The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Pacers refuse to go away quietly

Episode Date: June 20, 2025

Colin calls out the Thunder for putting up a total dud in a potential close out game.  After another skirmish between the Dodgers & Padres, Colin explains why embracing big personalities and rivalries is great for Major League Baseball as a whole. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It is a Friday, and we have lots to talk about. We are live. It is the herd wherever you may be, and however you may be watching today or listening. A lot of choices out there. Thanks for making us part of your day, J. Mack, I've got to be honest. The difference between OKC at home and on the road last night was staggering. And you got to give Indiana credit. Back against the wall, that team is, you know, I still like in game seven, I'm going to take OKC, it's at home.

But that second quarter, there's something about the second quarter at home for Indiana. That was a 36 to 9 run at one point. Wow. Just unbelievably bad basketball by OKC, Colin. I mean, I hope you crush them here. I'm waiting, I'm waiting. All right. The question, the debate on OKC has been this year, are they a great team?

I mean, they were 29 and 1 against the East in the regular season. 29 and 1. They won on average by 12.9 points a game. NBA record point differential. Suffocating defense. Unbelievable at home. Fourth most regular season wins ever. Well, it's been confirmed.

They're not a great team. They're a very good team. In a finals clinching game, they had their lowest output of the season offensively and the most turnovers. and again, a 36-9 run by Indy. The hell. OKC is very good. They've got those young legs and young energy,

and sometimes, you know, man, they got a number one score, they got size and they got depth, but age, youth gives you a huge variance. Jalen Williams, 40 points in game five, minus 40 in game six. That's the variance you get, not only as a team collectively,

but individual players. So like Chet Holmgren, three times in the finals alone. He's had fewer than 10 points. Like where's his offense? Well, he probably should have stayed in college a year more. He's a young player. Still good defensively, but this is what you get. At home, OK, so you'll get these leads and they play more aggressively with a lead.

They're a little like the Baltimore Ravens, right? Baltimore's got Lamar, they got SGA. At home. Does anybody get more blowout wins last couple of years than Baltimore and OKC? No. But if they're playing from behind, the Ravens and the Thunder, sometimes that offense dries up. And it did last night. So it's not an excuse.

I'm not making excuses for Oklahoma City. I was shocked at the blowout loss. But it is a reason. They're the youngest finals team in 48 years. And I said, I'll take him in game seven. but just like having young kids, you put them in the car for a roadie. Things get squirrely. Are we there yet?

No, it's game six. Be patient, and it wasn't good. If you look at the home splits, OKC, not only is 10 at 2 at home and 500 on the road, they're plus 247 at home and minus 67 on the road. So we've been talking about this. Oklahoma City's bench, great at home. Rotational players, great at home. Indiana. They've had these, you know, the T.J. McConnell's, those kind of players are unbelievable at home.

But history of the NBA is young teams can struggle in the postseason when they get uncomfortable. So again, I'm going to take, I thought they'd win last night. The fact that Halliburton played and played well is shocking. I'm going to get to that after the break. And they deserve a ton of credit. I will get more to that. But all the pressure, even though it's at home, all the pressure is going to be on. on O KC and young players with pressure can shrink.

Here's SGA after the humbling loss in game six. The way I see it is we suck tonight. We have to learn the lessons. And we have one game for everything, for everything we've worked for. And so do they and the better team Sunday will win. All right. So I will get to the Pacers, give them their flowers after the break.

But I got to talk about once again last night, I don't want to hear Yankees and Red Sox. The best, easily the best baseball rivalry, Padres Dodgers, and it got feisty again. Last night in the ninth inning. Now, a lot of the crowd had filed out, but in the ninth inning, the Dodgers had a rookie pitcher clearly didn't throw at Tatees who dramatically crumbles to the ground when he got hit on the wrist. I get that it hurts. But it's a rookie pitcher making his dad. debut at home.

I don't think he threw at him. And the managers come out. Dave Roberts. Actually, I think at one point bumped Mike Schild, their dog-cous at each other. So I'll be honest. It's baseball at its best. I feel like

you saw a lot more of this in the 80s. Sometimes in a tedious, long, regular season, intensity and heat, equal interest. And we saw the two biggest stories this week, have been Caitlin Clark and the scrum. And this, why? Sports fans want you to care as much as they do.

