The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The NBA is in good hands

Episode Date: January 5, 2024

Colin looks at the thrilling showdown between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama Thoughts on Lamar Jackson possibly winning another MVP and what some QBs have overcome this season Colin discusses the upcoming Monday meaning between Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert KraftSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. Going to be the best Friday show in a long time live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day.

One hour from now, the Blazing Five last 14 weeks on our Blazing Five, 500 or better, 12 of 14 of those weeks. Believe it or not, I actually like my pick. I know I went dumpster diving, but I like my picks. Jay Mack, but Julian Edelman stopping by today, The Blazing Five, and the future of the NBA last night was on this flight. NBA was great last night. I'm excited for Edelman. He can, you know, send Belichick off into the sunset if I went over my jets this week. You're getting all sorts of leaks.

Oh, almost too many leaks, right? It's almost a little fishy how many are coming out. All right. So last night I sat down and I said, I'm going to watch NBA basketball for a few hours and I watched Janus v. Wemby and it was wildly entertaining. Last night is a perfect representation of what the NBA is now. Hyper, talented, international big men taking over the sport. Seven foot three, four behind the back can run the floor, can shoot, can defend at the rim,

can at times defend on the perimeter, taking over games and taking over the league. You know, Steph, LeBron and KD, are having good, great years, and in the West, they are 9, 10, and 11 in the standings. That's the new NBA. The old guard is out. The new guard is international, long and strong. It's the next level of a global sport. It's unbelievable. The last five years, the MVP's have been Yonis twice, Yokic twice, ambied once, and NB'd this year, because James Hardin left,

is now like Mr. Assist guy. He can even pass the ball. He's got a little yokech to his game. So Janus against Wemby last night was just completely freakish next level basketball. It was crazy watching Shaq and Kenny and Charles. They're just watching this stuff. Yonis is like Wemby, if Wembe had been in an NBA wait room for a decade. Long, strong, had a dunk to seal at late, a much more refined game,

a stronger player physically, but it was classic stuff. You were watching, Greg Popovich said at one point, like, there's just nothing like it. Like, it doesn't look like anything we've ever seen before. The bucks won it as they should have because Janus right now is better than Wembe,

and Janus down the stretch had the big bucket. So it was fascinating. Meanwhile, out west, Yokic, my opinion, the best current basketball player in the world, wrapped up his Nuggets win with this. Yes. Yolkich has it.

Clock ticks, got to put one up. Yokin's for the run. Oh, it's good. Yokin's got it off in time. And the Nuggets win it. Yeah, they inbounded the ball to the seven-footer. Hey, bro, you bring it up the floor. We don't need to guard.

You can bring it up the floor. He said when he let go of it and he's a humble guy, I've met him. He said, yeah, I knew it was going in. I mean, it's just. just different. It is a new world. It's a little unorthodox. It doesn't look like anything we've seen. We all love Michael. Michael

couldn't defend these guys. Give me a break. We thought Kevin Durant was great. He wasn't this big, this long. I mean, it's just incredible. These guys are amazing. I love it. I thought the Denver Nuggets were fascinating. And the reason I love Wembe and the reason I love Janus and the reason

I love Yokic is because they do so many things. Centers in the 70s and 80s In 90s, you know, John Conkak, Will Purdue, Bill Cartwright, those days are over. These guys carry the ball in the inbound. Yokic has missed five shots total in his last four games. I'm not joking. He missed three last night.

Total. He had an off night. It's just like nothing we've seen. And here's Yonis talking about his game against the kid. He's unbelievable. Unbelievable talent can score at. at will anytime he wants. Place that I weigh,

place to win, it was great playing against me. I mean, you know, if you listen to this show, I like new stuff. I'm not a high school letterman jacket guy. I'm not a tradition guy. I don't collect baseball cards. I'm not a collector. I like new stuff.

I like the future more than the past. The windshield more than the rear view mirror. I don't care about bowl games dying. Most of them are boring. Most people don't go to most of them. The sponsors bounce around bowl game to bowl game to bowl game. Give me new stuff. Give me a 12-team college football playoff.

