The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Truth about NBA stars

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

Colin looks at the NBA stars who get all the love for their "highlights" to point out players like Nikola Jokic are the ones who produce real value for teams He pushes back against those who claim Bill Belichick doesn't get enough credit for the Patriots Dynasty  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Here we go. It's a Thursday. We are live. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for Meganas part of your day. We got a lot of stuff going on as we get closer and closer to the NFL draft. But, Jemak, you have been very much pro-Luca. Oh, yeah.

And I think he's a great score. His style of play out of, I don't think is mesmerizing. But I'm watching Luca and Yokic last night. The Denver, Minnesota game, was a really good team. and I've come to a conclusion. Now, I don't know if Luca's going to win titles, but Dallas right now is really good, and Denver's already got a title,

but it did make me think about something, about Luca. I'm coming around on Dallas and Luca. Well, I just remind everybody, a year ago at this time, nobody believed in the Denver Nuggets. Oh, they hadn't proven anything. Yonka, she's still got to do it in the playoffs. Yeah.

So I was thinking about this. I was, you know, sitting watching NBA late last night, late into the night. And I saw a clip, you can't give Yokic another MVP. Should have won last year. Would have been his third straight. Should win this year. He or Luca. And my take is, why not?

There's only two players in this league that are unstoppable every single game, Yokic and Luca. They were both great again last night. High IQ, Europeans, elite unstoppable. scores and unlike the windmill dunk guys, they actually will age much better. They're not aesthetically pleasing. No high-flying dunks. They stay close to the floor.

They move slowly, deliberately. They're games about angles, thick body types. But the basketball culture and basketball media loves the spectacular. And we've had great players who are spectacular. or Dr. J., Michael Jordan. But it's this constant promoting of Derek Rose and Westbrook and John Wall and John Morant, guards that can't shoot. Yes, they can jump, and the fanboys love them.

Lobb City, wow, what did they ever win? What did Westbrook, Wall, John Morant, show me the playoff wins. The best point guards in the last 15 years are guys that don't dunk, Steph Curry and Chris Paul. Smart can elevate others. Excellent shooters. That's what I want in my point guard. These European stars are not into selling shoes

and they're not into the dunk contest. They are into body angles, analytics, fewer dribbles, getting their shot, and you cannot stop Yokic and Luca. And they've got both 10 plus years of elite scoring. I mean, Yokic, that game could last forever. It could last like Brady into the 40s and still be dominant.

And Luca, again, he's not going to get hurt high-flying windmill dunks. That's the downside of the highly vertical players. They age faster. They crash to the floor more. Where's Blake Griffin? Where's John Wall? Where's Dwight Howard? Russell Westbrook, off the bench.

Steph Curry's 36? He's still a dominant player. Luca is going to last for 15 years. You're going to get 15 years. I said this years ago, he may end up being the first or second leading score in league history. This game's going to wear well. Yokic's game's going to wear well. The high-fly and dunk contest guys, they age really fast.

And they just don't win enough in the playoffs. Analytics matter. Spacing matters. Angles matter. I grew up in an NBA, and I loved a lot of those players where it was about verticality and dunk contest. Years ago, LeBron James just said, I'm not doing. the dunk contest. And I said he shouldn't. It's beneath him. That was the old NBA. That's the 70s, 80s, early 90s NBA. This NBA is slower, deliberate with its dominance players. You can't

speed Yokeach up. You can't speed Luca up. They're going to do whatever they want to do. And they're going to age incredibly well. And, you know, Kyrie Irving last night, talking about Luca, I've always been a little bit cooler on Dallas because I don't, I don't see them as a team Luca or Kyrie, can you win with your two stars, not really defenders? You've got to have some defenders around these guys, but the Mavericks are playing better defense top five last time I checked in that net defensive rating. And Kyrie talked about Luca after the game.