And the Padres and the Dodgers, this is real. So then in the bottom of that inning, the ninth, the Padres clearly throw in retaliation after this Tatis getting hit. That's top of the ninth. Then they go to the bottom of the ninth and Shohei Otani gets plunked on a 3-0 pitch, 100 miles an hour in the back, yeah, it hurts. Otani, nothing new. He's the best at this, too.

Acted with class. Went down and shakes the first baseman's hand. Classy organization. He acts with class, voice of reason. But here's the thing. When I was a kid, baseball had a ton of personality. Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose, Mickey Rivers, Mark Fidrich, Al-Raboski. And the players leaned into it.

They leaned into it. Everybody had big personalities. And then something weird happened. The sport got very pious and very precious. There's a way to play the game and the unwritten rules. Oh, get out of here. Give me a break at sports. And all of a sudden, for about a 20-year period,

it felt like there were locker room governors and locker room statesmen. They're attacking their own Bryce Harper. And it did not help the sport. Finally, Rob Manfred and the sport started saying, Guys, lean into this stuff. It's sports. It's not Congress. There isn't a way to play the game.

Play it with intensity. Sometimes intensity boils over into throwing it, guys. But this is good for sports. I know, I know you don't want to hear it. But the Dodgers Padres, it's authentic, it's intense, it's old school, it's feisty, it's a little petty. I'm here for it, and here's Dave Roberts after. As he comes out and he's yelling. at me and staring me down, that bothers me. Because to be quite frank, that's the last thing I

wanted. I'm taking starters out of the game and, you know, trying to, you know, get this game over and get this kid a couple of innings. And so that's why I felt, you know, I took that personal. So we've had a very, very interesting week in sports. The Caitlin Clark, scrum, fascinating. Everybody was going to be okay. Don't overreact. And again, this, when these two teams meet, they throw at each other. Dugout, spill out, managers bump. Everybody's going to be okay. This is what sports fans want. They want you to care. They want passion. They want heat. They want intensity. Dave Roberts is such a nice guy. He's out there finger-pointing. And I just think it's great. I think it's great for sports. It's too bad half the fans had already poured out in the ninth inning.

So, J-Mack, let's go back to the finals. I was absolutely surprised. I thought it would be a close game. OKC would pull away. Were you surprised that Halliburton played? I was stunned. I mean, he didn't play poorly. He was fine.

No, he hit his threes. But, Colin, something you just said resonated with me. It's like fans care deeply about baseball and the fighting because the players care. Right. But care deeply about Caitlin Clark because the players care. Are you seeing that care and that one? I didn't see that from OKC. You could have choked them out last night,

ended the series, and I saw no fire, no brimstone, SGA, just walking around like it was a February NBA game. I didn't see that killer instinct. Alex Caruso? I mean, he was minus 33, Colin. Yeah. Where's the energy? Where's the care?

Well, here's the thing. If you're a great team, if you're a great team, if you're Shaq and Kobe or the MJ Bulls, we have to remember, you know, because this was really, in the heart of when I was a young sportscaster. Michael Jordan and the Bulls had close-out games a couple of times against Gary Payton on the Sonics and delivered duds. We're up three-nothing.

I mean, I think that's a little different. This was like, hey, three, two, let's close them out. No, but I mean, these guys have been pesky. I mean, you have to remember. We tend to romanticize this. Steph Curry and the Warriors have had duds in big games. I mean, listen, the Warriors could not close out at home. LeBron James and the team that won.

I think that was the Dremont suspension game. But they got blown out three times in that series. Teams have bad games. And those teams are closer to great teams. What we have now in the NBA, the Celtics team that won, the Denver team that won, these two teams, these are very, very good teams. Just like my Sonics and my Blazers in the 70s, very good teams. They're not great teams.