What we're watching in the NBA is fascinating to me. And last night was a perfect representation for what the best basketball league in the world looks like now and going forward. Embed, Wemby, Luca, Janice, Joker. It's just incredible. Incredibly skilled basketball. So, pro ball, yeah.

Yesterday, Pro Bowl team came out. Don't want to take any shots at anybody. Brock Purdy made the Pro Bowl. So let's first tip our cap to the next Tom Brady, as my partner says here. Let's give Brock Purdy his credit here. Here's Brock Purdy. What an honor. I'm very thankful, obviously, to everyone who voted and all the support across the country.

It's so cool, actually. And for all my teammates, too, for them to. be recognized. It's sweet. We've got a special team, special unit of guys. But to be listed up there with them, man, what an honor. So, yeah, very thankful for it. NFL does so many things right. The Pro Bowl's not one of them. Josh Allen leads the NFL with 42 touchdowns. Didn't make the Pro Bowl.

If the Bills win against Miami this weekend, I think they will. They'll be the number two seed. Tua, who can't beat Josh Allen. made it. She's that game against Baltimore last week? He looked like a starter in the Pro Bowl? Okay. Mahomes, having the worst year of his career, he made it too.

Mahomes and Josh Allen have the same number of passing touchdowns. 27. Allen has 15 rushing touchdowns. Mahomes has zero. Josh Allen beat Mahomes head to head. He has 15 more total touchdowns. The turnovers, fairly even. The teams, both 10 and 6.

Mahomes made it. Alan didn't, and I love Mahomes. But the Bill's offense scores 27 points per game. The Chief's offense with the smartest offensive coach, perhaps in our life, Andy Reid scores 22 a game. Oh, I don't know, maybe the 15 extra rushing touchdowns impacted that. Everybody likes Mahomes. But Josh Allen has dealt with a defensive coach.

He doesn't have Andy Reed. They fired their OC. So he's on his second O.C. year, Stefan Diggs drama, head coach had drama, 15 more rushing touchdowns, beat Mahomes head-to-head, same record, he doesn't make it. The Oscars in Hollywood, the Emmys in television, Pro Bowls, Heisman voting. I can't take it seriously. I can't take any of it seriously. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, there are Walsh in Montana. I savor them every Sunday. Total respect. Hope they win five more Super Bowls. But both with,

acknowledge they've struggled all year. Mahomes has struggled all year. Josh Allen has been Superman most of the year. I mean, give it to Lamar MVP. I got no problem with that. His team's better, but they also have better players. That roster at Baltimore is better than Buffalo's roster. And that's, you know, all things said, I'm for Lamar when in the MVP.

I think he's the sole of that franchise. 42 total touchdowns. Lead the league in touchdowns. can't make your conferences Pro Bowl. Come on now. If you want me to take stuff seriously. You know, I worked in local TV for a long time, and I never took the Emmy seriously,

because I always had a theory that you could tell when the red light comes on a camera, you can tell the players from the non-players, the haves from the have-nought. Some people can just talk, fire, five alarm, camera, go, talk, six minutes, no pauses. Those guys, those women, those people, those are your players.

And then there's people that can edit, than Emmy tape and, you know, they lobby for it. They have one great story. They win a local, and I'm like, yeah, I can't take this stuff seriously. We know who can't. I mean, in the Pro Bowl, the NFL does almost everything right. I mean, they really do a lot right. And the Pro Bowl, let's just, just, just, no more.

That's just, I'm over it. I told you years ago, I had a Heisman vote. Years and years ago, I got a Heisman vote. And I voted Eric B. Enemy played for Colorado. And literally, he was the offense. I mean, he was just an incredible player. they gave it to a BYU quarterback, and at the time BYU's offense was ahead of its time, every BYU quarterback threw for a zillion yards.

