The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Watson, NBA Finals, Rodgers

Episode Date: June 8, 2022

The Deshaun Watson story keeps getting worse, the NFL needs to act Preview of game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight What to expect from the Aaron Rodgers and the Packers   Guest: Nick WrightSee 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?

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

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 from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. It is a Wednesday game three of the NBA finals tonight. The good guys, the Warriors. Take on the other good guys. No villain in this series.

Live in L.A., it's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, iHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and F.S. One, Joy Taylor, is joining me as always. So, after a long sabbatical hiatus, we're back to basketball tonight. I just sitting around last night watching the offer on Paramount Plus. You love that show.

in, I think it's fantastic. Very little is sensational. You ever watch a movie and it's based on a true story and you think to yourself, why did it take them like 40 years to make this? There's so many great stories out there that are now being told on these streaming services. Well, you know, some stories that people don't want outs. That's true. You know, some stories can't be told until they're no longer with us to complain about. That's true. So, you know, that's why some of that happens. It was good. I went golfing last night. I saw that. I saw you went to top golf or something. Yeah. That looks fun. It was really fun, actually. I was terrible. Yeah, well, that's golf. We're all terrible. All right, let's start with this.

Deshawn Watson. Let's shut it down. It's now 66 women. Over a 17-month period, according to the New York Times. And the Houston Texans were aware of the odd number of therapists. Nobody has 66 therapists. Like, right? Like, I understand a couple.

my wife has a therapist. I think she's changed once in five years. That's like normal. I ask joy about it. I've had probably four in my life. 66 is a little over the top. And now it appears that Deshawn Watson wasn't honest about it. So let's get our yellow notepad and write down the current issues.

24 civil lawsuits. An NFL team appeared to be protecting him. No closure in sight for any of the lawsuits. The attorney for Deshaun Watson downplayed the fears and the situations of the victims. Terrible PR for the country's most popular sport, which is now moving in to coverage with mandatory OTAs. And Deshawn Watson appears to have lied to Cleveland and the NFL. Remember, NFL owners don't like Jimmy Haslam. Because he paid a fully guaranteed contract to a sketchy guy, moving the market in the favor of the players.

They got no problem docking the Browns for the season. Not just the Steelers, Bengals, Ravens, the league has no problem. There are certain owners in this league, Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Stan Cronkey. League would rather not mess with. They're powerful, their deal makers, they're good. influencers for the league. Nobody cares about Jimmy Haslam. And now he's on the let's boot him list. So you tell me why we shouldn't shut it down. And this is really what Cleveland's all about. When people are desperate, they make bad decisions. They make desperate decisions. That's when actors choose

bad movies. Musicians make bad albums. Businesses make lousy acquisitions and teams roll the dice on incredibly iffy personnel. That's what desperation does. Now, the Browns have been desperate for most of my life, but they're desperate to be relevant. And like any business, they rolled the dice, and this has not worked. So the contract from day one, listen, Deshawn's a really talented guy, but we said this yesterday. Dominance at the NFL and any pro league, Warrior Celtics, starts at the top.

so does chaos, uncertainty, and irrelevance. It all starts at the top. The same teams are drafting at the top virtually every year. The Jacksonville, Detroit, the Jets, all starts at the top. You can keep blaming coaches, keep blaming players and quarterbacks. Swear to God, it's the same eight teams. Washington's up there a lot. Same teams over and over and over.

And then eventually you get a good owner and a good GM and a good coach. Buffalo, and now you draft at the end of the first round because you're really good and will be for the next 10 years. But this is a desperate franchise, and when people are desperate for relevance, they make really, really bad decisions. And now it appears with the latest lawsuit, New York Times reports 66 in total, but the latest one is really concerning because it appears Deshaun is not on the up and up with Cleveland or the NFL. Here's Albert Breer. My understanding is this 24th lawsuit is a little bit different. And I think what's going to be key here is what Deshaun Watson told the NFL's investigators and what Deshaun Watson told the Browns.

