. I'm coming up with stuff all the time. I was at a volleyball tournament in Phoenix,

and some dads will randomly come up to me and say, hey, Jay Mack, big fan of the show, blah, and he'll be wearing like a dolphin shirt and instantly I go into material. Hey, where are you on Tua? And I think people are surprised when I do that, but I just love hearing outsized opinions. I see a bartender in Phoenix.

He's, he watches the herd religiously. Jay, we got this show on every day. And, you know, he's a Phoenix guy. I'm like, where are you on Duran? And he's like, I'm kind of out on Durant. We'll talk about Durant later. Yes, that's the second Kevin Durant tease, KD. I apologize in advance.

But regarding Tua and Miami, the story just came out. And it's from Jeff Darlington. A guy I know I've hung out with him plenty. Nice guy. He is embedded in the Dolphins. He is very close to the organization. He's also close to the players because he's on the younger side. Darlington says the dolphins are dug in their position

and will not pay Tua a goff or Trevor. Lawrence-type contract extension. Okay? Doesn't sound good. Darlington goes on to say, neither side has reached a panic point as of yet. Okay, that's what I'm going to call. Let me get a timeout, maybe a 20, 20-second timeout.

You know we like to start. Where does the story come from? How was this coming out now? Well, Lawrence got his deal, I believe, last week, maybe two weeks ago. Goff got his. The market is now reset for quarterbacks. And you know, Tua is probably not

getting what he wants from Miami. So he and his camp go to a reporter who are going to put this out there and put some pressure on the dolphins. Now they say it hasn't reached a panic point, but when you're using the media to get what you want, it's almost like you reach a panic point. Now here's where it gets fascinating, folks. Recently on the show, I came out and said, I hate blind resumes. They're making sports fans dumber. And I'm not going to say the network, but a old school network loves to go and put blind resumes on Instagram. And they'll put this, Daniel Jones, neck to Trevor Lawrence, and they'll cherry pick stats to make the quarterbacks look kind of similar. Well, I do hate blind resumes.

But in the staff meeting this morning, I said, hey, can we do a blind resume with Tua and I don't know, find a quarterback? Let's just see what comes up. So I had the staff say, pull me a blind resume on Tua. Listen, you guys know I wanted to be a lawyer. Good lawyers will get both sides of the story. This is both sides of the story. I don't believe Tua deserves golf or Lawrence type money. But this is Tua matched up with a quarterback that I'm not going to say his name.

Yes, quarterback records are they can be deceiving. Got it. Completion percentage, okay. Yards per attempt. Ooh, wow, that's spicy. Tua's throwing the ball down. Still, he's slinging it. Are those touchdowns real?

Holy capacer rating? Who could we be talking about to match up Tua with? Oh, snap. I might have to go J.J. Reddick and drop an F-bomb. What the hell? Is that real? Tua and Trevor Lawrence? And Tua's been unquestionably better?

And it's not like, oh my gosh, 50 starts for 151? Wait a minute. minute. How can this be? And Miami doesn't want to pay Trevor Lawrence type money. Well, Jay, come on. Tua's had the head injuries. Okay, Trevor Lawrence got banged up a couple times last season. I know Tua was one concussion away from maybe having to retire, but that was two years ago. And oh, by the way, once you bring up the head injuries and concussions in the negotiation with Tua, his camp is going to be like, yeah, we're doing everything we can. Remember last year he went and did jujitsu and kind of bulked up so he could absorb hits better and know how to roll out of sacks

and not get ragdolled and oh by the way it paid off now listen i have not been a pay to a guy as i opened this little segment with i said jerry sainfeld's always doing material i've had dolphins material for the last year they should draft a quarterback i really implored them go get Penix. Get Penix. Lefty quarterback. You don't have to pay to a seamless transition. It has a 49ers feel. Remember, the 49ers with Shanahan, are the ones who have now ushered Brock Purdy in after whiffing on Trey Lance. They didn't draft the quarterback. Penix went eight, so I guess they couldn't get him. But here's the weird thing. It's almost like Miami didn't see this coming because they didn't draft a quarterback the year before either. So their backup

is now Mike White, the former Jets guy. He's nothing like to a, Okay. Skyler Thompson is their third stringer. The dolphins don't have a safety net if this Tua thing goes awry. We're looking at franchise tag, which Tua is going to hate because it gives you no insurance on the back end should you get an injury. And also, it doesn't give the dolphins like a future. What does it say to Tua? We like it. We don't want to put a ring on it.