Like it was just a machine. It was like Oklahoma running backs in the 70s and 80s. It didn't matter who they were. They were all good. It was a Nebraska running back under Tom Osborne. They were all successful. It was a running back in the NFL under Mike Shanahan's offense. They're all great.

So I'm not like I ever took the Pro Bowl seriously, but if you look at what Josh Allen's dealt with, a defensive coach who was under fire. He's on his second OC. There's drama with his quarterback. Don't get it. All right. Enough award talk last time this show. I'm not talking awards.

Blazing 5 and 45 minutes. Eric Mangini, Julian Edelman. So there's a lot of, you can always tell with a White House, whoever the president is, an R, a D. Doesn't matter. A good White House. no leaks. A bad White House, which means lots of disgruntled employees and a lot of doubts in the White House, leaks everywhere. So you can figure out who I'm talking about. A good White House, a good company doesn't have a lot of leaks. A bad company's got tons of leaks. Disgruntled employees everywhere. This New England thing, it's like a leak a day. Who is unhappy? Let's start with everybody not named Belichick. So we'll talk about that around the corner. All right, great. parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Drafking Sportsbook, new users. The code is heard. That's me,

H-E-R-D when you download the app, and that takes two minutes. All right, my parley pick of the week via Draft King Sportsbook. Texans at the Colt, Texans minus one. I think they're the better team, better quarterback. I'm going to take the Texans like I did last week to win straight out. Bears at the Packers, Green Bay, minus three. I know Iber, Fluse, and Justin Fields feel like they're for their job, but Green Bay's dominated the series. Better coach, better offense. I take the Packers to win about 2720. Bills minus three at Miami, I like Buffalo. Dolphins without Nick Chubb, no pass rush. Buffalo wins by a touchdown. Want to take the Herd Parlay? Check out Draft King's Sportsbook. New users, code is heard when you download the app. 21 plus in most eligible states,

but age varies by jurisdiction. Ability restrictions apply. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 8778-8 Hope-N-Wire, or text Hope-N-Y 4667-369. See show notes for full details. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball

to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now, I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, This is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. 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, so. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more. important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back. Blazing 5, a little bit of a heater. One again last week.

40 minutes from now. So there are reports and there have been leaks all year in New England. Last year and a half leaks. This is an organization. Nothing got out. Do you? your job, nothing got out for 20 years. I mean, nothing. Injury reports were manipulated. Nothing got out. Last year and a half, two years, everything gets out. What does that tell you?

Disgruntled employees. There's another report. Monday, Bob Kraft, the owner, and Belichick meet. Saw two stories yesterday. People saying the culture's a mess. The coaching staff's a mess. So what do you do Monday? Well, Bill is territorial.

He's intimidating, and he's abrasive. Ideally, you could bring a young, smart offensive person in to work with Bill. But there is no working with Bill, only working under Bill. This is the classic, hey, I know we've broken up, but can we still be friends? Nope, we have to break up, date other people. It's time to move off Belichick. Another indictment of Bill is that Nick Casario left the organization, and has rebuilt Houston in one year.

Had good players everywhere. Well, why couldn't he do that in New England? Because Bill had his thumb on him. I have been told for over a decade it's been sourced three different people, two that have worked in that building, that Bill every mid-January would tell us scouts and personnel department, I got it from here and take over the draft with his dog in front of a computer one year. Remember that?

At that kitchen table? Yeah. Do you watch the draft the last 10 years? Eight have been a disaster. Last year, three guards, two kickers for the slowest offense in the league. They have no playmakers. It's a garbage roster. Offensively, it's a mess.

So this is not one of these. Bill's territorial. He can get defensive. He's abrasive. That's why he fills his staff with either family members or people that can deal with his abrasiveness. So some people you just have to move on from. Some people are too big of personalities that they take over the building.

the oxygen out of it. I always said with Cam Newton, he's too big of a celebrity to be a backup. Tim Tebow, too big of a celebrity to be a backup. You're either going to give Cam and Tebow the team or not. Russell Wilson probably can't be a backup. Johnny Mansell probably can't be a backup. Bill can't be a backup on personnel. He won't accept it.