Because if this is coming out of nowhere for them, you know, I think there's a good chance the league looks at Deshaun and says, we can't have this. You know, you looked at us in the eye and you told us what happened and you left this part out of it. Bad news. I'd shut it down. Now it's getting worse by the day. This is the first bombshell by the New York Times. My guess is if they've done all their homework on this, the New York Times has spent months on this, you think this is the only story they're going to run?

They're going to drop about three, four, five more stories connected to this story. Shut it down. Game three of the finals tonight, I do like Boston. Not comfortably, but kind of comfortably. So about a week ago, Jason Tatum came out and verbalized something that I didn't love. I like my stars to be confident. He came out and said, you know, when I heard all those rumors about breaking up me and Jalen Brown, I started questioning whether or not, you know, I was the guy to lead the team.

And I sat on the air, I don't like that. Keep that one to yourself. I don't need to see every meal on Twitter and I don't need every thought in front of a microphone. keep some things to yourself. No, he's doing it now again, verbalizing self-doubt. He was asked about, you know, his slow start in the finals, and here's what he said. I'm sure that I've seen as a huge debate. Is he a superstar?

Is he not? I want to know where that came from. Like, did I tweet that? Did I ever say that I'm a superstar or, you know, I'm on the verge? Like, that never came from me. But it has been a big deal his last year. year and a half or two years. And I see it all the time.

And there's always been a question of the back of my head. Like, I wonder who spoke on my behalf or said that or why that was such a big deal. Marginal players think they're superstars. I mean, there are teams in this league paying guys not to play. They think they're superstars. Russell Westbrook, fourth team four years. Lakers looking to move him sees himself as a superstar. Jason Tatum, one of the best.

young players in the league. I don't know. I'll go back to this. I cannot imagine Michael Jordan reading that before game three and thinking self-doubt. It's in him. Let's get it out of him. And the problem is, when I see Jason Tatum play, I see his words on the court. I see it. The quarterback is your superstar in the NBA. In crisis, you become him. He sounds like Andy Dalton. I want my guy to sound like Matt Stafford or Joe Burrow. I mean, marginal players like Baker can sometimes get cocky. But if you're great like Burrow or Stafford or Tatum, you got to know you're great.

I hear that, and my takeaway is somewhere in him twice in the last week, he has self-doubt. It's my job as a defender to pull it out of him. Here's what I want for my star. This is what I want for my star. It's one of my favorite bites. Kevin Durant was with the Warriors. and they were up against a team. Patrick Beverly was guarding him.

And Kevin was just talking about, listen, I could score on that dude all the time. I got to pass the ball to Steph and Clay. This is what I want from my superstar. I'm not going to get in the way of the game because, you know, I want to have a little back and forth with Patrick Beverly. I'm Kevin Durant.

You know who I am. I know who I am. That's exactly. what I want from my star. It's why I always defend Kevin Durant because he's just brutally authentic and that's what I want. And you wouldn't say that at a dinner party

and you wouldn't say that at work. You're not an NBA star. I give my athletes a pass. I say this about UFC fighters. You're walking into a cage, mono-a-mono against a man. You have to believe you're the toughest guy in an arena

of 20,000 people. You cannot go into a UFC octagon with any doubt. You're in the NBA finals. There'll be 18,000 people tonight. I'm going to give you a little crazy. I'm going to give you a little attitude. I'm going to give you major leeway on ego. What I don't want to hear is, I don't know if I'm the leader of this team.

I want you to do a Matt Stafford. Look at Cooper Cup, drop back to throw, and throw a no-look pass in the biggest play of his career. that's what I want. Not if you're an accountant, not if you're a doctor, not if you're a pilot, but if you're a performer, you're a singer, you're an actor,

you're an athlete, you're different, you're on stage, you're performing, I'm going to give you a lot of leeway on ego. You got to kind of, you know, we want our athletes to be good people off the court, off the field, right? I do. But they do have to flip a switch a little,

We understand they got to flip a little bit of a switch to perform. Larry Bird was once a Celtic facing the Sonics. And so it got laid into a game, and Casey Jones, the Celtics coach, called a timeout, brought him in the huddle. And Casey, who I met before, a nice guy. Talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, talking. At one point, Larry Bird said, in the huddle, hey, Casey, why don't you just get me the ball and move everybody else out of the way? So that's what they did. Play came out.