We knew how special this year was going to be just based on our practices, what Luca was doing, showcasing that all the time, really being more vocal, challenging his teammates, challenging me, and doing it in his own way. and I think that's a true sign of MVP. His stats speak for themselves. He's first in a lot of different categories. If it's not going to be the issue,

it's going to be an eventual future in the near future. Yeah, Yo Kitsyn Luca, this stuff's going to age well, it's not going away. And one of the things I love about sports is that it changes. The NFL now is an offensive league. It's Andy Reid's league. It's not Bill Belichick's league. The NBA used to be high-flying dunks. dynamic mid-range shooters.

It's not. It's not. It's European. It's body angles. It's playing at your own pace. It's Yokic and Luca. Yokic has his title. Luca.

Luka, yesterday. J. Mack, the one team he thinks that can beat Denver, is Dallas. And I don't know if he's wrong. It's just a different league. And I like the change in leagues. Baseball now is a faster game. I mean, it used to be the strikeout was bad news in baseball. Now it's the ground ball.

stuff changes embrace the change because it's not going away. So Jared Goff, who I've always been a fan of, is a number one pick. The minute he got a good offensive line and a coach in Detroit and L.A. with Andrew Whitworth and Sean McVeigh, he's been excellent, top 10 since then. And now he's a member of a losing franchise, Detroit. And, you know, I've always had this feeling because I grew up out west, but then I moved out east, and I liked it, but it was different. And I really noticed the difference in the fans and the media.

It's harsher. And so Jared Goff was recently talking about how the lions are now really good, but there's still negativity constantly with the media in Detroit that covers them. I have this thing with our local media where, like, they almost like relish in negativity at times. And maybe that's what gets clicks and that's what sells. But it's it's no longer what they need to live in. Like, hey guys, like we have a good team. We've had success.

Like we can be happy about that. We can celebrate that and not have to write about how like we're constantly the underdog. And I'm probably overthinking in my head just because it's the chip on my shoulder and the competitor in me. By the way, Jared Goff said that from his beach house in Los Angeles. he's a happy kid there is a northern jet stream of negativity I saw it for 10 years at ESPN the weather's worse

you're scraping the windshield everything's harder in cold weather and you stay indoors Thanksgiving to April because it's crappy outside go to Miami Phoenix Las Vegas Los Angeles Houston San Diego

if your team's bad you bail you go outside you have cocktails at 430 you surf you do something the malls, they're even outdoor malls here. That's the reality of it. You bail on bad teams. Now, I do think the advantage to that northern negativity and intensity and tribalism is it's kind of combative and it's kind of fun. Like, I think sports talk radio and your Chicago's and Cleveland's Detroit, excellent.

Out here, it's guy talk. Teams aren't good. Let's move on. Out there, you want to solve the issue and yell about the issue. So there's a reason it's called the Bills Mafia and not the Carolina Panthers Mafia or the Arizona Cardinals Mafia. You know, studies indicate that the more time you spend outdoors with nature, you live longer. So, but I will say, Jared Goff's point is, Detroit has a history of losing and we know about

the lousy weather. And so I think it's a real thing. I think it is hard when a bad culture suddenly gets really good. I think Detroit, and I said this last year, I think they're the younger version of the 49ers, stars everywhere, they're just not paid yet and not quite as old. But I think toe to toe, the two best rosters,

easily in the NFC, easily are San Francisco and Detroit. I like Green Bayes. It's not as good as the Lions. A lot of that's the front office. A lot of that's trades, hitting on draft picks. But, I mean, you know,

it's funny about Detroit. My wife's from Michigan. You know, you listen to Eminem. I don't think optimism and hope. You know, there is a negative. that exists out there, and I saw it when I lived out east, I feel it's much more laid back and positive, optimistic out West. Some of that is because California teams have done well for the last decade. But I think Jared Goff is on to something. You get that bad weather, that intensity,

you're indoors, winter and spring. You stick with your bad teams. You complain about him. And Goff's trying to say, guys, this is a really good team. We're not going to lose anymore. Like, it's going to be nothing but wins. And J. Mack, I think you and I both, I was hotter on the Lions than you were, but I do believe that the next seven to eight years, if you look at their roster, their youth, and the way they're drafting, Detroit's a winning franchise now, and I mean a consistently winning franchise. Yeah, seven, eight years may be a little bit much. But as someone who roots for a team that has been steeped in futility for, I don't know, three decades,

of course he's Jared Koff is right. The Detroit media, all they know is that the Lions stink, they're a laughing, stock, they can't do anything in the playoffs. So they're going to be negative. That's not just going to change overnight. I'm a negative Jets fan. Is there a positive Jets fan anywhere? Like, there's nothing to be positive about.