So what's interesting with Bill is he built this entire culture on move off people a year early, never late. That's the culture he built. And ironically, if Bill was a Patriot player today, he would have cut himself three years ago. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Harshest comment you've had of 2024. Oh, ouch. All right, let's get started with Justin Fields. Colin, big, big week for him. Week 18, can he do something to convince the organization that they should keep him and not draft Caleb Williams? or another quarterback. Chicago OC Luke Getze, who surely has a lot to say, right,

spoke yesterday and believes the best is yet to come from fields. You know, the going forward part, that's like, again, that's something that's bigger than where we're at right now because we're thinking about Green Bay, right? This is we're all in that mindset. We have a great relationship. We work really well together.

He inspires me on a daily with his mentality, his focus, his faith, all that stuff. So we have a really good relationship. And I think Justin's, you know, future is super bright. By the way, one of the things I do like about Justin Fields a lot, and this is where I feel like he has a demeanor about him. He's very chill. He's very centered.

He's got faith. And I will say he's not like hyperbolic. You ever watch Justin Field before and after games? Never too high, never too low. There is, there is, now, now, there's nothing wrong with pumping a fist and getting fired up. But he is, his personality is kind of franchise quarterback level. He's very, like Jalen Hertz, he's very centered. You don't get hyper guy, critical guy, negative guy.

Everything's kind of right in the middle. And I know you're saying, Colin, I want my guy pumping a fist. That's fine during a game. But before it, preparing for it, after it, meeting rooms, I need an adult. And I may have issues with his pocket quarterback play, but his personality at the podium. He's kind of reflective, a matter of fact. And I do like that about it. That was the first thing that caught me with Dak.

What are the quarterback pocket issues that he... Well, I don't think... It's not a good thrower of the football. We could just say that. Yeah, Caleb Williams, a better thrower of the football. More accurate, it's easier. I think some guys... I mean, I never thought Cam Newton was a great perfect thrower of the football.

Philip Rivers had a weird, wonky delivery. Some guys, Matt Ryan, don't move it down the field. Well, everybody's got their thing. Some guys have a little hitch. Some guys don't have a power arm. You know, at times, you know, he's better than to... Wilson by a mile. But there were times, initially I'm like, they're both athletes, they both have good arms, they both move. I don't know if either one sees the field. C.J. Stroud came into the league.

Literally the first game second half, you're like, accuracy. Like, C.J. Strault rolls out of bed, give him a football, could throw and hit a lamp post 45 yards away. It's just easy. The ball comes off easy. The motion's perfect. Some guys are born, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud. It's just, it's not even a think. They're just 40 yards through a, through a keyhole. So some guys, aren't naturally accurate. Some guys, you know, it's just different. That matters, though. I saw a stat, Colin, and I think it's just the beginning of a bigger story we'll see, but over like the last 20 years, teams that pass for more yards in the game win 50 to 55% of the time. Historically. Yeah. That number this year is up to 67%. Now, think about that. The teams that are passing more

are winning more games. So that's all rule-based. It's an offensive league. And Justin feels like, as much as I like him, hasn't proven that he can sit in the pocket and have 300-yard games. games left and right and lead you through the year. And that's what's winning in the league. Again, that's not a knock on him. That's just not who he is now. Is he fun and dynamic as a runner? You do have to consider that he is a runner and that does help him.

I don't need 300-yard games from him. I don't because he's going to rush for 62 and run for a touchdown. Can he give me 242? So I do bake in with Lamar Jackson. I don't need him to throw like Mahomes because I get this electric running style. Lamar kind of can throw like Mahomes on me. No, no, no, no. Lamar is great. But I'm saying with Justin, I'm willing to not hold him to Jared Gough numbers in the

I'm not worried because he does give me some of that. Same with Josh Allen. I'll take the miscues. The guy's running for 15. He's running for a touchdown a week. So some of Justin, I'm willing to compromise and go. I don't, for instance, I don't need him to be a 66% completion percentage guy. I don't.