Bird got the ball. Right before he got the ball, he looked at Xavier McDaniel, great player for the Sonics. He said, you do know I'm getting the ball, and I'm going to shoot right over you. And the inbound of the ball to Bird,

he looked at McDaniels, and he shot right over him and made it. And as Larry Bird was walking away, he turned to McDaniels and said, I didn't mean to give you a couple of seconds left on the clock. That's what I want for my star. That's what I want for my singer, my actor,

my athlete, my quarterback, and my NBA wing star. Not, I don't know. I can call myself a superstar. I don't know if you are, but I want you to believe

in game three tonight at home. You are. All right. Got a lot of stuff. By the way, the best quote in sports is Raymond Green. He had a another one yesterday. He is

just sensational. Nick right around the corner as well. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite

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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. Added Podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah, literally. 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 there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. So. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

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So Aaron Rogers yesterday, it's mandatory camp for the Packers. He showed up. He was talking. And Aaron has been very honest about his future in the NFL. He said yesterday, three years left. He's not sure if he's going to finish all three years. He will retire as a Packer. So he's either going to retire after this year, the next year, or the next year.

He's going to be 38. He's been banged up a bit. He's had playoff disappointments. So I thought we'd play a little exercise here. So let's just say for point of debate that, and I've always been in my mind, more of an errand guy than a far-of-guy. He's more efficient. But let's be honest about this league.

It's about winning. All the pretty doesn't really matter. It's about double use, right? Aaron's been the prettiest quarterback in the league. Marino was the prettiest throwover of the football. Elway was better. Elway won more big games. So I thought this morning, so let's take,

Aaron was MVP last year. So let's say he plays one more year in Green Bay and then retires. So I'm going to take 10% off last year's production. Why? No Devante Adams. He's got four new receivers. His history tells you it will take a while to get it going. I think the lions have momentum will be better next year.

The Bears will be and the Vikings will be. I think the division will have less chaos around him. It'll be a little bit better. They're not going 6 and 0 in their division. In fact, I have them losing to the Vikings in their opener. All new receivers. And it also looks like, if you look at the way the team is building, they're going to be a little more run-centric, less errand-driven next year.

So all those things in, I'm going to take last year and just reduce 8 to 10% off this year. He's also a year older. So his year, this year, will be 12 wins, 5 losses, 33 touchdowns, 5 picks, 230 yards passing, and a 99-9 passer rating. No Devante Adams, all new receivers, more of a ground game division's better. I don't think he'll duplicate last year's MVP season. That's still a Pro Bowl season. So then he retires. And as I said, I've always considered Aaron.

I've been more of an Aaron guy that a Fav guy. So if that is it. And remember, Aaron played in a more quarterback friendly NFL than Fav and a more offensive friendly sport than Farr. Here would be their numbers. If you lined up all their numbers. And here's what's really, really interesting. Isn't that interesting?

Aaron wins the pretty stuff. Passer rating, fewer interceptions, but Farrv wins more, far through for more touchdowns, farv average more passing yards. And if you include their postseason, and that's what we really care about, right? This is football, not baseball. Aaron once again, more wins in the playoffs, got to more Super Bowls, better winning percentage in the playoffs. And it's funny if you look at the two.

Aaron is the prettier. He'll end up with more MVP's and a higher passer rating. Farrv, more Super Bowls, more touchdown passes, better playoff win percentage, fewer injuries more available. What matters? That's all the stuff that matters. Farve's got all the stuff I care about. More Super Bowls, more playoff wins, more touchdown passes, and more available.

Aaron's got more MVP's and a better passer rating. More commercials. although that's close. It's funny, right? Like, my interpretation is if Aaron plays one more year and puts up really good numbers, it's reasonable to think without Devante Adams and all these brand new, either old receivers or kids, he's not going to light it up. And it also does look like they're going to be a little more run-centric.