You know, we'll put like a promise ring. I don't even know what that is. I've never given a promise ring to a girl. But like, we promise we want to be with you. We just got to do the franchise. This doesn't, it's just all signs are pointing bad for Miami. Now, maybe they figure it out. And maybe there's a world where they, both sides come to a conclusion,

but this feels like Miami was ill prepared for this, and they have botched this badly. And folks, I know their Vegas win totals, nine and a half. Let's pull up the schedule real quick. Let's call this schedule up. Look at the end of the schedule. Okay? Their final six games, they face a playoff team from last year in the Packers in Green Bay,

probably going to be below 40. Then they face the Jets who are probably going to win the division, assuming Aaron Rogers is still standing. Then they're at Houston, a playoff team from last year, versus San Fran Super Bowl team from last year, at Cleveland in freaking January. It's going to be single-digit temperatures. And then at New York in January,

where it's also going to be freezing. This is horrendous. And it reeks of what happened last year with Miami where they collapsed down the stretch after leading the division. Mike McDaniel, talked about finishing strong earlier this offseason. Well, why not find ways to emphasize finishing in everything you do? Obsess about it.

You're trying to have staff meetings at different times during the day, and I had every staff meeting I put like at 724 or 324 or 524, like the number 24. Okay? To you guys, it means nothing. That's how many years it's been since the organizations won a playoff game. We are going to hear about that come playoff time. You think? Miami, we got some problems.

Let's go to Alex Curry with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. We've got some more contract talk, but let's head to San Francisco because Brandon Ayuk has been looking for a long-term deal after a booming wide receiver market this offseason. Now, Iyuk reportedly requested a meeting with the team on Monday. And although he didn't come out with a new deal, reports indicate that it was a good meeting.

Additionally, the meeting led to the understanding that the 49ers don't want to trade him, and Iyuk doesn't want to be traded. So at least they're kind of leaning towards him not continuing to hold out come training camp. But it's a good sign for the 49ers, right? This is a win now season, possibly the last season that they'll have all of these guys. together, they still have Brock Purney on his rookie deal, a guy who got you to the NFC championship and the Super Bowl in his first two seasons. And the 49ers are favored in every single game this season. So if they want to live up to that expectation, they're going to need

their number one receiver, which was Brandon Ayyuk. So it's going to be interesting because obviously it's the number that they're not totally agreeing on at the moment. Alex, I've lost track of how many meetings they've had with Ayyuk. Remember before the draft and then they came out, we don't want to trade IU. We don't want to trade. The draft. Draft happened. They don't trade him. They draft the receiver. Yeah. And now, are you chirping recently on TikTok or whatever it was? It was on TikTok,

FaceTiming, Jaden Daniels saying they don't want me. So now the 49ers have. Assuming it was the 49ers. Another meeting with him. Hey, Brandon, everything's okay. We don't want to trade you. Look, what are we doing here? Something's going on that ain't good. Well, it's, it's the number. What are they going to agree on? And what is he going to agree to? Right? It's going to have

to be creative accounting. They just gave Christian McCaffrey an extension. And it's something that they can do. So it's if they want to do it, how much, how many years, like what's going to happen? Does it sound like fun babysitting, Brandon Ayyuk? Because that's what's happening here. I mean, really, he is clearly a problem. This is reaching Stefan Diggs levels in Buffalo.

It's not as bad. I think that the FaceTime video, TikTok, was a bit too far. Well, stay off social media. But that's what guys are doing right now. We're seeing what, Clay Thompson just swept his entire social media of all warrior stuff. We've seen so many players do this when they're trying to get. money. It's it's one of the I guess public polls that they have to kind of get their attention to show that this is what they want and they're not going to they're not going to move and budge until

they get what they want. You know what I like? I like guys that don't give me headaches and I would guess the Niners are getting a lot of headaches from Brandon I. You're a brushfire every day. That's kind of on brand for wide receivers. They're the divas of the entire football team which is why we don't see them. They're like one of the few positions that don't have like the tight-end university that they don't all come together and learn from each other. It's just like this is trying to get paid. You know who else was a diva? Odell Beckham was a diva. How many teams has he been on? You know who wasn't a diva? Jerry Rice. That's my kind of receiver. Guy who doesn't cause problems. In the middle of the night, I'm not getting text. Damn it. Did you

see what are you put on TikTok? And the guy's like, oh, Shannon Hans, I'll download the TikTok. It's a different time. It's a different time. Yeah, I like how positive you are about this. Geez. I'd just be frustrated. Like, we're rolling. We went to the Super Bowl. We should have the Chiefs. There was a positive that came from this meeting. They said, we don't want to trade you.

He said, I don't want to be traded. So that's like the first step in the right direction. Obviously, a deal didn't come out of this meeting on Monday, but it's a step in the right direction. He could be the Super Bowl MVP this season. He could. He's that good. Yeah, no, I know. It's going to be interesting.

