The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Nuggets might repeat

Episode Date: February 26, 2024

Colin believes the Nuggets are in prime position to repeat as NBA Champions despite only being 3rd in the Western Conference right now Where would be a good fit for Russell Wilson? A Justin Fields trade could be happening soonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go back, ready to go, live in Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. We have new cameras and new technology, so my gray hair is even grayer.

I hope you enjoy it. J-MAC joining us one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. New graphics, new cameras. Man, that is living. Hope you had a good time. I went warm weather. I went cold weather. We both had a very good time.

I had a splendid time, yes. But to be back as well. And this is an interesting week. Combine starts. A lot of rumors out there percolating on Russell Wilson, Justin Fields. Never know. It's going to be a busy week. I want to start with this.

Even though the Niners and the Chiefs ended up in the Super Bowl, it was a little bit of a surprise. I mean, the Chiefs only averaged 22 points a game this year. They scuffed it offensively, middle of the pack. Baltimore, I thought, was much better all year long. Miami Buffalo, a couple of the very dangerous teams. San Francisco, I didn't really see Brock Purdy hoisting a trophy. Philadelphia started on fire.

I bought into the Cowboys hype for a few weeks. But in the NBA, Denver's going to win, barring an injury, back-to-back titles. Yolk it's yesterday, 32.16 rebounds. And get this, 16 assists. That would have been a great night for Magic Johnson. The Warriors had been red hot, got a couple of young players playing well, their rotation working fine, they were at home, they got up to a great start, and lost to this Denver team for the ninth time and ten tries.

They can't solve them. They don't match out with them. And the Warriors 2022 won the championship. But Yokic is different. This Denver team, they're the Spurs with Tim Duncan. Perfectly built roster. Get ready for a dynasty. It's not going to be Shaq Kobe dynasty.

It's not going to have the drama of the Michael Jordan dynasty or the Heidel dynasty. And we've had some fun ones. But Yokic is the best player in the league without question. Yokic and Murray are the best combo. They have the best starting five plus minus. Only Boston is close. And Aaron Gordon's length defensively and Michael Porter can be streaky, but he's gifted offensively.

Add in a very well-coached team with just enough depth. They're winning the title. And I don't, unless, barring an injury, Celtics are the only starting five that's even close. And this Denver team is actually built for the postseason more than the regular season. Why? Because in the postseason, you shrink your rotation. So it'll be perfect. You'll get about three guys off the bench.

Christian Browns, one of the guys will come off the bench. Reggie Jackson will give you a few points off the bench. But we talk so much about mobility, and I'm guilty of this. I spend so much time in the NBA talking about, a collection of all-stars and mobility, and this team has one all-star in 10 years. It's Yokish. Jamal Murray, in the crowded West with all those great guards,

never made an all-star team. Their high- IQ, huge, just enough depth, can be great defensively in spots with a bunch of shooters. And again, they're really built for the playoffs. Right now, they're a number three-seed. I wouldn't take anything from that when the Bucks won a title. They were a three-seed. Warriors have won a title as a three-seed.

The Spurs during Duncan's era weren't always a number one seed, and they actually, right now, Denver's got a higher winning percentage than they had last year. So this team is stocked. They are perfectly constructed. Just two or three guys off the bench. Once you get to the playoffs, it's an eight-man rotation. You're not playing the ninth and the tenth guy. And I think the West is better than the East.

I don't buy Milwaukee right now. Nicks need another star. They didn't get one at the trade deadline. To limited team offensively. You saw it again. this weekend against Boston. They just have limitations. Boston can make things a little uncomfortable,

but the Lakers, they don't have a Yokic. They don't have the shooting. Phoenix, I'm not sure they could figure out how to stop Yokic either. Golden State just doesn't match up with them. This team is really special. And again, don't be fooled by the number three seed. It's Tim's Duncan Spurs. That doesn't necessarily, unlike the NFL where the chiefs are great for ratings.

Taylor Swift, Bahalms, Andy Reid, very clever Midwest. I don't think this is much of a ratings grab, though I enjoyed watching them. Watch the entire game yesterday. But get ready for a dynasty, because that's what it looks like. It's not about egos. It's not about all-stars. Size in the right spaces. Little off the bench, multiple shooters, well coached, no ego.

Here was Yokic after. I mean, they're the Warriors. They're champions. they played last 12th. They have really good record. They are tough teams to beat, but I think under three points in this arena is really good for our defense. Your birthday was last week.