My thought was always Aaron's the better of the two. But football isn't baseball. I don't care about history. I care about what did you do. And Aaron played in a more quarterback and offensive-friendly, league. I'd look at those numbers and say, I take the FARV guy. I'd take what he did. More Super Bowls, more playoff wins, more touchdowns, more yards. That's what I care about. More available. And I think both are Hall of Famers. But it is interesting. I do feel like Aaron,

and he's mostly been into the division that's been awful for most of his career. He's had two offensive coaches. He's had numerous Pro Bowl offensive linemen. I think Aaron left more on the table if he would retire after next year. I think he left more on the table. I always thought the gap was much more Aaron favorable. But if this is the end of it, because I also thought five years ago, he'd win another Super Bowl. Joy Taylor with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the Blazers missed the postseason for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Yeah. And their number one goal this off-season is to find a way to rebuild around Damian Lillard. Yeah. According to Kevin O'Connor of the Ringer, the Blazers are exploring trades for veterans that can help Lillard lead the team back to the postseason.

They have identified Bradley Beale and Zach Levine as potential targets. Love Bradley Beal. You could have Zach Levine, who's from the Northwest. He's a fine athlete. I've been, I'm a huge Bradley Beal fan. Love Bradley Beal. I mean, most people do. He's a great player.

A great player. He can play defense. He's smart. He's a leader. He can hit shots. He's tough. Love him. Love him.

Zach Levine's flashy. I don't see him as much of a winning player as Bradley Beal. And I know you're going to say, well, what's Bradley? Bradley's had the deal with a lot of nonsense with that franchise. Well, if Bradley picks up his $36.4 million player option next season, obviously the Blazers would have to trade for him. If he opts out, the Blazers. could either sign them outright four years, $183 billion, or agree to a sign-in trade with Washington.

The Blazers would either have to sign-Lean outright or agree to a sign-and-trade with the Bulls. Beal average 23.2 points this season, 45.1 field-go percentage, 33-point percentage, and 6.6 assists per game. Levine at 24 points per game, 47.6 field-go percentage, 38.9 from 3, and 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Zach is a more.

dramatic player. He's a higher flying player. Beal's closer to the ground. I think Bradley Beal, there's arguments. I just think Bradley Beal's been lost in D.C. I think he's a unbelievable... And I'll tell you this. LeBron and his guys

have wanted to play with Bradley Beal for a decade. I don't know that Bradley Beal's going to leave. I know. That's the thing. He's very, very loyal. He and Dame are the same kindred spirits. I know that's why it's interesting that they're now being linked together. They're just loyal to their colleges. their teams, they're very loyal guys,

they're very smart guys. Which is fine. That's fine. I'm not blaming. I, but I'll say this. I have been with a, I'm a Bradley Beale guy for years. No, I love Bradley Beale as a player. I would love to see either one of them play with Dame.

I think either one of them would be great fits with Dame. And if they don't end up going to the Blazers, Miami's a nice place to play as well. Oh, wow, what a great fit. That would be. That is a great fit. Pat Riley is 77 years old. He made it clear at the end of the season press conference that he still feels like there's more he can do to build a championship team in Miami.

I love this guy. I definitely feel an obligation to finish this build. And so if we're three years into this build, then I don't want to do another three years of just building this team. I like the team that we have. And I like the core. And so let's see where we can go internally. And let's see where we can go if something present itself, if that's a viable option. Now, Pat, it's not going to reveal his hand to the media.

He's the dealmaker of my life in the NBA. He also said he's 77 years old and he could do more push-ups than you right now. I love him. But I saw him in a fight. So I took my wife to the Connor McGregor Mayweather fight. Yes. and I go upstairs and that I told you one of my the most talented person in Hollywood is Jamie Fox Jamie Fox comes up to me so I'm like blah blah blah blah I don't remember anything Jamie Fox said

I think he's the most talented guy funny and Pat Riley comes up to me and I and when Pat Riley walks up to me I'm like I knew he was like 70 or something and I'm like he's in he was an incredible shape yeah I probably's taking care of himself I actually think I saw Pat Riley the casino, because we were there that weekend with Undisputed. I think I saw him in the casino. I did not bother him, though. Pat's the best. Pat's wished me happy birthday when I was working in Miami.