All right, let's move to Pittsburgh where Russell Wilson has been putting in the work at Steelers' minicamp. As he looks to prove his worth in Pittsburgh. Now, we've seen a bunch of different workout routines from Russ throughout his career, but the latest involves boxing and training with fame trainer, Freddie Roach, who trained Pacquiao. Russ tweeted out a picture of himself at the gym. Yep. With Roach showing off his physique.

And there was also a video involved. It was like four, it was three photos and a video. But it was just like the easy soft. Russ looks jacked there. Look at those. Yeah. No, he looks great. You don't have to remember.

Russ is playing for his career this season. The Broncos were paying him $39 million. to play for another team. And the Steelers have him on a one-year prove-it deal. He is playing for his career. So he mentioned that when he was at his top performance on the

field record-wise, he was doing boxing. So this is a smart thing for Russ to do. Whatever you were doing when you were at your best, you should continue to do that. So he's just now getting back into it. Hopefully it works out for him. He's got those bolder shoulders

that workout. I mean, he is legitimately jacked there. Yeah. I need to start working out again. That makes me feel like I got to get back in the gym. Well, I've done boxing. Have you done boxing? Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. I love boxing. I just have weak wrists, so I always end up like hurting myself. There's a boxing gym in the South Bay. There is. Matt Liner goes to Rob Stone. Yeah. But it's shut down recently. The owner passed away. Would you have Peloton? Uh, what's that? Peloton? No, they have like classes on there. Boxing classes? Yeah, like shadow boxing. Oh, I thought they were just biking. No, it's everything. thing. Okay.

Yeah. You can still do it. He's got his summer body ready, you know? Well, and you also have to remember, like, obviously, there hasn't been a ton of great feedback from Justin Fields at these mini camps, but you do have another starting quarterback sitting right behind you for a team, the Steelers, that don't have loyalty to either of these quarterbacks right now. So do whatever you need to do to get to your top place physically, mentally,

and back to being the Russ that was in the conversation. of like one of the top quarterbacks. Can you get back there? Okay, well, let's move to the NBA where the Celtics are fresh off their 18th NBA championship. Prozingus dealt with multiple injuries throughout the playoffs,

including a rare foot injury that cost him to miss game three and four before playing in game five against the doctor's wishes. Now, Porzingis underwent a successful surgery on his foot and is reportedly expected to miss the next five to six months and will likely miss between 25 to 30 games

to start the season. But this needed to happen. Like, he made a huge impact once he was back with the team. But as we saw throughout this Celtics playoff run, they were deep enough and strong enough to be able to get to the finals without him because Borzegas got hurt in the first round and then made it back for game one and two in the finals, was out three and four, and then against the doctor's direction and wishes, went into game five, ultimately the title game to help them win. The good news for the Celtics is they have such a strong core when you have Jalen

Brown, Jason Tatum, Drew Holiday, Al Horford, Derek White. Like, you have a strong five without him and they can do it, but he is such a strong presence and huge impact when he's on the court. Okay, this is massive. Five to six months. So remember, he's seven foot three. Yes. Let's just say optimistically he's back January 15th. Okay. I've looked at. his career. I just called it up. So he played in 57 games this year, because he's always hurt. He played in 65 the year before that. The year before that,

he bounced around between Dallas and Washington played 51 games. He's never healthy. So this is a massive impediment to them repeating his champ or even getting there. He was so... He played through it in game five. Alex, he was awesome in games

one and two. He was the reason they took the leap. Like, that was the game changer. Like people, like a lot of people took Dallas to win the finals and then once Porzinkas was back game game one game two it's like oh no there's no chance they're too strong they're too deep he is the difference maker I think officially I'm going to go ahead and I think the Knicks are probably coming out of these this is huge because remember these foot injuries linger they come back you are so high already on the next what's not to love if you take Porzingis out they become a regular really really good team

with no unicorn like Assuming this Knicks core, they don't trade Randall. Yeah. I mean, who are you afraid of on Boston if you're the Knicks, who you match up really well with? You're not afraid of Tatum and Brown because you have guys to defend them. Porzingis is the one guy they didn't have. You'd have Randall guarding him or Hartenstein, and Porzengis would kill those guys.

With him out, Alex, this is big. You just have to maintain. Like, maintain until he gets back. Tread water. Yeah. Without the. Survine. Don't, like, don't go on any, like, big dip losing strings.

You're also the hunter for the last couple of years because they were so close knocking on the door. There's a difference. And the Knicks. They haven't won a title. What was it? Willis Reed. Is that their last championship? I mean, I think it goes back that far.