The team stinks, the ownership stinks. Prove it to me and otherwise I'm not going to be like positive about the Lions. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with what Goff's sitting. Like, he's right? Yeah. The northern jet stream of negativity is a very real thing in sports. 100%.

And listen, if the media is all chipper and everything's Great, the economy's humming. Like, who's paying attention to the media, right? Grievance sells. If it bleeds, it leads. You know, negativity, death, all that, that stuff. I mean, the media does not talk about planes landing. Stock market way up.

You barely hear that. It's all the market getting crushed. Yeah. It's just, 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 IHeard 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 Podcast, 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-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. 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 is big to me, not just because of it. crack. I'm down to talk about crack

all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more

important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You are now entering the no bull zone sponsored by credible great rates. None of the Bulls. So the dynasty was that 10 part off the Jeff Benedict book. It was that 10 part documentary we saw in the winter early spring. I liked it a lot. People said, ah, not very nice to Belichick. Vince Wilfork, great player, came out recently and said, I don't think it was very fair to Billaichick. I think it was. And here's why. He got credit. Belichick during the 20-year run more than Brady did we didn't call Brady the

goat until the Atlanta Super Bowl and remember this who gets credit after a great dynasty is often what's the more interesting story who's nicer to the media very few people get both Tom Brady now gets much more credit he left and still won he should get more credit he left and Bill lost but coaches that rule with an iron fist may have their moment at the top of the mountain, but they're not going to age well. They should probably more often think about that. Bill Belichick cultivated, leaned into a personality that was uncooperative,

combative and arrogant. Don't be shocked if when you start losing, everybody's not giving you the warm fuzzies. Bill leaned into uncooperative. Andy Reed is going to age much more gracefully. He's much more of a players coach. He can joke with the media. He doesn't go out of his way to be uncooperative.

Look at two great 49ers. Jerry Rice aging well, graceful. T.O. isn't. One was combative. One wasn't. Bobby Knight and Belichick really sad at the end, sort of, right? You know who it's not sad for?

The Zen Master. Phil Jackson. Steve Kerr is aging well. Again, Andy Reed is aging well. Abrasive, combative, uncooperative. It works when you're at the top of the mountain. Aaron Rogers, by the way, is not aging well.

He looks loony tunes. People taking shots at him. He's defensive all the time. You know who's aging well? Eli Manning. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, got along with people. So in the end, Belichick got what he deserved. A lot of credit during his run, as did Bobby Knight. But if you're lean into things that are difficult, Brady always took time for the media.

Right? Always took time. Dumb questions, didn't love him. relentless coverage of the deflate gate, which remains wildly silly and overrated. But he took time, most of the time, to address it. Bill fought, battled, leaned into arrogant, never, ever willing to cooperate. Well, don't be shocked if it's an ugly final chapter. For the record, that's just not my opinion. Look at the people that got hired.

Seven openings. Bill didn't sniff them. Like, again, it does matter. When you're going up the ladder, just remember, eventually in sports, you'll go down that ladder too. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

So in the NFL, Aaron Rogers' first season with the Jets ended in horrific fashion as he popped his Achilles there on the first series where they had the football. He was reflecting on the injury recently, called it one of the most heartbreaking nights of his life. life saying he thought his career was over and he wouldn't be able to come back from it. Colin is, of course, setting up for a heroic return from Aaron Rogers. Perhaps with some shoulder programming, I'll leave it at that. I don't know. He could bounce back from this, right? I mean, he should be able to.

No, the big days are over. Old quarterbacks and shaky O lines don't work. Well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. They got three new offensive linemen. And one of them's Tyron Smith, the others Morgan. The tackles are massively upgraded. Nobody thinks you're getting 15 games. Forget 17 or 18, 19.