These guys get you anything? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Bad teammates. Bad teammates. And I like watching Denver. I know a lot of people don't think aesthetically there are much to watch. It's a little old school basketball.

I'm not somebody that believes the old teams would beat the new teams. I don't think older players were better than the new players. I don't think the league's ever had more talent. But they got a little old school, and I love watching them, and this is what a dynasty looks like. I was thinking this morning, how would the Healds have matched up with this team? Who would have stopped Yokic? They didn't have a center.

They had no size. They weren't great at point. I mean, they just do, and Golden State right now is playing great. They match up with everybody, except the Nuggets. Speaking of Denver, Russell Wilson, a little birdie, told Chad Johnson. He said this on his pot. A little birdie told him Russell Wilson is going to the Steelers.

So first of all, the Steelers have an excellent roster, and they're bad at quarterback. And the AFC, you've got to do better than Kenny Pickett at quarterback. So this is actually a good fit. Now, I said, before I went in vacay, I said, I thought Justin Fields at quarterback was a bad fit in Pittsburgh. Why? He's not a refined quarterback. He's not efficient. Russell Wilson is refined.

He wins. He's efficient. He's accurate. He is a defined player. We know what he is. He's not in his prime, but he's not that far past it. The Steelers, frankly, on offense, could use his commitment, could use his maturity, could use his experience, and could use his accuracy. Now, as an offensive coach, Sean Payton, I can get Russell kind of frustrating you.

But with a defensive coach, Mike Tomlin, Russell doesn't turn the ball over that much. He can play within a system and do some ad living. Also, when Russell went to Denver, he was viewed as a savior. That's not what he is here. Pittsburgh's winning with Kenny Pickett. They don't need a savior. But because of how many players they traded to get Russell and because of his contract,

he was this sort of Messiah, this savior, and he was a culture builder. Like they built the whole culture around him. That's not what he was in Seattle. and he got the two Super Bowls, and that's not what he would be in Pittsburgh. He's not going to be a savior. They have the longest tenured coach in the NFL with Mike Tomlin. And one of the things, and I've been critical of Tomlin at times,

one of the things I think he does pretty well, he builds a culture. He's at Alpha. He's like Mike Vrable. There's a toughness to the Steelers. But what they aren't offensively is like dependable and efficient and consistently accurate. And they don't get the ball to their stars. I never worry about that with Russell Wilson.

Again, with Sean Payton, everything in this world is about fit. I was just talking to somebody about this yesterday outside of sports, about in life, it's just about where are you happy, what generates interest, where are you motivated, who is your boss? Fit outside of a couple of guys like Mahomes or a Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, who would probably work anywhere. Go look at Tua. He got the right coach. From Flores, he was a bust, to Mike McDaniel, he's getting MVP chatter and Pro Bowl votes. I don't think Russell and Sean Payton was ever built to be great.

Their personalities don't work. One guy is harsh and intense, Sean. One guy's optimistic, almost to a point of nausea at times. Overly optimistic. Let's ride. That can wear people out, some teammates out. Be that as it may, Pittsburgh's got talent. They are loaded on both sides.

But what they don't have is dependability, maturity, experience, efficiency. accuracy, that is exactly what Russell Wilson provides. Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator. He's not going to ask Russell to throw it 45 times. That's not what he's going to do. He had Ryan Tannehill when he was at O.C. in Tennessee, they were a run team first, play action pass with a quarterback in Tannahill that could move and was experienced.

So this one feels like it works. You can't listen. If you're going to go up against Mahomes and Josh Allen and Lamar and Burrow, stop convincing yourself, Kenny Pickett's the guy. you've got to have a playmaker back there. So I like it. Here was Russ recently on a podcast called I Am Athlete.

I got more fire than ever, honestly, especially over the past two years of what I've gone through, whether it's in Denver or somewhere else. I hope it's in Denver. I hope I get to finish there. I committed there. I wanted to be there. I want to be there.

For me, it's about winning. Over the next five years, I want to win two. I want to feel the chill of that trophy. Yeah. So I think the Steelers works. It feels like it works. Again, Justin Fields is not a defined or refined player yet. He's still growing.

I think he's better served getting an offensive coach somewhere. Somebody's got to figure him out. He had a defensive coach in Chicago. He's plateaued. His passing numbers actually went down plateaued. Their running numbers went down slightly. He's plateaued. He needs an offensive coach in an offensive culture.