They haven't won a title in forever. Yeah. Alex with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. So are the Knicks on the Celtics level? What the heck's going on with Kevin Durant?

We'll get to all that and the NBA draft next year on the Hart. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LeVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experience. experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LeVar Arrington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

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podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to? do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking.

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Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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. Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd here on a Thursday, and to break down the wild week in the NBA, let's bring on your own whitesman, Fox Sports.com.

He's written for Bleacher Report and Slam. How you doing, my man? I'm good. What's going on? A lot. Actually, a lot's happening. Not nothing. We're my Knicks blue today. You're based out of New York. Tell me, what's a vibe after the Knicks big swing

for Mikhail Bridges, who is a no-time All-Star, but has vaulted the Knicks, helped to third-best odds to win the title behind Boston and Denver? I think people are excited. You're going to have Knicks fans. You're going to have New Yorkers wearing Villanova gear, right? So that'll be pretty different. Yeah, I think people are very excited that this team is all in. This is sort of what fans have been waiting for since Leon Rose and West were what West took over in 2020. And Nick's fans knew that even though Leon Rose doesn't talk to the media or doesn't give out his plan, but it was pretty obvious that the plan was eventually to cash in all these chips they were collecting for a start. I'm sure we'll talk about whether or not Mikkel Bridgett is a star. But this was the move.

And I think Knicks fans are excited to see, you know, this team finally put together and what happens now. Yeah, I saw you're on one website said the Knicks were, quote, fleeced by giving up five draft picks. Now, the Knicks, I believe, gave up four of their own and one of the Milwaukee Bucks. None of those picks in the next few years are going to be like a top 10 pick, unlikely short of massive injuries. So is it really, do you consider it a fleecing?

A fleecing, no. Listen, they overpaid, right? If you're looking at it in a vacuum, like the amount of picks they gave up are more, I think it's more than the Suns gave up for Kevin Durant, more than the wolves get up for Rudy Colbert, and McHale Bridges, again, is a zero-time all-stars. So if you look in a vacuum, they overpaid, but it's not how this works, right? The Knicks needed to make a move.

This was the all-season to do it for certain cap reasons. They were going to run out of time, and in the future would have been harder to bring in another guy. McKell Bridges also has a very good contract. I signed for another two more years at a reasonable number. Brunson is going to get an extension soon, so this was the time to do it. Also, the draft picks, you know, at some point they lose their value. As you go kind of go further and further into the future and the Knicks are good,

the draft picks lose their value. And I also think as the Knicks started looking down the list of, you know, quote-unquote A-listers and you start seeing guys and like, Inbe's not asking out and Giannis isn't going anywhere, and Carl Towns isn't a good fit. and the emergence of Jalen Brunson, which is a huge part of this, because I think this trade is also a, this combined with the OG trade,

is a double down in the idea that Jalen Brunton is a, we'll give a hat tip to Becky Hammond, but a 1A, right, then believing this. So I think then deciding that, you know, like whoever we get has to be somebody who fits well with him, so Donald and Mitchell would not work, for example. And you start looking and it's like there aren't so many good options.

So they felt like this was the one to go for. And I actually, I think it was a good move. I think it was a good trade for both teams. There was some chatter about potentially Paul George being the guy they give up a war chest for. I don't know. I think probably too hot of a take, but I think the Bridges one makes more sense from a chemistry fit,

from a salary, from an age. Your thoughts? I would still go for Paul George over Bridges, if it was the choice between the two. But one, I don't think it would have been that simple. Also, Paul George would have had to be a son-in trade, which means you'd have to give up in real asset. probably Randall and some other picks would have been the move if the clippers were going to do that.

Bridges was obviously a trade, but they gave up Boganovich. The picks were the real thing that the Nets wanted. And there is something to be said about Bridges being younger and the fact that he doesn't miss games. I think he doesn't miss the games in high school. And that's a really valuable thing. Though I guess I think Tibbs will probably push that to an extreme. And it's going to be, you know, it's not a force, meets immovable object type of thing there. But no, I think it's a good trade.

I think the Knicks are really, really well positioned right now. Let me ask you, your pre-free agency, top four in the East would be? Pre-free agency. To me, you got to go, Celtics, one, obviously, Knicks to. The Sixers are the interesting one. I'm going to throw them in Milwaukee as a three-four. We can talk about the Sixers. The Sixers are the most fascinating team going forward, right?

Because they have basically two players on the roster in Joel Embeded and Tyrese, who's technically unsigned right now. He's a restrictive pre-agent bill. For cap reasons, they're going to sign him after they finish their offseason moves. Yeah, they're in a fascinating position because this is it. This is the window. I'm always talked about that, right? He knows that this is the off-season they built towards.