They're not great. And we've maybe only had four or five great teams. I thought a team that was great that didn't win a championship was the Barclay Sons that were scoring 125. before the avalanche of threes. I mean, they were literally changed the game. It was an incredible team to watch. And they didn't win because they faced, you know,

it's like Tiger and his prime. They faced Michael Jordan. So these are very good teams. And I think Oklahoma City, because remember, Indy's got a lot of older dudes. Seacum has been around a while. Pascal Seyakum, been around a while. Carlisle, the coach, been around a while.

Even the coaching staff with OKC is young. And so, A, Indy's talent's better than anybody wants to admit. They got a more experienced coach. And the truth is, there's two things working against OKC last night. They're a very good team. They're not a great team. And they're the youngest team in 48 years in the finals. And you are seeing this wild, very, I mean, I was shocked.

But OKC in this series has had four or five atrocious quarters. I mean, Michael Jordan's team could lose. I mean, I've seen a couple of second quarters. I mean, just think about that. 36 to 9 run. That is crazy. Tom, let me ask you. So in game five, OKC had 27 steals and blocks.

They were everywhere, hellacious defensively. They didn't get their first steal last night until midway through the third quarter. That to me says, we don't really care. We're not locked in. That's just lack of effort, Colin. And if you're not going to put forth the effort, why? am I watching? I didn't watch a fourth quarter. I'm like, no. One thing that it's clear.

OKC is not a great offensive team. They're a great defensive team with remarkable depth. So they need the defense to be humming to win. They're not a team that can play bad defense and win. Like they're not, this is not the Showtime Lakers, where you could win 130, 124 regularly. Okay, this team wins with defense, blocks, steals. that generates offense.

Indianapolis is a better defensive team than people give them credit for the Pacers are, but they don't have to play great defense to win. They have amazing offensive nights. OKC is led by defense. That has to be great. And when it's not, I mean, they had them, I don't know what the stretch was,

but OKC had a stretch last night. It may have been six minutes. They had one field goal, I mean, they just dried up. Yeah, totally. Let me ask you real quick. The coach Dagnalt, we kind of criticized him for in game one, totally changing his starting lineup. Did you notice last night, small potatoes?

They're down 20 at the half. Hey, I'm going to start Alex Caruso in the second half. Had not done that, and I felt like that was a bit of a reach. Oh, we need a spark. We need energy. Colin, I just wonder, Carlisle's a better coach, we would agree. Is Dagnolt in his head a little bit searching for answers? Because you know every movie he makes, Carlisle's countering it.

It just takes a little while to figure it out. I wonder if he's going to change something for game seven. Listen, we don't get many game sevens. You can say what you want about ratings in the series. It's going to be an all-timer. We don't get a lot of game sevens. Can't wait. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was...

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob. Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis,

and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchen win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface.

Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side scene. to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series

because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing.

That man, hell get to fly. of the court licking his fingers why he got the ball like after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah you figure it out real quick get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the ball so listen to point game on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts all right welcome back now let's give the Indiana Pacers uh their flowers uh first of all the fact that Tyrese Halliburton played he was a game time decision and played pretty well. He found his three, second and assists.

He had the highest plus minus. I thought he played pretty well. He's clearly not at 100%. But, man, that takes some courage, man. You can get, you can really injure yourself. So the fact that he played, and I thought he played pretty well, is one thing. The other thing is, if the Pacers win

on Sunday, it's going to be the most unique champion ever. Think about this. They're 21st in cap spending. They have eight guys averaging double figures. None average 20. Obie Topin started four games all season. All season.

And I like Obie Toppin. He's hit some big threes. He started four games all season. He's a third leading score in the finals. What this team is, is brilliantly coached. They've got, as I said earlier in the week, they've got a variety of shapes and sizes and different style players. And Rick Carlyle is one of the really bright guys in this league.

He knows the levers to pull. I think this idea, O.K.C. is young. there are really good young players on Indiana, but Miles Turner and Pascal Seaccom, they're not kids. So I don't want to hear anybody outside of the state of Indiana saying, I saw this one coming. It's, you know, Bob Dylan's not from Indiana, but this team does feel a little bit like a complete unknown. Let's be totally honest here. You didn't, you didn't have Indiana clobbering Cleveland and Milwaukee. Nobody in New York thought they'd beat the Knicks.