You're not getting 15 games from Tyron Smith. That's okay. We're drafting a left tackle at 10. And, you know, he'll be able to plug and play, obviously, because he's ready to go. Okay. No? Three new offensive linemen. Two from Baltimore.

I'll say it again. These young quarterbacks, as the league gets younger and there's younger players, these young quarterbacks that work harder, more focused, more athletic, in their athletic prime, heal faster, like Jordan Love are better players. This is not a hot take. Jordan Love is better today than Aaron Rogers. That is not a hot take. Watch the games. Okay, so the idea, and Jordan Love has better receivers, a better coach, a better organization, a weaker conference, a better offensive line.

So if you want to talk about Aaron Rogers, talk about the team he left and how good they are. No, no, I'm going to talk about... The Green Bay is a Super Bowl threat. Okay, fine. Let's compare Rogers to the other quarterback coming off in Achilles who you seem to like a lot. Kirk Cousins in Atlanta. Because with Kirk Cousins, Atlanta. Great O'Line.

Yes. Jets awful. It all starts for older quarterbacks up front. First thing Sean Payton did in Denver. He solved that O'Line. That Denver O'Line was good. Sean Payton knew. If you have an older quarterback that is going off a lot of,

as prime. O line is everything. That's what I want to hear the Jets draft receiver of the first round. No. No, they shouldn't. They should go get an offensive lineman because Tyron Smith at left tackle is going to give you about 13 games. That's what he's going to give you. And if you're a playoff team, you're going to have 18 minimum. That's five games where you've got some scrub playing left tackle. Draft the tackle. Let me call a guy scrubs. Not you. So, okay, fine. You want to say the Jets offensive line is inferior to Atlanta? That's fine. Not even close. Jet's skill position, guys, blow away Atlanta. No, they don't. I know you like. Stop it. Brees Hall is one of the top running backs in the league.

Bejohn is great. He's not there yet. Garrett Wilson's better than Drake, Drake London. Who's your two? Mike Williams, come on. Another older guy, hoping. So Aaron off an injury, Mike Williams off an injury, Tyron Smith off an injury. Atlanta's receivers, backs, tight ends, O-line.

They're not better. But also, Jets' defense can carry them and keep them in games. Falcons defense. We're not so short. I think America heard this similar rant this time last year, how to work out. Things are different this time. I promise you. All right, let's go to the NBA. Celtics obviously have the number one scene locked up, far and away the best team in the east. I feel like they should just get a free pass to the finals.

But Shaq, of course, old school guy, haters of jump shots, says, not so fast, my friend. He called the Celtics the most overrated team because they have a great regular season success, but haven't been able to win a title. This is yet another take I greatly dislike from, The Barclay, Shaq, duo, those guys are just, I don't want to go too over. Well, Boston is easily the deepest team in the league. They're one of the only elite teams with a great bench. I mean, their scoring is one through seven.

It's a great team. I went to a game when Al Horford was on fire. You know, like, so you can say what you want about Boston, and maybe depth doesn't win you a title. but Boston has more good players than any team in the league. And in the Eastern Conference, that is going to roll through the conference. I would be surprised if they went to a game six in any playoff series. Well, I just looked at the odds.

Would you? Well, hold on. The seven, eight seeds are going to be in some order, Miami and Philly. So they're going to get one of those two in the first round. I don't think Miami has a shot against them. Philadelphia will win a game against them. In Philadelphia, they'll win a game. What if they win game one?

Boston could win the next four. There will be legit panic in Boston if the Sixers come in and win game one after that. Well, it would be, Adam Silver would smile and make the series, because the East has the potential to just be awful. Just remind people, Philly last year could close out the series against Boston at home in game six. So the problem that Shaq doesn't see, and a lot of other people, they got two new starters on this team. Porzingis and Holiday are brand new.

Don't compare last year's team to this year. No, no, no, it's totally different team. It's silly. Mark is smart. I remember years ago when I covered UNLV and they played Duke. And remember that team, UNLV crushed Duke. Oh, that's right, yeah, yeah. And then they played the next year. And everybody's like, oh, they love UNLV.