It was a very big deal for me. But that aside, he is a dealmaker, and he is going to have to do something to improve this roster. Now, he did mention they want to do some things internally. They have some decisions they have to make on Tyler Hero. Obviously, Duncan Robinson was mostly a no-show in the postseason. But as of right now, the heater projected to be 11-minute. million dollars over the salary cap and they are close to 13 million under the tax threshold.

So they don't have a lot of rooms of work, but they do have 10 players that are currently under contract for next season. So they could definitely make trades. And if Donovan Mitchell or Bradley Beal or Zach Levine come on the radar. They're going to get one of these. You know they're going to get one. I feel good about it. They have a lot of assets they can move. And they've had, they have developed players that have did an amazing job in the postseason. Now, some some teams might feel like that's a product of that heat system and coaching, but you should, you know, obviously have some confidence in yourself that you'd be able to keep the player at that level.

But I don't think that Pat is just going to try and tweak things internally. That's not how he gets down. So LeBron said two months ago that Steph Curry is the player that he wants to play with the most. Yeah. And in a recently released trailer for the next episode of HBO's The Shop Uninterrupted, he was asked from the remaining teams left standing in the NBA, this. year, which squad would he most want to join? Of the teams left playing, which one would you want to play for?

Yeah, they'd be going to say. I would love getting into a pistol match with Draymile. I love when somebody cuts me out. Well, everybody wants to play with Steph. I want to play with Steph too. That's just why when Katie left, I'm like, what are you doing? That's the guy you want to play with. Yeah, I mean, LeBron has been in functional situations,

Miami being one of them, and, you know, he's been able to have a lot of control everywhere that he's gone. I think Steph is the type of player, that makes things easy on other stars. So that's something that's very appealing. And he's proven that with Kevin Durant. That he was so perfect in that KD scenario that if I was a star, that's who I'd want to, I mean, aside from obviously the talent production

and shooting and reliability and consistency that he offers. His ability to allow other people to shine when they need to and really have no ego being one of the biggest superstars in the sport is fascinating. I think there's an argument to be made that Steph in terms of what people want to watch is the biggest star in the league. Yeah, I mean, he has a very unique game. He's very dynamic. He's not a small guy. He looks, you think that he's small.

He's six four. He's really not a small man. Now, this is not going to happen. LeBron is not going to go to Golden State. He's entering the final year of his contract with the Lakers, but he's going to be with the Lakers. I believe for the rest of his career, unless something happens with Brony and then he goes and plays one year with him.

But I think he's going to finish out his time with the Lakers. But it is fun to, you know, play basketball GM and imagine what that would look like. Oh, I know. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News.

He's the co-host. The first thing's first. Nick Wright. He was very funny this week. I think he liked, he said Golden State initially, and then he flipped. I think that's what you did. You flipped.

That was one of your better takes. I like that. Yeah, but I flip-flopped after the Warriors won. I feel like there's some honor. I picked the Warriors. They lost game one. I stuck with them. They blew the Celtics out in game two. And that's when I switched.

Now, it does open the possibility that I could be wrong twice in the same series. But Colin, you taught me this. You can't lie to the audience. What we owe the audience is honesty. And here's what happened. I was hosting the show day before yesterday, and during a commercial break, I logged into the old Fox bet app, and I found myself betting the Celtics to win the title. And I'm like, well, if I'm going to do that, then I think I got to go on TV and say, I think the Celtics are going to win the title. I also probably shouldn't be gambling during the show, but, you know, it's easy.