Russell Wilson got to two Super Bowls in a defensive culture. He struggled immediately with a, Offensive coach. Okay, back to a defensive coach and Mike Tomlin, and I've been saying this now for two years. The Steelers are like the East Coast version of the Packers. Always have talent, draft and develop as well as anybody in this league. Last year's draft for the Steelers, once again, it was another good one for the Packers, for the Steelers. It's what those organizations do.

So Russell's going to have talent. That's indisputable. They have two receivers I like. In fact, one of them. The kid from Georgia is unbelievable. They finally threw the ball to him at the end of the season. That's why the third-string quarterback supplanted Kenny Pickett. He got the right guy the ball.

They have two running backs. Warren Najee Harris. They have a tied end I like from Penn State. The offensive line last year was better. So Arthur Smith is a more than capable offensive coordinator. This is a really good fit. I know. Roll your eyes.

Thought a lot about it. I think it works. Here's another thing is that to get to a Super Bowl, you need generally a very efficient quarterback and you need a roster. Ask yourself this. In that division, if Kenny Pickett started next year, started the season, you do not have Pittsburgh as a playoff team with Joe Burrow returning. Ask yourself now, Russell Wilson in that roster,

I'll take him over Cleveland. Burroughs' health, do I take him over Cincinnati? I don't think they're Baltimore. more. But Russell Wilson with that roster. Not a lot of holes in that roster. Receiver, tight end, running back. Not a lot of holes. Pass rusher, safety, active linebackers, veteran coach.

I don't see a lot of holes if Russell's the quarterback. I think that team would be a playoff team. J. Mack, I get my all fired up. Because I like Russell. I'm rooting for him. I just never thought the Denver thing felt right. I think we're both rooting for him, but we're both rooting for him. but we saw Tom Brady leave and go to the worst division in football and win in Tampa. Why wouldn't Russ just say, I'd rather go to Atlanta.

Can you send me there? Because that division is putrid, and he might contend for the best quarterback in that division. He's at best, by the way, I don't think Atlanta's a terrible fit. Yeah. I don't think Atlanta's a terrible fit. And by the way, if you made that move, because you don't have to pay much of Russ's salary if you made a trade, you're not pan-Bijon Robinson. You're not paying Kyle Pitts.

you're not paying Drake London. The offensive line's going to start getting expensive. It's very good. I don't think Atlanta's a bad fit. Yeah. But I think what I'm saying from the Pittsburgh perspective, I'm not going up against Lamar, Burrow, and Deshawn Watson with a BB gun. You've got to get a playmaker.

In the Atlanta division, I could argue my way into Justin Fields or a draft pick. I'm Atlanta. I can say, listen, I like Russell, but I can win this division with multiple. You're not winning the division with Justin Fields and Pittsburgh, and you're not winning it with a rookie quarterback. Couldn't you just say you're not winning the division, regardless of what quarterbacking is. I think this roster. It's good.

I think it's top five roster. I don't think it's San Francisco. A little defensive heavy, though. Always been the issue there. They spend their money on defense. But receiver, tight end, back? In the division, what roster is? Is it better than Baltimore?

No, Baltimore won Pittsburgh a close second. That's how strongly I feel about. What about the Bengals? I don't think their rosters is good. They were a Super Bowl two years ago. A lot of that's Borough. Okay. Cleveland's defense was elite last year.

Offense injured, I think the most injured. I like their coach a lot. They got two or three players. I like Miles Gere. I like their coach. I just would feel bad if Russ goes to Pittsburgh and they go seven and ten. First of all, doesn't it just ask yourself? Doesn't it feel big?

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers. Does. When have they won historically? Bradshaw, Big Ben. They've had a lot of Tommy Maddox, a lot of Kenny Pickett. Cordell Stewart. Cordell was not bad. Cordell could play.

But, I mean, if you go look at the history of the Steelers, when they get the star quarterback, they hoist a trophy. So, Russ is still a soft. Oh, I think he's not in his prime. I don't think he's eroded that. No, I mean, you go look at the numbers last year? I, I, I, I, I, top 15 quarterback in the league? Yes.

Well, wow, that was unequivocal. Yeah. Top 15 for sure. Yeah. With Pittsburgh? Yeah. Okay. I like Russ.

I'm rooting for him, Russ. I know he watches the shows. I don't want to come off. He's a hater on the first day back from vacation. No, no. I think it feels right to me. I think it feels right. Just say it out loud.

Go look. So Russell Wilson goes to Pittsburgh. Let's name their top 10 players. T.J. Watt. Arguably the best pass rush on the sport. The receiver from Georgia. Pickens. Pichens.