And I'm like, yeah, Grant Hill wasn't on that team. That's like, and I get the revenge factor. So I get the revenge in Grant Hill. It's like, be very careful about saying it's going to be the same game. and it wasn't. And so it's like Porzingis, who has really changed his game. He did it in Washington, and very few people noticed, the Celtics did. Porzingis now is a highly effective player, and he's not as wasteful a player.

And we all love Drew. So it's like, no, but Boston's really good. Do I worry who takes the last shot with a minute 30 to go in a tight game? They're a little weird laden games, but they're going to roll to the final. Porzingis, when he was drafted by the Knicks, was like, the Savior. He's going to be the one or the two. He's a different player now. He goes to Dallas.

He'll be the number two to Luca. He wasn't the number two. But he went to Washington, and because nobody pays attention to Washington, had an unbelievable season, and the Celtics now bring him over, he's a tremendous. He is, if he's your four, he's the best four in the league. By a mile. There's no pressure on him. Hey, sit outside.

No, Porzingis is now a very effective player. not a wasteful player banging a ball in the tile. For next week, we should look at odds for the Celtics to go undefeated in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They're not going to go undefeated. Just 12 and 0 in the east.

That's not that big of a deal. Well, the problem is when you go home and you go 2 and O, and let's say you go and you beat a team in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland, by 17 and 22, and you go to Cleveland. Cleveland's going to give you their game of the year

and probably beat you in overtime or something close. Great, give me some odds. Plus 500? Final story is the paper clips. Remember, we talked about this. Paperclip sons last night in a back-to-back home and home. They got revenge, obviously. They needed to badly.

L.A. is now locked into a first-round play-up matchup with Dallas. It'll be the third time in five years they met in the postseason. I've done the homework on these teams. And I'll just say this. This is a very different Mavs team than in the last two meetings when the Clippers beat them. And Luca was 20 years old, and he nearly took down this. Yeah, I'm kind of out on the clippers. I'll take the maps.

I would agree. For the record, you've seen some of these first-round potential West Western Conference matchups? It's going to be, now I know college basketball and pro basketball don't look alike. The first round of the West, if the chips fall the right way, we're going to get the best first-round conference matchups. They're going to feel like, I mean, stars every – Dallas Clippers? Just name the top seven players. They're Hall of Famers. The problem.

And a couple more thoughts on this. Is it starting to look like Lakers Nuggets? With the Nuggets win last night, starting to look like if the Lakers get the eight, it's going to be an early exit for LeBron. They're not winning that series. And I know they're not winning it, but they do match up pretty well.

Were you the one who said they've got a chance, like, early against Denver? I'm like, I'm like, I. No, that was Nick Wright. He said if the Lakers are going to play Denver, play them early because of LeBron. age is that LeBron, if you're asking LeBron to go into three, seven game series, you're not going to get the same LeBron.

Get a fresh LeBron. But he's not going to be fresh. They've got to play in games. They've got to win now. They're in the 9-10. But as for the Clippers, I don't know how you handle the Paul George, Kauai, Hardin, Triumvirate. If they get bounced in the first round.

And we've got like a list of like six teams where they're also chaos. They're also moving into a new arena next year, aren't they? So they kind of have to keep the ass. Well, I mean, well, it's funny. Steve Bulmer's a smart guy, but I, you know, when they brought Hardin in, my argument was part of it was you could open a building with Paul George, Kauai, and Hardin. Even Westbrook's got fans in L.A. So that's how, you can open a building. When the sphere opened in Vegas, they opened with you two.

Nothing against garage bands, but who did they open with? You want to open a new facility with stars. And so, you know, Kauai may be enigmatic and Paul George is, you know, not, you're not, not a business. face of a league guy, but Hardin from L.A. Westbrook. It's interesting. It's a lot of L.A. guys. Kauai got his money, right? Paul George. Kauai took a little bit of a hometown discount.