It's at our fingertips now. And so I just, my heart was no longer with the Warriors. That's what happened. So the one thing that concerns me, and I, and I've said this, you. Generally, I look at the stars, and I predict who's going to win the series. And I took the Warriors in six. But I said, if Robert Williams gives me 30 minutes the rest of the series, they'll win. Because Golden State will score no points on the interior.

The minute he didn't play, Kavon Looney got freebies, and you can't stop them. Now they're scoring inside. They're scoring on floaters. They're scoring out. You're not going to beat the Warriors that way. But I think, much like the Miami series, when Robert Williams played, you become a jump shooting team. And it's hard to win that way. But I'll say this.

This concerns me, because if somebody says, Boston's going to win, I see it. I can see it. But Jason Tatum now is twice verbalized his self-doubt. There was the quote a week ago, you know, I don't know if I'm the leader of this team. And then there's the, well, I didn't call myself a superstar. And I'm like, dude, you're not Andy Dalton. Stop sounding like it. You're Matt Stafford. And there are times, Nick, when I watch him on the floor, and I see that doubt. And it does worry me because I never see it with Steph. Doesn't that concern you a little? It would concern me if the Celtics had to have great Jason Tatum games to win.

But they won game one and he was three for 17. Now, I have to take some culpability for this. You know, I put Jason Tatum in Club Superstar and all of a sudden he's like, did I say I'm a superstar? I didn't ask for this. I understand there's extra pressure once you're in the elite club superstar. Right. But, you know, when you score 46 facing elimination against Janus in.

his building, you become a superstar. Sure. But he is just 24 years old, and this is his first NBA finals. And I also typically, when I'm looking at a series, the first and last thing I ask myself is, who's the best player? And it takes a lot for me not to go with that. Steph's the best player. But Colin, with respect to your favorite podcaster, Mr. Triple single, is the next four best guys on the Celtics? Does it go Steph and then Tatum, then Brown, then Horford, then smart? It might.

With Clay playing the way he's playing and with Draymond playing the way he's playing, they might have the next four best guys. So I don't know that Tatum has to be great. And in fact, speaking, you know, when I say speaking of, it's just something I referenced earlier at gambling. I think Jalen Brown at eight or nine to one to win finals MVP is an interesting bet because I think he absolutely could win finals MVP. And the Celtics have an odd history of the best player for the Cedric Maxwell 1-1,

Jojo White 1-1, Paul Pierce 1-1, when none of those guys were the best player on those teams. They were just the best in that series. I think Jalen might be able to win finals MVP. See, I think Draymond Green knows exactly what he's doing. And there are moments. Rodman would go off the reservation for long spells, like he would disappear. Drayman knows what he's doing completely.

When he's moving his legs slightly on top of Jalen Brown just enough to get near his face and annoy him, he's totally manipulative. Now, he loses his temper, but he always reels it back in. I do think he's huge in this series because I think he's a disruptor. And I don't think you have to be the most skilled to be incredibly valuable. And I think we have two realities in this series. Clay Thompson, because of the Boston defense, is just going to be what he's been. and Draymond Green on Jalen Brown is going to curtail some of his greatness. I think Ann Marcus Smart.

He'll just get in their face and be annoying. And I think that's the reality of the series. Okay. I think that's partially true. But let's talk about Drayman for a moment. Because you're saying he has the ability to reel it in. He got incredibly lucky. Like he had a technical foul already.

That game was in the balance. And all of a sudden, the referees are going. to the monitor to determine whether or not they're kicking him out. And if they had, I'm glad they didn't throw them out. I don't think you should, I think that if you are a star player, come to playoffs, you essentially should get seven fouls and three techs, meaning we look the other way on your sixth foul, but if you do it again, you're fouled out. And we look the other way on your second tech.

Now, Dremond, I think, did six technical foul worthy things in this game. But in that moment, I'm glad they didn't throw them out. but they could have. And Colin, let's be honest here. If he had been thrown out of that game, they very well could have lost him and been down O2 at home. No team has ever come back from being down O2 at home in the NBA finals. It would be first paragraph of Dremont's basketball resume.