Minka Fitzpatrick. Mika Fitzpatrick. Russell Wilson. Again, I would say they have a... Deonté Johnson is a very good receiver when his head's in the game. Nagee Harris, the running back is solid. Lauren's also good. Offensive line was spotty.

They got the young kid out of Georgia who had a good rookie year. Broderick Jones. There's a lot of players. There's a lot of players. Remember, they draft very well. They do. So they'll pick up a couple of nice high-end starters this year. Packers Steelers have always drafted and developed at a really high level.

I think you've got the Packers and the Steelers in the Super Bowl, right? No, but I think they're, I think, just say it out loud. Look at this roster. Look at Russell. Not a lot of holes. Anytime anybody says, but I don't like their corners. Outside of Kansas City and the Jets. Does anybody like anybody's corners?

There's a corner shortage in pro football. I didn't like San Francisco's. They got to the Super Bowl. Corners, I'm not interested. Four or five of the best corners plan, four or five of the worst teams. I don't care about corners. I care about quarterbacks, left tackle, edge rusher, head coach. Can you protect the quarterback?

You got playmakers on the outside. I don't care about corners. Safeties and corners. I can live with average ones. All right. I'm all fired up. Indeed. All fired.

By the way, that dynasty, that New England, that doc on Apple TV, oh, my God, episode four. So I need to watch it. Episode four is one of the best 50 minutes I've ever watched of sports documents ever. In any sports doc ever, episode four of that, buy it for that. Episode one's excellent. Two and three are okay. Four is great. Wow.

I mean, it is crazy. binged Patriot stuff on your week off. Well, I spent, I was out in New England area, so it kind of got me on move. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 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, Clifford 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 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. But just so you 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.

By the way, Peter King announced his retirement in his column this morning. I've been reading Peter King as long as I can remember. We're going to bring Peter on next hour. the best thing I can say about Peter King beyond his work was that he helped a lot of young people in the business which there's nothing you can say about anybody in any business that's better than he helped others and Peter certainly did so we'll bring him on Peter King the legend

a first ballot Hall of Fame guy who I think has a Hall of Fame vote if I'm yeah he should if not he does so Albert Breer said a framework for a Justin Fields trade Bears quarterback could be in place this week. So the bones of it are happening this week. Can we all now finally just admit all this?

Bears are keeping Justin Fields. Rumors was all just to keep his trade value high. If Chicago bailed on Justin Fields in week eight or nine, what would he be worth today? I mean, the guy hasn't had multiple touchdown passes in a game since week five, and they've gone out of their way. even when they miss Chase Claypool. A DJ Moore, they got him another tight end.

A lot of draft capital on the O line. You can't keep blaming the Bears. They went and got some good pieces. Bryce Young, he doesn't have anything to work with. Justin Fields' O line is middle of the pack. His final seven games this year, five touchdowns, three picks. Completion percentage around 60% in the passer rating in the low 80s against mostly lousy teams. But the Bears smartly would go out and say, very smart.

look, this will be a very tough choice for us. We like what we see. We see somebody who's getting better. I don't, but I understand the game plan. It's year three. His passing numbers are flat. His running numbers have gone down. We can put it on the screen for you.

And again, they've added pieces. The Chicago Bears aren't perfect. Chase Claypool did not work. I appreciated the effort. DJ Moore's an excellent, absolute bona fide number one receiver. Cole Komet, very fine, tight end. The O-line's fine. And for the record, he doesn't win a lot of games, and that's a problem. Don't listen to the analytic nerds. Good quarterbacks win close games. He is a dreadful fourth quarter quarterback, the worst in the league.

Chicago media, their opinion of them is just not reality. Everybody else sees it. The Chicago media all season long tried to defend him, elevate him, protect him, promote him. Maybe they're watching Ohio State film. But if you look at his second half stats in his career, third and fourth quarter, so this is when you're off script. Now it's up to you. No more script. It's up to you.

Three years, his career, second half stats, 77 pass-for rating, 58% career completion percentage. You know what that is? The guy I keep comparing him to. Zach Wilson. But New York media never defend Zach Wilson. They call it as they see it, as they should. I respect that.

Chicago media, this guy deserves another year. He is in the second half. Zach Wilson. Highlight tape moves pretty well. Good arm. Not efficient, not accurate, off script, very limited. The New York media calls it the truth. The Chicago media has been protecting him and buying into this, we really like him.