I don't know if Paul George is going to do this. We'll see about Hardin and Russ, but early exit for the paper clips. And I will say, I'm happy to hear you at the outside of the show, hype up the Mavericks, just a little bit. You're starting to come around on Luca. Luca legend, we call him. It's just when you watch the league now. It's like Zach Eady.

Two years ago I didn't buy it. I watched them this year and I'm like, he looks feistier and more cut and he's better. New information equals new opinion. You start watching Luca, and it's like my thing is they're not going to play defense. You start watching their defensive rating. It's like top 10, top five.

And he's sitting watch him last night and you're like, he gets whatever shot he want. He is a much better offensive player than LeBron. A much better. And by the way, LeBron does- Prime LeBron or currently? No, I'm just saying prime LeBron, prime Luca. Luca's the better score.

Michael was the better score than LeBron. LeBron's the better player because LeBron does so many other things well. LeBron was an elite defender. LeBron. Well, better passer, but in terms of just here's ball, go score. I would argue Luca, in my lifetime, I'm trying to think Kareem was an unstoppable score. Durant or Luka. Oh, Luca.

Luca. Luca. Luke, first of all, Luca's body type, Luca's going to last forever. KD is spindly. Luca's going to play for the next 15 years. I'll say it right now. Put it in the archives, Ryan.

Luca finishes as a top three score in league history with a chance to finish. I think you're going to see 15 more years of this. His game is not vertical. It's shooting. And I know people want to compare and say, well, how would Michael Jordan fare against these quicker, longer defenders?

And Jordan would eat. But Jordan was a great athlete. Luca is not a great athlete. and he's still utterly dominant regardless of who you put on him. He may go down, like you said, the greatest scorer, pure scorer in NBA history. That's not a hot take. I'm trying to think of people that I have watched. Because I think of Yokic as a score, a passer, the body.

I'm just talking ball in hand, stop him. And I'm like, he's as good as I've ever seen just at that. We'll see Kauai. Elite defender, couldn't stop him in 2020. and I don't think he's going to be able to stop him now. We'll see. That's interesting. J-Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Danny Green, top of the next hour, Dane Bruegler, the Athletic, who came out with his basically draft guide, which is it's the Bible, kind of.

You know, I'm agnostic, so it is my Bible. It's really good. He'll join us as well. The Buck say Janus is out, just throw this out for the regular season. That team is fascinating. And did you notice this, J. Mack? I'm not going to spend, I'll talk

about this later. So, we know the Celtics signed Jalen Brown, Mack Steele. And we know they're going to sign Tatum. Here, quick, Mac Steel. Just see they signed Drew Holiday to four years, $135 million. And they got Porcings on the books for a couple

years. So you see what Boston is doing. If you watch what is happening in the NBA, 10 of the top 11 teams have no bench. In fact, let me look this up. Let me look this up. 10 of the bottom 11 bench scoring teams. 10 of the 11, lous benches are playoff teams. You see what's happening in the league now?

Spend your big money up top. Spend it up top. For the good. Good teams do not use the draft as a lottery hoping to win Powerball. That's for the bad teams. Build your stars. Big money, pay all of them. Don't worry about your bench.

And when you get that late first round pick in the draft as a good team, draft a three or four year college player that can come in lower ceiling and just an adult, Christian Brown, adult in Kansas three years. So what happens to Houston, they're buying lottery tickets. OKC is buying lottery. They're looking for high ceiling guys. Denver, get me a college guy. Miami Heat.

They get the UCLA kid, three, four year player. So what you're doing now, because there's almost no chance, once you get past like the 13th pick to get a megastar in the NBA, it's very rare. But it is interesting. What the Celtics are doing is what Denver is doing, which is pay your stars. don't worry about the bench. Go get an older college player, lower ceiling that can come in,

mature and can play. But you could argue the Celtics used the draft. Tatum is homegrown. Brown is homegrown. And on Denver, Yokic and Murray were both drafted by Denver. So you've got to hit on your high draft pick, right?

And then you supplement them. We'll bring in a holiday. There's two different models in the NBA. The bad teams use the draft. They're taking flyers on mega talents that they hope develop. The successful good playoff teams use the draft, middle lower, to go get experienced college guys who are grownups.