Did we really think this thing would go seven? especially after Halliburton got hurt. So the other thing that's really crucial, T.J. McConnell, the little guy, he's very important, especially if Halliburton's not at 100%. Because of the way O.KC. defends, they're relentless on the perimeter. You've got to have ball handlers. You have got to have ball handler.

So if Halliburton plays and McConnell, you got a shot because he creates space. He beats people off the dribble. He's hard to trap. so the little guy becomes really, really important for them. You've got to have at least two high-end ball handlers that can create space to just keep O KC off your back, because they can get, especially OKC at home, man, you've got to create some space. You've got to be able to break down that defense.

So last night, the Pacers had them both tip of the cap to Halliburton, who's becoming my favorite player in the league. and we got a game seven. Here's Hallie after. I just look at it as, you know, I want to be out there to compete with my brothers. You know, these are guys that I'm willing to go to war with, and we've had such a special year,

and we have a special bond as a group, and, you know, I think I beat myself up if I didn't give it a chance, you know, and, you know, I just wanted to be out there and fight. You know, I know that athletes are all millionaires, and sometimes they're not relatable, or likable. I find the Pacers as likable as any NBA team. I mean, think about this. They're in game seven of the finals. Their point guard was voted on by players as the most overrated

player in the league. Obie Toppins now their number three score. He didn't start this year, four times. 21st in cap spending. Miles Turner sometimes has been a complete offensive no-show. Little T.J. McConnell's become crucial. And it's a weird of long guys, young guys, older guys, at the top of next hour, I'll give you the five things that I feel I can bank on in order for game seven. There's some things I have no idea. I did not predict a 36 to 9 indie run last night.

But there are five things that I believe I'll give you my one through five that I think. One I know, one or two I know I'll get. After that, here's, by the way, Here's T.J. McConnell's dad after. I'm going to tell you right now, he's a warrior, you're right. It doesn't matter how tall you are. That's right. That's your fault. The heart of a champion.

Yes, yes. What do you think of his performance tonight? Excellent. Just disappointing his two foul shots in the beginning. I kept saying, man, I wish you to make those two foul shots. But he recovered and we won the game. So I can forget about the foul shots. And he can happen in game seven.

Always. We're going to OKC to try to win a wild. world championship and my son's a part of it. Yeah, he's not just a part of it. He's become an incredibly crucial part of it and good for him and good for the Pacers. Can't wait for Sunday. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, let's start with a team that's become polarizing and that is the Minnesota Vikings, Colin. I don't know how or when or where it happened, but J.J. McCarthy has become a lightning rod here for the Vikings in the offseason. Both of us are high on them, but here's Dante Colpepper, a former Viking saying

regarding McCarthy, he looks great. He has that it factor. I don't think it'll be a hard transition for him in the NFL. Coopper later added, I think he's going to tear up the league. I don't know if we're looking for like the next guy or we're looking for off-season stories, but every week there's something with J.J. McCarthy,

who has not thrown a pass since he was drafted, what, 15 months ago? And you got to be careful. Like this is the silly season, right? Like, like, you're getting all these reports. Some of it you can buy into. I mean, Chedur's accuracy. I know it's against backups, but he was throwing to backup. So, like, that's impressive.

And you do see, I mean, I've seen Cam Ward footage, and you're like, oh, dude, that dude is it. He's got it. And there are guys that blow you away. I mean, we'll get to this later. Cooper Flag had a tryout. You know, he had his sort of workout with the Mavericks yesterday. And they're like, oh, he's. better than we thought. Like, you can see some stuff, even if you're not competing against

anybody. You're just doing a workout for an NBA team. You can see things. But, you know, it's a whole different ballgame. I've said about J.J. McCarthy, played with a lead, great old line, amazing running game, best coach in every game, rarely trailed, asked to make maybe one to two throws a game. That's not the NFL. That is nothing. Even if you have a good team, you've got to make about eight throws a game if you're Mahomes. You got seven, eight plays. You've got to be special. I haven't seen it yet. Well, how could you? He hasn't played it down in the NFL. I mean, you know, but let's move to the next story, which is the WNBA, Colin. Late night, Indiana fever versus the Golden State