Stop it. Come on. You're not hoisting a trophy. Caleb Williams is way, way. Drake May, if there was no Caleb Williams, Drake May is too talented to pass on, in my opinion. But the bones are in the work, according to Albert Breer, as they should be. I don't have a problem with him getting an offensive culture somewhere in the league. I don't have a problem with him getting a really good offensive.

coordinator, wherever it is, but the Chicago thing, stop trying to tell me something that's not there. Efficiency-laden games and in the second half off script. He's Zach Wilson. That's what he is. The numbers don't lie. And by the way, the NFC is weaker than the AFC. So I can defend Zach Wilson.

He's got Buffalo. He's got Bella check. He's got... You can't have those numbers in the second half in the NFC. Can't. Brock Purdy's lighting it up. Can't. J-Mac with the news

No, no, no, no Turn on the news! This is the herd line news. Hey, let's start with everybody's favorite coach, Andy Reid. He's expected to begin negotiations on a new contract extension after they won the Super Bowl. He's probably going to be the highest paid coach in the league. A lot of rumors he could retire and step down.

Peter King, I don't know if you read the full column yet, but he said he didn't love how, like, after they won the Super Bowl, he's like, so are you going to retire? Andy Reid goes, are you? So, I don't know, listen, Andy Reid's back, you know? First of all, Andy Reid, like I understand certain people in certain industries that retire. You're lifting stuff. Or you don't love the job.

You're pretty good at it. You don't love it. Maybe the industry is kind of shrinking. Like, I understand people who retire. Maybe you just have a love of travel. You love hanging out with your wife. You love to golf. I get that.

but this business is growing. Mahomes is in his prime and Andy's a creator. Andy's not grumpy. He's not a defensive coach where it's all about don't fumble. They play the right way. Andy is an artist.

He is a creator. He is a play designer and a play caller. He loves working with young people and developing talent. Those are the kind of people that generally don't retire early. 66 next month. But again, a lively, smart,

twitchy 66. Who loves a good burger and a good time. The energy and the time spent to be a football coach? You know, we always talk about this. The league is worse off if it loses Brady or Manning. The league is not as good without Andy Reed. Oh, let's not.

Andy Reid makes the games great. I mean, Andy Reid is one of the most clever big game coaches in my life. Since one of coaches made the game. I'm not saying the ratings are going down, but I'm saying there are people in this league that matter. I'm watching that Patriots Dynasty. thing. Ernie Adams' retirement is the start of the downfall and nobody knows who Ernie Adams is outside

of New England. Like, Andy Reed leaving is not good for the sport. He is a clever, clever. He's also one of these guys where all of his assistants work. He is creating great coaches all through the league. So I'll disagree. So if McVeigh had left for television and announcing, that would have been really bad.

The Rams are McVeigh and Stafford. We've seen Stafford without an elite coach in Detroit. Okay? I don't want to see the Rams. Without Andy Reed, I still think Mahomes and the Chiefs are going to be an awesome show. I don't know that they're going to be Super Bowl favorites every year, but they're certainly in the top four, even without Andy Reid. No? Yeah. I mean, I know Mahomes is more important. Andy Reid was getting to Super Bowls and dominating the NFC, getting to NFC championships every other year with B quarterbacks.

When the NFC was the better conference, when the NFC was the AFC, it had all. the star quarterbacks. Yeah. And he was getting there with a B quarterback. Imagine somebody now getting to the AFC championship with a B quarterback.

You can't do it anymore. You can't get there. So was the last B quarterback Mark Sanchez? I mean, Peru, Alan, Lamar, you, you, the AFC right now is like the NFC during Andy's time.

You had all these great quarterbacks. Yet Aaron in his prime. Oh, oh, well, in the AFC, yeah. Yeah, I mean, he was getting like B quarterbacks to the NFC championship. Case Keenan with the Vikings, I think it was. He got to an NFC champion. That was probably the weakest quarterback in an NFC conference championship.

And he's really important. I'm not saying it's vital to the league's success. They'll be fine without anybody. Holmes could retire tomorrow. The league would be fine. But he has added a lot of elements. He has created this group, this chain of just one after another of really good young coaches. Yeah.

Well, I know you like Matt Nagy, so I won't go over. I do like Matt Nagy. You do. He got Traviski to the playoffs twice. Awesome. All right, let's go to the Lakers, Colin. I know you're fired up about this. So the Lakers lose to the Sons yesterday.