They get out of the development game. Rick Buecker recently talked about how veteran teams are going to start looking for older guys. If you're drafting and you're saying this guy's going to be part of our rotation, I think you're going to see teams taking players that have spent more years in college as a result. because you're asking a guy to play a role and to play without the ball. And the only guys that are capable of doing that are guys that have been in college for a while and had to go through the process, had to at some point in their career,

the reason they stayed in college, they were in college a number of years before they went to the NBA, is because they weren't a star right from the beginning. So they know how to play a role. They have that experience. It's just interesting. There's two models now, and the Boston model is going to be, I think, It's going to be the Denver model. Ten of the 11 bottom benches.

Those are the playoff teams. Those are the good teams. They don't care about bench. They don't care about it anymore. They look at the Celtics now in Denver will look at the draft as diversifying their portfolio. Houston, San Antonio, look at it as buying a powerball ticket. Look at the bench scoring here. It's like the good teams don't have a bench.

They're not worried about it. They're just going to draft guys that can play and make him good now. They're not going to worry about dev- because guys come out of the draft. They're 19. The Warriors, by the way, tried this. They tried it with Wiseman. He couldn't play with the veteran players. So what do they do?

They go get Chris Paul. They draft guys that can come in and play. Cominga. I like Cominga, but he doesn't feel like you. I don't trust Cominga at all in the playoffs. He's just not refined enough. And that's with a good staff. Smart coaches in Gold,

state. Well, some NFL stuff next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised.

You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show. We never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is over-promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubberlips. Blame and me. Well, you know what? It's called overpromise. You should be good at it because you've been over-promising women for years. Well, it's a Kavino and Rich after show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course, but we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our

after show called Over-Promised. Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich, make sure you check out Over-Promise, and also uncensored, by the way. So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after-show podcast of all time. There you go. Overpromising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen to Overpromised with Kavino & Rich on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Yep, that's me, Clipper 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 Podcast, 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's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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 I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday on FS1, a bitter rivalry is brewing in the lone star state. Now, Corey Seeger and the reigning champion Rangers battle Jose Alteuve and the Astros. I'll begin at 4 Eastern on FS1. I was thinking about this day or day. You know, everybody talks about television's dying, television's dying, and I

roll my eyes at that. And I always use this example. I don't spend a lot of time on TikTok. I have, you know, staff people around here put some stuff on TikTok. I'm not on it almost ever. My wife likes it. And I use this all the time. If our government shuts down or, let's say TikTok just became about recipes and

the culinary industry, it would obviously shrank. But it would be unbelievably powerful for the culinary industry because they would dominate a platform. And when everybody always talks about television and I'm like, the only thing that works on TV now is sports. And we own it. So is cable TV shrinking? Yeah, but why did the women's basketball tournament just set all-time records? Why did the men's basketball tournament have an incredibly healthy year? Does everybody understand the ratings?

this will be the most watched NFL draft ever. And I think by a mile, because sports now owns this platform that used to be shared by all sorts of shows. Now it's basically election year politics, the Oscars, and sports. College football, which is on television, not on a streaming service, college football is going to have a massive explosion of ratings this year. with the PAC 12's top programs joining the Big Ten and Texas, Oklahoma, joining the SEC. So if a platform shrinks, but then your industry owns it, it's an incredibly powerful mechanism.

So like this draft, even though we know who's going one, and I've been told Jaden Daniels of LSU, is going to be who Washington currently favors as their pick. Now, the things change? I've just been told if you look at his style and Cliff Kingsbury's style and his ability as the Washington offensive line is in a rebuild mode this year and next, they're going to address it in the draft, is that Jaden Daniels's athletic ability, it's a little Lamar Jackson, not quite, but he can really run, is the kind of quarterback that will endure as you're rebuilding your O line.