I'd like him to be 63 and a half, 64, but he doesn't have to be Kirk Cousins. He didn't have to throw for 325. Kirk Cousins does. because he gives you no mobility. Yeah. Just the running aspect, I mean, he's missed games because of injury running out of the pocket. Let's move on to the Cowboys who are in prime position to secure the NFC title and the number two seed with a win on Sunday.

The offense has been pretty darn good behind Dak Prescott, but the run game, ooh, it's been ugly. Tony Pollard recognizes it could be just a little bit better. I thought I would probably have a better year than I am now. Pollard said via Nick Harris of the team website. Where we are in the playoffs and the rankings, I couldn't complain with everything in front of us. I hold myself to a higher standard.

I try to be my hardest critic and my hardest judge before anything else. I always trust myself. Like, listen, I've got to be honest. Pollard has been way worse. You and I both thought like he was better than Zeke last year. Well, but we did in fairness. We're not patting ourselves in the back. At the trade deadline, my take was Dallas needs to go get Derek Henry

or a power back. He's a two. And it's nothing against him, but he doesn't have Christian McCaffrey's talent. He's not as good as Breece Hall. Running back, a lot of it's just raw talent. McCaffrey literally is unique. Breast Hall doesn't look like Adrian Peterson,

Walter Payton, Barry Sanders. The great running backs you see as a rookie, it just jumps. Now, quarterbacks can take time, left tackles, tight ends, can take time, a receiver timing. Running backs, Adrian Peterson, you'd have to wait long for. Breece Hall, second game.

Okay, Lidane and Tomlinson. I think Tony is a nice, complimentary back. But I think we know what he is. You can't blame the O-line, it's good. You can't blame the quarterback he can throw. You can't blame McCarthy. Now, McCarthy's not a great run-game coach, but it's an offensive coach. I think Tony is just a complimentary player, and anything beyond that, it's not his fault.

It's ours for assuming, well, where's the 1800 yards? It's not ours. I mean, Dallas decided, hey, Pollard's shown us enough we can move on from Zeke. And Dallas determined that Pollard was ready to be the guy. And now it's like, ooh, Rico Dowdell looks like he's got some pop-in-cumption. I mean, how many in Major League Baseball? You know, every team's got an ace. And then a really good number two for most of the top teams. You get to a three-and-four starter.

That's not who you want going out in game five or game seven. So it's like Pollard's of nice player. I like him. Start to wonder, Colin, like, coming to the first round of the playoffs. I mean, if I'm a defensive coordinator, I am scheming at the best I can, my best cornerback on CD Lamb, and I'm going to have help on him. And I'll go ahead. Tony Pollard, come beat me. I'll live with that.

I'm the same way. That's why San Francisco is so brutal. It's like, oh, they could not throw and just run McCaffrey and Debo, and you'd be like, yeah, we can't stop them. Baltimore does that. Yeah. If they just decided for a quarter not to throw, it's why Michigan's so good in college football. We're not going to throw, and they could still win that way. When in Dallas can't.

Dallas is so Seedy Lamb-Dact dependent. Yeah, not great. Final story, the Jets released Dalvin Cook earlier this week, and according to multiple reporters, the Ravens have signed Dalvin Cook to their practice squad. Baltimore has been hurting and running back. Obviously, J.K. Dobbins went down. Then they lost Keaton Mitchell.

I don't know if Cook is going to do much in the postseason, but it's, listen, he's an upgrade over Melvin Ingram. Remember that guy? Melvin Gordon. Melvin Gordon, sorry. Classic. Baltimore Ravens move. This is what good teams do.

You ever notice this? You go find a guy that's not washed, but past his great peak. Veteran can absolutely peel off a 30-yard play. And a place like Baltimore grabs him, and all of a sudden you're like, wait a minute, I thought he was washed. It's amazing how often good organizations,

go get a guy, you think he's washed, and then with good coaching and support, and you're like, yeah, that guy's not washed. This is a non-lose situation. Like, he's either okay. You called for your, I told somebody the other day. You called this. Yeah, well, it's not.