And man, the free throw disparity was a problem. LeBron complained. Every Laker complained. The Sun shot 19 free throws. The Lakers attempted eight. Zero in the second half. LeBron was fired up afterward. A lot of coaches, a lot of teams.

That's all the Lakers do is get to the free throw line. It's like this narrative out there. That's all we do is get to the free throw line. Packers, that's what we do. I mean, we have attackers. We shoot the ball from the perimeter, but we're not shooting 40, 503s a game. We're not that team. We don't have the luxury of being that team.

So we're getting into the paint. That's what we're really good at. And I have the free throw attention. It's definitely not us. I know definitely I got hit a couple times going on to the paint tonight. That wasn't called, but it is where it is. I appreciate LeBron willing to talk about it. Like he doesn't duck.

We got to remember this. Not every NBA star has been great. LeBron's always up there telling you what he thinks. Like, I didn't think it was the best officiated game in league history, but it's... It happens. You get into these games where you start shooting perimeter shots, you're not attacking the basket. Maybe your guys aren't... I mean, there are free-throw disparities all the time in this league, and I think it's not because...

Yeah, I'm sure the league said, let's punish the most popular player and the biggest brand in the league. I watch football games, and you're like, you start watching... Like, Super Bowls, historically, they don't throw a lot of flags. By the way, the Chiefs don't get called for holding in the Super Bowl. Right, right, right. And you say yourself, well, they're just... No, in the Super Bowl, the league basically knows we're going to double our audience. Let's keep the flags in the pockets unless it's egregious.

Let's let the players decide the game. I'll just say this. Anthony Davis played 42 minutes and did not attempt to free throw. That's rare. That's crazy. I mean, the sons don't have a big guy. Now, I'm sure people will say this was a pushback earlier in the season. The shoe was on the other foot or whatever this is saying is.

I'm not concerned about the Lakers yet, Colin, but If they're in the playing, the 9-10 game. They'll win the game. I'll guarantee you that they won the... They're built for urgent, important games. Except they would be playing the Golden State Warriors in a season over if you lose. And if AD turns an ankle. Let's come on, let's slow down.

The game's a long way. We've got 30-some games. 24 games left in the season. Is that it? Yeah. The season's flying by. And once March madness starts, the NBA season just speeds up, I feel like. It's amazing.

There's only 24. Listen, I know this is a Lakers topic, but have you done any Kevin Durant stuff this week, like just focusing on Durant and what's going on? No, no, what's going on? What's happening? He's some stuff's happening with this. I think we're going to be talking about it. Time out. What does that mean? Well, you know, we got into it with the fan. The fan that lady said that inappropriate thing. Way out of the line. Fan was way over the line. And then Barclay and the guys were trolling Durant again. He's not a leader.

And Durant had another spotty game yesterday against the Lakers. What are you hearing? Just say it. He's turning 36 soon. Yeah. He hasn't done Jack's squat since leaving the Warriors. He failed miserably with the Nets. Somebody said he had more trade demands than playoff series wins with the Nets, which is a fact. Come on.

And now the sons are like looking like they're going to be a play-in team with Booker, Beal, and KD. And I know Beal's always hurt. But if KD doesn't get out of the play-in, Colin, I don't want to hear this. Why am I talked about among the greatest players in league history? No, that's fair. He's doing that. No, it's fair. Nobody's had more stacked decks than Kevin Durant.

Look at all his teams. It's all superstars of them. I do think the criticism of him that feels reasonably fair. I don't view him as a great leader. I vote him as a great baller. Okay, what's a good leader? Time out. I need to know.

A leader is, LeBron James leads. He's always there for the press. He can be defiant. He's not passive aggressive. If he's pissed, he'll tell you. I thought I've always said about Aaron Rogers. Great talent. I'm not sure he's a great leader. Kevin Durant, great talent.

Not sure he's a great leader. Peyton Manning would bark at a teammate. Peyton Manning would bark on the sidelines. Brady would do that. Leadership is hard. Mahomes will bark at a teammate. We'll bark at Andy Reed. That's leadership.

Kobe would bark. I think Kevin is a little like Aaron. I think he's a smart guy. He's brilliant. He's an all-timer. a little passive aggressive, not really confrontational, a little bit of rabbit ears. Doesn't mean you're not a first ballot guy. Both of them are. But leadership is hard to define.

We've talked to Jimmy Johnson about that. What is leadership? I don't know it, but I kind of know it when I see it. And I think that criticism of Durant, because I think he's an all-time player. I love Durant's game. I think he's the best. I told you, if they had a one-on-one tournament league history, Durant wins it. Yeah, but basketball is a team sport.