Valkyry. There was no drama, but it was a pretty good game. I actually watched this. The fever led by 12 in the third quarter, and then they just went cold. And Caitlin Clark, She had a rough one. Three of 14 from the field, 0 for seven from three. Only 11 points in what was an 11 point loss. I got to ask you, Colin, you know, everybody on planet Earth made a big deal out of what happened in their last game. And I wonder if you think it got in her head just a little bit, because this was an uncharacteristic performance. Well, no, I think the team she faced last night is very physical and they lean on defense. and three-point shooters, including Steph Curry,

had bad shooting nights. Larry Bird had some clunkers, you know. I remember once Larry Bird, I think, had an eight-point game. He just, you know, so it'd be different if you were, like, Shaq, you know, he was close to the basket. Your bigs historically. Kareem, you kind of knew what you were getting. Nobody could stop the skyhook.

If you rely on 24-footers, you have bad nights. And especially when you face teams that are very aggressive in the perimeter and they're physical. and I, you know, she's, it's, it just happens. It's, and for the record, beginning of year two. She's still not in her prime. She's probably starting next year for the next seven years will be in her athletic prime. Yeah, it looked like they were trapping a little bit and they were defending her out to 30 feet.

They're like, no more of these bombs because that gets a team invigorated. It was actually a good scene last night. I'm sure you tuned into Amazon Prime. Final story, Colin is to soccer where the U.S. men's national team, listen, they weren't spectacular, but they got the job done. Here's a great goal by Chris Richards off a set piece. Lovely stuff. USA beats Saudi Arabia 1-0.

I thought USA look good, not everybody agreed. You know, they want us to beat them down like 5-0. But here's the hero, Chris Richards, on the performance. We had a few problems in the first half building out. They adjusted well. So at half-time, we just needed to get the right people on the ball. I think that's what we did. You know, we didn't need an extra person in the build-up.

So we adjusted that, have more people in the pockets, and it helped us out in the long run. We need it tonight. It was a tough game. It's a tough opponent. Props to them. But that's Cocker Cup for you. Sometimes you've got to get physical.

Sometimes you've got to get nasty. I think that's exactly what we did tonight. I think he's worthy of making the World Cup team, but he's probably the only guy right now on this kind of backup substitute roster that's a World Cup team member. And I think what you noticed this last night, when we don't have Christian Pulisic and we don't have Weston McKinney in the midfield. We are not creative. We are not clever. we just don't have the ball skill. We just don't.

We do not have the talent pool that other countries have. So if we don't have our time, you know what? We've talked about this before, Jay Mack, with the Dallas Cowboys. We're like, they're top heavy. We don't have Brazil, Argentina, England, Germany. We don't have the depth of talent. Their 12th best player is much better than ours. Netherlands.

I think our top six to seven, maybe top six are really, really as good as we've ever had. None of them are here. And you saw it last night, the lack of explosion, the lack of creativity. It was just a lot of nothing. And that's not a knock on these guys. But these are not World Cup players for us. Not yet. Tyler Adams, to be fair, did come off the bench and look pretty good.

I think there was the final 20 minutes. Listen, they were not spectacular. A couple of missed opportunities. I only saw one or two defensive breakdowns. But again, this is like not even the B team, Colin. This is really like the C team. Would you agree? Well, again, there's one guy.

Richard is the one player here that has a chance to make the World Cup team. He's not guaranteed, but I think he probably does. He'll make it. Okay, so we are just looking at, you know, everybody saying Shadur Sanders is throwing the backups. These are backups. So don't expect spectacular results. Saudi Arabia, as you pointed out all week, that's a real team. Saudi Arabia is a real team.

So we got Haiti. next on Sunday, 7 o'clock on 7 Eastern on Big Fox. Just for the record, we're going to probably play our D team against Haiti because we've advanced obviously in the pool. So Landonovan pointed out, like, we're going to see even more guys.