Come on. Ravens have lost running back. I thought the Cowboys would get involved. But, you know, this is a great win for the Ravens. And if he had his choice, wouldn't you go to the number one team in the NFL? In a second. No, no disrespect to the Niners. But, like, I don't know if he's getting on the field with McCaffrey.

No, it's not. Even Mitchell's really good. I don't know. Baltimore's just stacked, man. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News.

So JMAX's not going to like this story. He's not going to like this story and how it lands. I already rolled my eyes at Brock Purdy, but it's an interesting one. So the All-Star voting in the NBA. And I don't talk a ton of NBA until we kind of get four or five weeks into the NBA NFL playoffs. But last night was like the most memorable game of the season for me. And it's interesting. I looked at this this morning.

Now, Jason Tatum, J-Mack loves him. and he's a very good player. But the leading vote getters among fans, I'm going to read this list. Janice, LeBron, Duran, and Jason Tatum. So the NBA has three groups of stars. And I'm not talking average, guys, stars.

So the NBA has got three groups of stars. There's the old stars. Kauai, LeBron, Staff, AD, Kawhi, MVP's. The old. Old guard. As the old guys. And then there's the guys, you know, the international guys.

Janice, Embed, Yokic, Wembe, Luca, and Shea, O KC, SGA, is from Canada. International guys. They're taking over the league. See, you got the old guys, they got all the trophies and the generational wealth, the titles, the old guys. And they got the new international guys who now went all the MVP's and Yon has got a title, Yoke's got a title. And then there's the domestic players in the middle that are really good. Aunt Edwards, John Morant, Trey Young, Jason Tatum.

Hmm. Is he going to get a title? Ask yourself. So they broke, Jason Tatum broke into the NBA. He wasn't as refined as LeBron. and Steph. He wasn't as tough as Kauai. His battle-hardened as the old guys.

The old guard. And now he had about a two-year window to win a title. Because now he's got to go through Janus in his prime, Yokic in his prime, Lucas moving into his prime, Wendy's three years from his prime, SGA now into his prime. And I'm not sure he's as good as any of those guys.

It's almost like Andy Murray and tennis. right? Like Annie Murray's window, he got three grand slams. But Federer at the beginning overwhelmed him. He was better. Djokovic at the end was better. Overwhelmed everybody. And Annie Murray had this little tiny little window and he won three grand slams. Other guys win like 20 plus. So Tatum was not ready when he first got into the league. He not as good as LeBron, not as good as step.

not as good as the old guard. And now he's not as good as the young guard, the international guys. Was his window two years ago? Was that the window to win his grand slam? Because I'm here to tell you, he and Yokic. Tatum's good. He not Yokic. And I'm here to tell you he na Yonis.

And I'm watching Wembe in the third quarter last night. And in two years, you're not going to be Wemby. Sorry, not. He's not offensively, Luca. I'd be honest about SGA. I mean, he can average 36 a game next year? I mean, can anybody in the league stop him?

I mean, he's incredible. And he is Canadian. That's international. Our friends to the north. All I'm saying is, Andy Murray, just the timing was lousy. You got Federer here. you got

you know if the doll had been healthier you got Joker over here you look like a sliver in there is Tatum was the sliver two years ago in the final he doesn't like this

folks he's not Joker he's not Yannas two years he's not Wemby can't score like Luca and SGA right now is a better offensive player and I think that kid's gonna he's gonna average 35 a game at some point the only thing stopping him is

Chet Holmgren may take too many shots like that kid's the scoring machine. And I just wonder, sometimes windows, windows are really tiny for tennis stars and NBA stars. Old Guard, he got overwhelmed.