Beats LeBron, beats Jordan, beats Jordan. Beats Curry, beats everybody. But leadership, it's not really what he's about. And that's his thing. He says, I just want to hoop. I just want to hoop. Well, you know what? Sometimes you've got to be a leader.

You want to win? You want to be historically great? You got to be a leader. That's what the greats are. No? Jordan leader. I mean, people may not want to hear it. Steph Curry is a leader.

More of a leader than Kevin Durant's ever been. And I like Kevin Durant a lot. Colin? We both like Kevin Durant a lot. But I don't view him as that. Kauai Leonard to me is not a great leader. He's a great player. It's okay.

Not everybody's a great leader. Some guys are just athletes, and that's what they are. They love their family. They love their football or basketball. They don't want to lead. That's okay. I'm okay with that. Okay.

Final story, this is a tough one. So Cam Newton got involved in an altercation at a youth football event over the weekend. Punches were thrown. It looks like he got jumped by three guys. Now, listen, I don't want to go overboard here. I've had some beef with Cam lately. Obviously, not near this level. Kind of disrespectful.

It's a seven-on-ne- seven camp. Cam Newton shows up at a seven on seven camp. Doesn't he deserve a little respect? We don't know what prompted is. We don't know other things to do. And we got to be careful because we don't know if he was playing peacemaker or what was that. We don't know all the details. Nothing has really come out. But bottom line is security at the step. It's not a great look when a bunch of dudes are coming at Cam. Cam, six five, two 40. Well, yeah, obviously. You've got like a death wish if you're attacking this. No, but I mean, it's just, I don't see this happening when other NFL stars go to seven on seven camps. This is probably the third time. Yes. And that's, and that's

I have seen Cam Newton at a camp and kids talk trash to him. Like, I don't know what it is with Cam, but I saw a video like two years ago, and these little like nine-year-olds were calling him out, and I'm like, excuse me? He was playing. He'd been like an MVP two years earlier. I don't know. This is. And again, I got to be careful.

I don't know what it is with Cam that he ignites this. I don't know what it is. Why are people coming for him all the time? You know what's funny about him. I mean, Cam's obviously, you know, is a play. He was a little into Cam and a little distracted. But, you know, I never saw Cam as a bad guy. I mean, Greg Olson vouches for him.

I knew people in that locker room, they all like Cam. Cam was a unique. Cam's one of the best college football players in the history of the sport. Top three of all time. One season was unbelievable. I mean, he is great. And the SEC, he was rolling over people. And he was not my favorite quarterback because he was inconsistent.

But he was a star, and he was a game changer. And there was nobody like him ever when he entered the league. But there is something about his personality. that he inflames or ignites people. And I don't know what it is because, you know, sometimes he's always got a crazy hat on. And he's kind of an artistic personality. And he's, I don't know.

I just, I don't get this. You don't see this with Peyton Manning. You wouldn't see it with Aaron Rogers at a camp. Donovan McNabb. You wouldn't see with Russell Wilson at a game. It's just, it's something, I don't know what it is. I'd love to find out. But it's really, to me, it's incredibly disrespectful.

If Cam's going to spend his time going to your camp. Yeah. Like he didn't have enough stuff to do. Hopefully there's a backstory that makes sense, but it's just weird. That's the only way to describe it, right? Colin Wright, Colin wrong, top of the hour, J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Heard Lie News. When I saw this video, what was interesting is my take is, if you had told me there's an altercation between a former star quarterback and fans, I would have guessed Cam. It's like the third time I've seen something like this. Like people getting in his face and talking, It's like weird. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball.

We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players. We tell you stories. You download it. You listen to it.

I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the, the I Heart 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, CliverTaylor 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 a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all 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. 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. Caitlin Clark, the all-time NCAA women's scoring leader, has her sights set on breaking Pistol Pete's NCAA scoring record in a huge game against second-ranked Ohio State. It all tips off Sunday at 1230 Eastern on Fox. So it's called Dynasty. It's on Apple TV, and it's a look back. Jeff Benedict wrote the book.