If two of the six finals they play in, two of the three finals they lose, he's either thrown out of the game or suspended for a game. And he put himself in that position. to which I say this. Jeff Van Gundy floated this, and I think it's smart. I think the Celtics should start Grant Williams and tell Grant Williams,

see if you and Dremont can get a double technical within 90 seconds of this game. And have Dremont right after saying to the whole world, oh, yeah, I've earned deferential treatment. I love that I do that. Scott Foster has Twitter. He sees that. I think Dremont is playing an incredibly dangerous game

and much like Rodman, I don't think at this point in his career, he's incredibly effective without playing that style. So I think he has to be the borderline unhinged style in order to be effective. But I think that the commentary after the game where he said, basically, I know they keep me to a different standard that I've earned,

I don't know how that's going to sit in the refs locker room. I wouldn't be shocked at all if the Celtics try to bait him into any jazz. in these two games in Boston. All right. So when powerful people talk, we listen. We would both agree that LeBron has no problem being mobile. He would move again if it was better for him. I don't think he wants to leave the state of California.

Maybe Los Angeles, but the state of California has been very good to him. But Silicon Valley's been good to him, and that's up by the Warriors. So now twice he has said, Oh, boy, I like Steph Curry. He knows what the Lakers need. young people. Moody, Jordan Poole, Wiseman, Peyton, Warriors have a lot of young players. Caminga. Caminga.

He also knows he stays in California. It's good for biz. He also knows Anthony Davis doesn't work very hard and is not trustable. I think LeBron is really bright and he's just letting everybody know. Boy, I, what, Steph Curry is real. I don't believe he's just throwing it out there. I think he's sending a message. Well, listen, I think he'd be foolish not to send a message because the message the Lakers are sending

is that they're going to run it back with Russell Westbrook, which is just abjectly insane. You can't do that. And if they do do that, then they deserve everything that happens to them this season and what LeBron decides to do after this season. I do think that it's noteworthy. His contract's up after this coming year.

Yep. And he has talked about the potentially moving. Now, that's in relation to playing with Brani. But Brani obviously won't be in the league. If Brony ever makes the league, he's not even eligible for a few years. But Brony wouldn't be in high school anymore after this year. Now, he has another son, Bryce, who's a player, obviously he wants to be around there. But your point about that San Francisco's not that far from L.A. is interesting.

The other thing that I think is interesting is this. what will LeBron want to get paid? Because I know he'll be criticized for it, and not by you, but the same exact people that love Tom Brady taking discounts. If LeBron ever were to take a discount to go play for a team, people would say he's cheating, he's stacking the deck, it's unfair, they demand an investigation into it. But the guy's got, I know there was news this week,

he passed the billion dollar threshold. I was told three years ago he passed the billion dollar threshold. So let's say he's got a billion two at this point. If he wants to finish year 20 with the Lakers, break Kareem's record, and then survey the entire landscape and see if he wants to go play for whatever. Call it the minimum anywhere in the league, I think he'd have that ability. And so, yeah, I would think Golden State is, that's at least on the board. It's at least, it can't be dismissed as a possibility.

I'll take Celtics by six tonight. What say you? Celtics by six? You can make a lot of money. Oh, you said Celtics by six. Oh, okay, I agree. I thought you said Warriors by Six. Yes, I agree.

I love the Celtics minus the points. I love the Celtics minus the points. And I think it's possible that this is another lopsided game. I'm sorry for my reaction. I thought you were saying Warriors by six. I agree. That's a good take by you. It's a good job.

Yeah, well, this is Take Central. You may want to listen to the show once in a while. Take some of the stuff we do. Okay, well, yeah. But yeah, but I've also been following your picks. I'm just saying don't be putting your 401ks on these America. I only bet responsibly. It's not NFL season.

It's been a little rough going lately. That's all. But I'm happy you're on the right side of this one. Your microphone's not working. Let's cut him off right here. Let's not hear you. Oh, I'm sorry. See you.

Bye. Nick Wright. Seriously. The Lakers have to get young. LeBron is like, I got no interest playing with kids. If you said today, no, I'll do it next. I'll give you. It's not crazy.