Pochitino's still understanding who we've got. You don't just come into the roster and know every single player, instant. So, and Maricio Pochitino, his history with Tottenham Hotspur. His history is he likes youth. He's aggressive and he likes young guys. And he

got the job. So whether or not he lasts, you know, because it's always the coach's fault, it's always the manager's fault with the United States and the national team. But he's looking at his, I'm going to be here for four or five years. So I'll tell you what I'm going to do, I'm going to develop these young guys. And that's what America needs. We have done a really good job as a country of the last 10 years to develop five or six really good players, good enough to go to Europe and flourish. America and the people with USA soccer deserve credit for that. This is the best group of talent we have had.

Ever. But now, the next stage for us as a country is get our seventh through 14th player to be at least not a dramatic drop-off from one through seven. That's what Netherlands has or Germany or England. We got a drop-off. And by the way, it's all steps. It's all stages. Last night, you can just see the lack of creativity.

And it's just, they're just not as talented players. So I think we, USA soccer deserves a ton of. of credit. Again, we held England scoreless in the last World Cup. We get out of the group stage. We deserve credit. But you can see the stage that we're going to need all hands on deck to be a viable top 8, 10, 12 team in the World Cup. The world's getting better at this stuff, not just us. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Our staff does such good work here. Larry Bird scored eight points in back-to-back finals games in 1981. I knew I was right.

That was the year. I was a junior in high school. Larry Bird scored eight points in back-to-back finals in 81. They still won the title. But, you know, great players have bad games. So this week, a pretty big story. The Lakers sold the bus family, which had, this had been talked about for years. The Dodger group, the Mark Walter group, bought, you know, like 25% of the Lakers years ago. And he was probably waiting. Mark Walter is very sharp guy. He was probably waiting to see what the new NBA contract was going to be. And when it came out to be $76 billion over 11 years, Mark Walter seized the moment.

It's not a shock. That's when they went. Okay, we'll buy the whole team. Right? Because now we got the guarantee. Now, you'll pay a little bit more for it when that contract comes out. But there are much greater benefits, revenue-wise. with a new TV contract, a lot of money.

So I've been saying this for years. The Lakers are two mom and pop. It's very interesting. A story today came out. Is this remote a Shelburne? I'm not sure who gave this story. It's a very good story. Said one source inside the league.

It's a good move. The Lakers can now finally be run like a real business. Said another exec. It makes sense. The way the league is going, I don't think they could afford to be in this business. It just cost too much day-to-day. another front office type said,

listen, for years it was Mitch Cupcheck, good guy, and that was it, a league's horse said. And now it's Rob Polinka. And that's it. No disrespect at all, but there is a sense they will expand R&D and expand the scouting department. And to give you an example, the Lakers are mom and pop, they literally applied for federal relief,

small business relief during COVID. bid. I mean, and they got like $5 million. Also, they were the only NBA team that didn't go to the Sloan Analytics Conference in 2013. So they've just, the league's getting smarter, they're getting smaller. And so this is going to be really, really

good. Here's the other thing. I know there's a lot of LeBron haters out there. LeBron kind of saved the brand. I got to be honest with you. There was a point, 2013 to 2017. Do you remember this? Did the worst record in the league. The worst. At the end of

Kobe's run, they're bad. So six years, no playoffs. So LeBron came in and it had a little Apple feel. Remember what Apple was irrelevant? Steve Jobs came back, the iPhone. It was like, okay, big brand, now relevant again. LeBron has made them relevant. They were, the last couple of years of Kobe, it was like, you were just looking for

nice Kobe nights. Like, winning wasn't a thing. So I think LeBron did a solid for the organization, and I think this happens all the time. I think I've seen this in the NFL happen. The NFL has gotten smarter. There are so many good young offensive coaches that these old school defensive coaches, they're just sometimes they're not quick enough. So many bad offensive lines in the NFL, a lot of them are tied to defensive coaches.

And I feel like NBA front offices now, Sam Presti and Brad Stevens, there are so many smart, young executives in the NBA, mom and pop will not do. Steve Balmer, you don't, I don't have to love every move the Clippers make. They have a massive scouting department. Lakers don't. Philadelphia Eagles, massive scouting department. Cincinnati Bengals run like a mom and pop.

They don't. So I think this is a huge win for the Lakers. You know, I always hear this. Oh, there were another billionaire, the oligarchs. You know, I don't love Elon Musk all the time. creates a lot of jobs, so does Jeff Bezos. Okay, and money's real. They're not going anywhere.