It's fantastic. I would recommend you go buy the book and read it. It's based on that. They go back and they do this documentary, sort of like MJ and the Bulls. They go back and look at the Dynasty. And apparently, according to Tom Curran, who is a reporter who's covered the Patriots forever, Bill Belichick is not happy with his portrayal in this documentary. So in the interviews that I've seen through four episodes,

Bill comes across a sort of defensive and grumpy. That's on Belichick. By the way, Teddy Bruske is fantastic and emotional. Randy Moss is hilarious. Thai law is like a stand-up comedian. Brady is raw and honest. Even Drew Bledso, who got benched by Belichick, his cordial, has a great perspective. He's authentic.

Ernie Adams, who was the right-hand man for years, Belichick, is so relatable and so likable. And there's Bill. defensive and defiant and grumpy. So that's on Bill. That's not on anybody else. That's not on the documentarians. Robert Kraft's a billionaire, a billionaire, and comes off as much more relatable. He comes off as a true fan.

So I'm not anti-Belichick. I defended Belichick forever. But building a wall up around you, it's got a very, the late Bobby Knight feel to it, is not good for anybody in any business. That's not how you age. Pete Carroll. full of energy in his 70s, Sabin totally likable on TV in his 70s,

Andy Reid is joyful. Popovich, I don't always agree with him, but he seems to be having fun. Jim Harbott, 60 years old. Who's got it better than us? Nobody. You know, this is Belichick. It's almost like Belichick bought into the belief

is the worst I treat people, the more it correlates with winning, and it wore out Tom Brady. And one of the things that come across in this series is that Ernie Adams is like, it's like would be the coolest dad in everybody's neighborhood was sort of the right-hand man and the Sven Gali, the guru, the genius. You know, we always had Bill's ear. When Ernie left, it wasn't the same.

And everybody loved Ernie. Ernie was very relatable, a softer side of Bill. But Bill can't blame anybody for this stuff. Like, he took over the draft about seven years ago. The draft stinks. In this documentary, I'm not rooting again. against Bill. He could come work at this network. I'm not rooting against him. I think he's a brilliant defensive coach. But you can even watch his body language in this thing. He's, he doesn't want

anybody, I don't even know why he's doing it. Like he's got people in this that would defend him. A Matt Slater would defend him. There are definitely players that would defend him. Nobody's going to necessarily trash him. But I found Teddy Bruske and Randy Moss and Thai law. Even Drew Bledso, who could, if he wanted to be, could be really dispirited and happy in this thing. He comes across his cordial. People forget, Drew Bledso just signed a hundred million dollar deal. And in this time, years ago, that's a lot of money.

That's like Mahomes money now. And he got benched. He got hurt and they didn't give him his job back. And then he led him to the Super Bowl. He beat Pittsburgh. Still didn't get his job back. And he's cordial and he's a pro. He could have torn the room apart and he didn't. If anybody could be a jerk in this thing, Bledso could have come off and done the interview and been petty and small. And he wasn't

at all. He wasn't happy. It didn't like how his career was going, but I don't know. If you don't like how you're portrayed, then change. It's like my wife always says this. I think it's a great line. Apologies are nonsense. The only apology in life is change behavior. If you do bad things to people, you can keep saying, I'm sorry.

It doesn't mean anything. It's useless. It's transparent. Doesn't mean anything. Changed behavior is an apology. Stop doing things. Stop being grown. Stop being defensive. Be easier to work with. That's an apology.

Otherwise, I don't want to hear your sorry. Otherwise, I don't want to hear your complaints. Change your behavior. Also, there was a story this weekend. Maybe I'll get into it more later. In fact, I'll save it for the top of next hour. Have you seen any of this thing yet? You haven't seen this yet, right? What is it? The Dynasty. It's called Dynasty. Oh, yeah. No, no. I haven't seen the Patriot. Should I watch it? I think episodes one and four. I think four is out of this world. I think one. One's really good. The old footage is fantastic.

Two and three are okay. Okay. Episode four, you get Randy Moss arrives. You forget how dominant they were. You get SpyGate. That's fantastic. You get the Super Bowl lost to the Giants. Michael Strand's very funny.

You know, I bet the Patriots in that game and lost some money. I still remember that loss. You bet everything. You bet. I don't bet everything, but I'm on a college hoops heater. Oh, my gosh. Anyways. Hey, real quick.

did something for you over the break. Okay? I watched Mission Impossible, the newest one on the flight. How is it? It was fire. Oh my gosh. It was all. I loved it. You need to do something for me. Can you watch the new season of Jack Reacher? Please. Oh, come on. I'll watch Patriot's Dynasty. I will start it this week, but you got to watch Reacher. Deal? All right. Yeah. All right. 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 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, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars and so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.