Again, they're talking about these little windows that teams have. The fact that Maxi wasn't yet signed means for cap reasons, the Sixers have this opening where they can bring in a third big guy. Paul George is obviously the target there. we'll see what happens the Sixers are going to offer him a max deal and the Clippers we know have not wanted to offer him that fourth year

so it'll be interesting to see if either George aside if he would rather take fewer years and stay in LA where we know he's comfortable or if the Clippers decide to match what the Sixers do that's going to be an interesting game of chess but yeah the Sixers

to me they're the fascinating in terms of how they play this cap space knowing that they have a window here and knowing that they have this Joel and Bede how many more years of Joel and Beets Prime do you have left? Yeah. I know JJ Reddick, the new Lakers coach. He would love it if I brought up the Utah Jazz right now with the Orlando Magic.

But I'm going to support my local engagement farmer, and I'm going to ask you about engagement farming and JJ Redick and the Lakers and the media as a member of the media. I don't know. What were your takeaways from his press conference where he's a little combative with two F bombs? Yeah, it was very...

I don't want to pretend I know J.J. Redick well. I spent a lot of time around the Sixers teams when he was there. I knew him a little bit. And like everyone else, I consume his content, I guess, would be the word he would use. I thought the press conference was very much him, and he's authentically himself. And I actually think the hire, I think the hire was a good hire. I think it's both ridiculous and good, right?

Like, I think he's actually somebody who is going to be good at this, and he's really smart and has clearly spent the last year, if not longer, building this sort of database and planning for the job, right? you've heard him talk about this, the idea that he picks the brain of guys like Joe Luzula on the broadcasting and probably has notebooks and notebooks full of ideas. The idea that he had this podcast with LeBron sort of adds this, I don't know, cartoonish aspect to it, and make this seem more ridiculous. And it almost, to me, I know that probably helped him get the job.

To me, it almost hurts him coming in where I think he would have been a better candidate beforehand, if that makes sense, if had he not done the podcast with LeBron. And I don't think that's going to matter in the long run. It just sort of adds to the Lakersness of. the whole thing. The press conference was very much him, though. And listen, him talking to the media every day. And I've heard Stephen A.

Talk about this recently. You know, how saying, as someone who's worked with JJ regularly, and I think he said something along the lines of, I know how hard it is to get him to answer questions when he's paid to do so on a debate show. So I can only imagine what he's going to do in a media situation. I think there's going to be some combative stuff there. But also, JJ is going to be somebody

who knows how to take care of local reporters, and I think they're going to like him, and I think it's going to go pretty well for them this year. Okay, we'll wrap up with this second round of the draft tonight. Bronny James, is your best guess he goes to the Lakers, or do you think someone has to mess with them and just say, we're taking Brani at 52, we don't care? Be pretty stunned.

I think he actually falls into this interesting beneficial window for himself where he's good enough, I guess, in theory, to be taken in the 50s, but not good enough where another team feels like it's worth jumping in there and grabbing him where they feel like, we don't care who we anger. We think he's so good. The upside is,

there's so much upside there that is worth angering LeBronny's clutch. So I'd be pretty surprised if a team jumped in there. Like, what would be the reason, right? Like, what would they be gaining? You know, the only team I've thought about is Philly, not because, like, the way Darryor Mori operates. Oh, yeah. To him, it's all an odd game.

So if the idea of having Bronny means you now have a 1% chance to gain LeBron as opposed to a zero, like that might be an equation that he's interested in as opposed to looking at it means that like, oh, I'm still not getting LeBron. Because I don't think LeBron's going to any of these random places. So I think he ends up in L.A. And I actually think, I think they've done a disservice.

I think L.A. would be good if he was willing to do the G-League route. I know Rich Paul said that's not something they're interested in. I actually think that, if they were willing to do that, then that can work. Because he could be separate from LeBron and he could be sort of under the same umbrella. Maybe you do a road trip, you know, two road trips. They play together, but you're really not under the same roof and you can develop. So to me, I actually think that would be the most beneficial for him. I'll be curious to see if Rich Paul and LeBron and Brony hold strong on that

hold strong on an N-O-G league thing. Yeah, yeah, I like it. Very looking forward to it. You're on, Weissman, foxports.com. Thanks a lot for taking the time, buddy. Thanks for having me. All right. Coming up next here on the herd, second hour is afoot.

Everyone assumes Brony will be a Laker, but will someone consider stealing him away. There's some Game of Thrones stuff potentially going on tonight in the NBA draft. We'll talk about that 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet, 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.