So Premier League teams are owned by billionaires too, and the worst owners in my lifetime overwhelmingly, you know, Ted Steppy and Mard Schott have not been venture capitalists. What you need an influx of money, and the Dodgers have a massive scouting department. And this is what I've been saying about the capitalists. Cowboys, the Bengals, the Lakers. They feel outdated.

They feel small. Leagues are getting smarter. You don't want to get smaller. Trust and will.com makes it easy. The leaders in creating personalized trust and wills to protect your assets, legacy, and loved ones. Do the right thing. Protect your fam. Visit trust and will.com today.

Check it out for total peace of mind. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

And we were thinking I'm originally calling it. one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing,

a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy,

not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jen she went. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably, the best player in the world right now and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving,

well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tomorrow, it's baseball night in America. With two of the league's biggest bats on deck as Pete Alonzo and the Mets. Take on Pal Schwerber and the Phillies for the Royals battle the Padres. Check local listings for the game in your area. Tomorrow, 7 Eastern on Fox. I know I said I didn't want to talk about Seder Sanders anymore.

I have sold my stock, but now we have a reaction to the multiple speeding violations. He went over 100 miles an hour and got busted. We found out either before or after that. He also got busted for going 91. It's just dangerous. It's just dumb to drive that fast. And no, I've never driven 100 miles an hour.

I don't think it's that hard because I don't want to end up, you know, blowing up somebody's car. You know, bad things happen when you drive that fast. So the stories came out yesterday. Shadour Sanders had, you know, I made some bad choices. There's body cam footage. There's a column today that Browns could cut him for less than speeding tickets. So I have no doubt in my mind that Andrew Barry and Kevin Stefansky would strongly consider cutting him if he was not a quarterback.

And if not, the owner wanted him drafted. So Jimmy Haslam's a bad owner. 13 years, last place, eight times. That's hard to do in this league. It is hard to do in that league. Did he ever hear that story? I've got to read this story to. This is a true story.

Cleveland spent many hours and resources scouting Teddy Bridgewater. In one particular case, an analytical study of quarterbacks Cost of Team 100 grand told them Draft Bridgewater. Jimmy Haslam became convinced that fans in Cleveland wanted Mansell after, I'm reading this, a homeless man said to the owner, draft Manzell.

That's why you have eight last place finishes. He's impulsive. He's arguably the worst owner. Now that Dan Snyder's out, he's the worst owner. And he wanted this draft pick. We all saw the reaction of Andrew Barry and Kevin Stavansky when the draft pick

was made. They couldn't hide their lack of enthusiasm. So I'm kind of fascinated. How's he dealing with this? Because he whiffed on Mansell. Deshawn Watson, he acknowledged it's a league embarrassment. Baker Mayfield was the best of those picks by far, but he wasn't quite mature enough. So once again, the impulsive owner and the bad owner gets in the way of success. So, and I said this yesterday, he's not mature enough to be a star franchise quarterback. We had questions whether Shadur Sanders was good enough. Now I know he's not mature enough. But can we stop with the pandering and the straw man arguments? Here's one of the straw men arguments. You call it. It's not a worst thing in the world.

Who said it is? We're not asking him to be thrown in jail. Nobody's saying it's the worst thing in the world. But there are jobs and this may be unfair where you need to be really mature at 23 years old. man or woman, doctor, sorry, can't come in with a hangover before four big surgeries. There are just jobs where we need you to be a grownup. So don't tell me it's not the end of the world. Nobody's saying it's the end of the world. Here's the other thing. Bro, I've driven a hundred miles an hour many times.

Yeah, dude, you work at Chipotle. You are not a potential quarterback for a $6 billion. franchise. Okay, Jaden Daniels is the starting quarterback. Jobs are on the line with Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams. They're on the line. So I don't care that you drove 100 miles an hour, which I would never recommend, and I never have.

I've gotten a speeding ticket 30 years ago, but, you know, part of being a quarterback is kind of this unfair reality that you've got to be more mature sooner than your buddies. So I don't want to hear about you driving 100 miles an hour. even if you have a good job, you're not a quarterback of a $6 billion franchise. Even if you got a job as an attorney, you're not a partner at 23 years old. Even if you got a job, you're an intern to be a doctor, you're not the chief of staff. Man, you're chief of staff, you're quarterback in the NFL.