Young Guard now international? He's not as good as these guys. If I had to make a bet, my question is, now that Yokic is a better player and he is in his prime. If Jason Tatum doesn't win this year, don't you think in the

next three years, Luca's going to get a number two. And Wemby is probably a year and a half away from being Yannis with a more clever offensive game. So if I said over under one and a half titles for Jason Tatum, you would say... Under...

Oh, by the way, I didn't even mention Embed, and this is my favorite Philadelphia version. M.B. now is passing the ball. Have you seen his assist totals? I mean... Okay. I think there's too much here. I'm just so sure. I'm just so Yeah, too much brilliance.

But his Andy Murray comparison. Andy Murray was great. He was a really good tennis player. But he wasn't as good as Fedder, who for 15 years was the best tennis player ever. And then Andy Murray is awesome. And then Annie Murray is like, okay, Rogers getting old. I'm going to jump in here. And then Joker comes and it's like, yeah, I can't do that either.

Just Jason Tatum was first team all NBA the last two years. He's one of the five best players in the league. I don't want to hear this. Oh, really, five best players. Yes. I think that's undeniable. Yokitch, Yonis, Amis. Embed Luke are the top four.

Five. Okay. Tatum's five. Okay. By the way, stop with the Embedd-love, man. Just stop. So what about the stats? He can't get to the conference finals, Colin. Conference finals.

Tatum's been to the NBA finals more than he's been to the conference finals. Okay, but had to deal with the Simmons nonsense. Oh, right. So we'd make excuses. What about all the changes on this team? This guy had to deal with Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving was on the team with Tatum. Total disaster.

Then it's like, oh, well, we're going to try this. Six months. And now we're going to move this guy on. and the Isaiah Thomas flashing the pan. You know what I hear? You know what I hear? Why are you doing this to me in the first hour? Guy getting a little defensive.

Listen, and I do not like any Boston teams. Born in New York, can't stand the Red Sox, hate the Celtics, hate all Boston teams, can't stand the Patriots. And I love Jason Tatum. A lot of it is because a lot of Laker fans think he's going to end up with the Lakers eventually, which would be amazing. I'm not saying I'm right. He's like the biggest Kobe Bryant fan of him.

But I think you have to consider my argument. He was overwhelmed by the old heads. K.D. LeBron. He was like a 21, 22-year-old. So was Andy Murray. And then he's like, it's my time. Oh, damn. Janus is better than me. Now, Yonkich is...

Hold up. The last time they met the playoffs, Tatum took down Yonis. They beat him in seven. And a lot of the other guys you point out, Yokic, Wembe, Anthony Edwards, all those guys. They're in the West. Luka. They can kill each other in the West. Tatum has a waltz, a yellow brick road right to the finals. Who takes them out?

This is what I tell you about Philadelphia. And Janice? Finally, Embedde has the ascending star who is beholden to him. You notice Maxie doesn't try to take the ball out of his hand? Great regular season team. Show me what they got in the playoffs. Again, Simmons Hardin. By the way, you know, it's-

chemistry issues. When Tatum was blasting Boston in game six in Philadelphia, when the Sixers could have beat him last year, what was Tatum doing in the fourth quarter? Just lighting Embed up. Embed, what did he do? Just choked him. job. Game seven, how many turnovers for Embed? Go look it up. Tray Young. Mb

lost to Tray Young at home. Simmons, Hardin, not the right coach. Gosh, I will ride with Tatum. I'm sorry. I'm all in. Listen, a lot of people love Andy Murray. The brilliant EQESUV for Mercedes-Benz. Available digital light technology. So smart, even the headlamps are thinking. Vehicle all electric. The feelings all Mercedes. The choice all yours. Learn more to MBUSA.com slash EQE-SUV.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the I-Hard Radio app. Two NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA Great Fight. All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to a.

expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to this league uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that

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

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

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 Jay and I'm Alex English Each episode we pick it here

unpack what went down And try to make sense of how we survived it Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill Waxing all about crack in the 80s To be clear, 84's 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 So 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. The NFL season finale

double header kicks off with the lions taken on the Vikings. Then in America's Game of the Week, the NFC's title is on the line for DAC and the Cowboys as they battle the commanders or other regional Check local listings for the games in your area only on five. Okay, you know, that doesn't look like a great schedule. I'm going to make a prediction that a couple of games are going to be better than you think.