You know, Russell Wilson did not have a lot of great O lines in Seattle. In his prime, he made it work. Kyler Murray, Arizona, didn't have a lot of great O lines. He made it work. So quarterbacks that can, and Jaden now is, there is absolutely some Lamar Jackson here at work. So my take is what I'm told is that Jaden Daniels, the belief is he fits Cliff Kingsbury, who's got a three-year deal there, and he fits a program, a franchise that really is very good in the run game and isn't very good on the offensive line,

and he will create opportunities that wouldn't exist with a less dynamic mover and runner. So I think I know who the first two picks are, I've been told. We all know Chicago's taking Caleb Williams. But I think keep your eye on the Chargers, the Patriots, Arizona, Giants, Jets, Minnesota. I think a lot of times there's predictions that the draft will have a lot of movement and mobility. But if you really look at this draft, New England could go either way. They need a new roster. Arizona needs more good players, and it's a wide receiver-rich draft.

They could move down. Chargers are dying to move down. The Giants, certainly an option, is moving down. It's such a good tackle draft. I've been told this, that Tennessee, because they like Joe Alt, and he may grade as the best tackle, but he's actually got a lower ceiling than some of the other tackles in the first round. Joe Alt at Notre Dame is ready to play now for the Jets or the Titans,

but he doesn't necessarily have the highest ceiling. He's seen as a guy that will start for 10 years, a pro bowl or two, but he's not considered high ceiling tackle, just ready to play tackle. If I was the Bears, I would go down, I would move down a couple of times. times you can get an edge rusher in the 15th to 19th pick. The Rams will probably take an edge rusher at 19. The Bears could certainly get one at 16 if they move down and accumulate more picks. So I think we're going to have an unbelievable draft ratings-wise, an unbelievable big 10 year. The NFL was just up. Women's college basketball won't equal last year, this past year,

but it's going to be good. It's a growing business. And men's college basketball was shockingly good in the tournament, even though we had one great team and one star and a lot of average. So it's just, you know, and I look at this draft coming up, J-Mack. I can't remember the last time there was a draft. People make projections all the time. Even the teams that like players, like the Chargers love Brock Bowers. They think they can get them at 12. I'm told the Giants love.

They need a wide receiver. Roma Dunzee. You can get him at 11. Joel Alt and the Titans, I'm told. They think he's really good. They don't think he's Jonathan Ogden, and they think there's higher ceilings, and they could go to 50. By the way, that's a roster in Tennessee. They need a lot of players. They need a lot of guys. New England at three needs a quarterback. What they really need, unless Jaden Daniels drops to them, which I am not hearing, but if it happens, he would work in New England maybe a little because he can move around and they don't have

playmakers. But this draft's going to be, it's going to be wild. So I had Albert Breer on my podcast, and he said there is some chatter that wide receivers, not necessarily Harrison, but neighbors in Adunze, could be sliding a bit as teams look at these offensive linemen and say, holy cow, these guys are plug and play. They're ready to go. Yeah. And maybe there's a chance. Adunze falls to the Jets at 9 and the tackles are off the board. If the top three tackles are off the board, the Oregon State kid, the Penn State kid,

and all. If they're gone in four to eight, what do the Jets do? I don't think you go tight end. If Adunze is the third best receiver, let's say he is, second or third, I say, sir, I saw him live, I think he's third. What's the difference between the third receiver and the sixth? Now, I think Harrison, there's a big gap between him and most of the other receivers. Same with the kid at LSU. But O'Donzee, if the difference between the third receiver and the seventh is not significant, isn't Adonze going to be as successful as where he lands? even Larry Fitzgerald needed his better quarterbacks

an all-timer to get better numbers. Let's remember Justin Jefferson went down on the list a little bit. Des Bryant, a lot of guys, wide receivers really good in the 15 to 25 range. I think the real interesting situation is Harrison. There's a report now. I just saw it during a commercial break that Arizona wants the world for the number of four pick. And it looks like nobody's going to really trade up. So then what does Minnesota do?

Do they really go up or do they just stand pat? and maybe McCarthy falls to the about. A lot of weird stuff happening here. I think it's a circumstances draft. The Giants are going to just see what happens. And the Giants will make a big, bold decision based on what happened 15 minutes earlier. Hour two next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day, and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

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

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed

human.