What did I say about Clay Thompson a year ago? Clay Thompson, Jonathan Coominga, a draft pick, and Gary Payton. God think about it. God think about it. LeBron wouldn't think that long about it. LeBron be like, better GM, better owner, better, more experienced coach, better roster. You kidding me? LeBron stays in California.

Private jet, 50-minute flight. Seriously, I'm LeBron. I can go play with that team. In two seconds. You're as good as your management. Golden State's got the best owner, manager, GM, coach, arguably in the league. Check, check, check, check. And stuff's amazing.

And the Lakers need young bodies. They can't get that. I would do it. Current uncertainty through the world leading to big losses in the financial markets. Gold and precious metals may, and you can't just do young guys because you've got to match salary. So Clay Thompson's the big salary. And his dad Michael Thompson lives down here in L.A.

And his other brother played for the Dodgers. So Michael Thompson's an L.A. guy. Dad's here. Catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered.

New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

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

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need. to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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 a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

People. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

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You know, it's interesting. I hear this all the time. And Nick Wright just said it. Well, I mean, Jason Tatum's only 24. He's been in the league as a starter. How many years? Four or five? I hear this about Luca.

Well, it's only been. Luca's been in the league four years. I know what they are. I knew, you knew, by the all-star break of his rookie year, Luca was going to be a great score. By the end of his first year, LeBron's like, that's the guy. Like, LeBron was 14. And the talk in America is there was this kid in Akron, Ohio,

that was the next great player. LeBron had 20 points. His first game as a pro. You knew instantly with LeBron first year in the league. Oh, oh, that dude's. indifferent. You knew Kobe Bryant. He wasn't even starting. And Kobe Bryant was being compared very early to having Jordan qualities. People said Kobe's workout is the best workout ever. Jerry West went and watched Kobe Bryant's workout as a high schooler. And after like 20 minutes, he shut it down.

He's like, yep. And they were terrified they wouldn't get Kobe. Folks, American Idol, the voice. You need 90 seconds. You can tell. Hack, lounge singer, star. Talent jumps through the television screen. Jason Tatum, I know what he is. He's an all-star. He's not a superstar.

You can't manufacture it. He's a really good... He's one of the three or four young guys I'd love to build around. Janus Luca Tatum. But that doesn't mean they're all superstars. This league only has about three of them at a time. Magic was, Dr. Jay was, Bird was a reluctant one, Michael Jordan was. I think you'd be surprised how few superstars the NBA's ever had.

Shaq, Kobe, MJ, Magic, Dr. Jay, Bird, Kevin Durant, Steph. I mean, it's a small list. Now, I'm not talking stars. Tim Duncan's great, not a superstar. Didn't have the personality for it. Didn't want to be it. Didn't embrace it. So, you try to make Blake.

Griffin won. I think Kevin Durant is. So Kyrie Irving could be, but he's just too chaotic and unpredictable. So this idea that, well, I mean, Luke has only been in the league four years. We knew what he was after his first year. I was saying two years ago, I'm like, he's going to be a top five score ever. He could be the all-time greatest score. But he's not going to be the all-time greatest player because he's never been a good defensive player. I didn't even like out of Europe, I didn't like his body. He's, you know, it's like he's never going to be Dwayne Wade. He's a lot like Mello, although I think he's much better. It's like he's to score a lot of points. You're not going to give you much on the defensive end. I don't know if he's easy to play with,

but he's going to score a lot of points. I mean, people forget Mello's like a top 10 all-time score. So he's a better version of that, I think, and a better, you know, I just think he's a better version of Mello. That's great. That's a Hall of Famer. But this idea, like four years, Jason Tatum's going to take the... Jason Tatum doesn't think Jason Tatum's a superstar. Kobe thought it in high school. That's who he is. Hour 2 on a Wednesday.

Live in L.A. It's The Hurd. 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 helped 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 game.

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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the I-Heart 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 a lot of it. all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not

only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.