One of them is Arizona hosting Seattle is going to end up being a fantastic game. So I'm taking dogs this weekend on my Blazing Five. So I'm going to tell you, I think a game that is low-key fascinating is Chicago at Green Bay. going to be cold whether or not a factor. Two very young athletic quarterbacks, both with good arms. Now, I think Love looks to me to be better than Justin Fields.

But love has an offensive coach, an offensive culture, sick, young wide receiver talent. Basically, Justin Fields has a good tied-in and DJ Moore. And it's a defensive culture historically. So I think love is better than Justin. That's what I think, but I do think a lot of it. They're barely even.

Green Bay just does quarterbacks right. And they have for 30 years. And Chicago doesn't ever. So I've been pretty hot on my blazing five. 12 of the last 14 weeks. I've been 500 or better. No losing week, 63%. 12 of the 14 weeks, right?

So pretty good. Why? I try to take the best quarterback, but it's not just the best quarterback. I take the best quarterback against the defense they'll face. So again, I think Jordan Love is better than just a quarterback. Fields. But Green Bay's defense is so bad and Justin Fields is close enough to Jordan Love in talent that I think it's very possible that Jordan, that Justin Fields has a better game

than Jordan Love does against a surging, well-schooled Chicago defense that's not great, but playing pretty good. So in this game, Justin Fields could look like the better quarterback. Remember, Green Bay allows quarterbacks to run. Only two teams in the NFL have allowed quarterbacks to run for more rush yards than Green Bay. Only two in the whole league, and Justin Fields can run.

And it's the last game of the year. He's not protecting his body. He's going to go run. You're going to see Justin Fields running around. So I think it's going to be a very close game. My gut feeling is there's a potential for a Chicago winning an upset. If you're a talk show host, and I know not many

of you are, you have to root for Chicago. You have to root for Chicago. Here's why. Because in our business, is all about what's the discussion Monday after a weekend. If Jordan Love wins gets to the playoffs, it's fun. They're not winning the Super Bowl. Everybody kind of likes Jordan Love now.

If Justin Fields loses that game, I'm going to go draft Caleb Williams. But what if Justin Fields, because he's facing Green Bay's awful defense, what if Justin Fields looks better than Jordan Love? And I think there's a possibility of this happening. Again, I think Jalen Hertz is better than Tyrod Taylor. But against that Philadelphia defense, Tyrod Taylor on Sunday could look better than Jalen Hertz against the Giants defense. So I think Justin Fields is going to look pretty good against Green Bay this weekend. Because Green Bay, you can run on them, and he will run.

No game next week. Didn't have to protect himself. It's like these college quarterback, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Michael Pennix in bowl games, run. There is no tomorrow. Just run. And so I root for interesting. and I think what's really interesting is Justin Fields

against that egregiously bad Green Bay defense. It's going to be cold weather is not going to be a huge issue. All right, so I want to throw another one at you. J-Mack is not going to like this one. So a lot of people right now like Brock Purdy. I get it. They like Brock Purdy.

And there's the last guy taken in a draft, and Jared Goff was the first guy taken in the draft. So, you know, you don't think they have a lot in common. But they were both pretty good year two, right? Right. So both had a loaded roster. Goff did early. McVeigh got there, loaded roster. They weren't paying Jared anything.

He had a great offensive coach, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVeigh. So Purdy and Goff both had a good offensive roster, a great offensive coach. Hall of Fame left tackle, one or two elite weapons. But then something started to emerge with Goff. Once they paid him, had to let go of a couple people. It wasn't really kind of a guy that could carry a franchise.

He could manage it. So Purdy's going to get paid in a couple years, not this year. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network, on TikTok. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.