That is a big boy job. So a guy saying it's not the worst thing in the world. We don't not see it is. And I've done it a hundred times. You're not vying to be a quarterback in the NFL. And so I've said this for years. I don't love the Wonderlich test and all that stuff, but there's a reason you do these interviews.

Will Levis turn some people off during interviews? Shadour Sanders reportedly turned some people off during interviews. That's why they do them. They've seen your tape. They've seen you move. They've seen your arm. They've seen your touchdowns. Can you be a franchise quarterback?

Again, if he's driving 100 miles an hour and he's a cornerback or a Mike linebacker, I don't love it. but I and I wrote about this in my first book it's different certain jobs get the corner office you know it's like when you there's a difference I hear this argument all the time from people at the other network especially it's hey coaches leave why can't players leave transfer portal first of all coaches in power five conferences football coaches don't leave that much they're often fired they don't leave very much secondly a coach is different than a player. A player is 19 years old. A coach is 50.

A coach is responsible at the college level for everybody in the program. Himself, his staff, the kids, a player is responsible for himself. They're not equals. The bosses at Fox get pension plans. I don't. Nor should I.

My boss, Eric Shank, is responsible for everybody in the sports department. I'm responsible for this microphone. I shouldn't get what they get. Okay, like so that's the way I look at quarterback. Of all the players on a football team, it's just way more important. It's just, you know, you're a gunner on special teams.

We're not building around you. Even a great running back. They, I mean, Derek Henry. Titans loved him. They're like, yeah, we're going to move off him. You don't move off elite quarterbacks very often. Derek Henry, they're like, oh, we don't want to pay him. Giant, Sequin Barclay, we're not sure.

We're going to let him go to a rival. You're not doing that. You're not letting Jalen Hertz next year go to the Giants, right? Like quarterback's different. So before you rush to say, it's not the end of the world, nobody's saying that. Nobody's saying that. Secondly, dude, me and my buddies do it all the time for any infraction. Doesn't matter.

That's not relative to what quarterback. And it's unfair. I've said before. it's unfair how mature you have to be at 23. I wasn't mature enough to be an NFL quarterback at 21, 22 years old. I got there about 54 years old. Okay, so I know it's hard and I know it's unfair. But those two arguments are silly.

And I don't care what random dude does. I don't think anybody should drive 100 miles an hour or 90, for that matter. Okay. I'm all worked up. I'm all worked up. Yeah, my bosses get things I don't get. I don't get a fly on the big bird. I'm flying commercial.

Now, bosses, they're going to that different airport where they have like shrimp. I'm at the airport like everybody else. Getting the sub. They're at the airport where it's got like a private driveway and a gate and you go in and, you know, people are bringing you like tartar sauce and, you know, the best fish in the house. I don't go to that airport. So does this mean I have to stop calling you coastal elite cowherd? Good discretion.

But I do like how you had a sub. I'm taking a sabbatical from Chador, and it lasted like 20-what hours. Okay, okay. I will admit, I'm going to start my Kenny Pickett segment start Tuesday. Oh, wow. Appointment television. Kenny Pickett. Oh, I can't wait.

I'm sorry, Super Bowl champion. Kenny Pickett, right? We got to call him that because he's got a ring. Okay. You go ahead and do that. You go ahead and calm that. The whole, hey, coming up next hour, I don't know if you guys heard about this. I always love stories like this.

You know, the ledge, I remember when Penny Hardaway broke into the NBA and he had a workout with the Orlando Magic, and people were just, they were like, is the greatest workout in the history of workouts? I'm fascinated by that stuff. They do documentaries on stuff like that. You know, like when the dream team lost to the college kids, I love documentaries like that. So apparently Cooper Flagg.

Mavericks workout is something. It was something and I'm going to plant my flag. Oh, I didn't even mean to do that. Cooper flag. I'm planting my Cooper flag. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. 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. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day.

seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worst that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I heart radio. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit season two is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.