The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Zach Edey belongs in the NBA

Episode Date: April 1, 2024

Colin believes Purdue Star Zach Edey belongs in today's NBA despite the league moving away from traditional big men He talks to UConn head coach Dan Hurley about defending their National Title and still being labeled underdogsSee 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.

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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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 Clifers 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio. or FSR.

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Monday. We're live in Los Angeles. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Great show today. Dan Hurley, Yukon basketball coach.

His dad was a great coach. He's become, to me, the best college basketball coach, maybe along with Bill Self at Kansas in the Sport and Mark Few. A legendary family, Bobby Hurley's brother. Dan Hurley now is a star in his own right one hour from now where Colin was right where Colin was wrong for the first time ever JMAQ took a vacation

and I said you know who do I want to put on the show and Jordan Schultz has become a friend over the last year Bleacher Report and he's an NFL insider but I said you know what you got to get your chops worked up here you got to do a little bit of this broadcasting thing and you're all excited he's thanked me 38 times which I love. He's got wonderful parents as well.

You do a great job, and we can't wait. You're going to be here for the week. You're on the card all week. Are you ready to go? I'm ready. I'm almost as ready is Zach Edy and DJ Burns. That matchup I'm almost ready for it. That is going to be great.

Let's start with that. Zach Eady plays for Purdue. He's seven feet four, right in the middle of the country. Great university. And there's been all this talk, and I've kind of jumped onto this. I don't think he moves that well. You know, laterally, who can he guard in the NBA? He's going to be a big liability.

And, you know, I was thinking about this over the weekend watching him just, you know, unstoppable. Guy doesn't even miss free throws. For years and years, the NBA talked about small ball. But if you really examine it, only Steph Curry and the Warriors won titles with it. The Rockets tried, Brooklyn tried, Phoenix tried. They failed. Here's what wins in the NBA. Kareem, Shaq, Janice, Yokic, Tim Duncan.

Biggs win. The best point guard of all time was the biggest point guard of all time. Magic Johnson, 6.8.5. The best small forward ever is not really that small. LeBron James, 6, 9, and sturdy. I watch Purdue. I watch NC State. I watch Yukon.

They all go through their big men. Certain physics have mattered my entire life in basketball. And in business, scale beats boutique. The great George Young, former NFL GM, the late great great. George Young. One in doubt, draft big. You know, in the NFL, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, make everybody think, oh, these small

quarterbacks, they're really something. And then you find out that Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady and Big Ben and Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, Matt Stafford, Small's kind of overrated for quarterbacks.

Doesn't mean he can't have outliers, but small guys struggle to see over six-foot six and a half offensive linemen. They struggle to see through those passing lanes. They get hurt, a little bit smaller running around. My takeaway is 7'4, Zach Edie. I know. He doesn't move laterally.

I know. I watch. You can't tell me he doesn't work in the NBA. Nobody else can stop Janice and Yokic. Who else is stopping Embed? I mean, it was funny. Anthony Davis of the Lakers is interesting because he, for a couple years, everybody was trying to convince Anthony Davis,

who I think has had a two-year stretch of unbelievable basketball. Hey, AD, go outside and shoot jumpers. He wasn't very good at it. And he didn't like it. And Anthony Davis, over the last two years, has been healthier, coming closer to the basket, going back in and being a big. A.D., everybody tried to push him outside. And he's like, nah, I kind of like being around the basket, blocking shots, getting rebounds. And Anthony Davis is having a career year.

The other thing about Zach Edy, and this is rare, big guys are usually not elite free throw shooters, maybe their hands are too big, whatever it is, I don't know, but Zach Edy was 11 for 11 from the free throw line, and he gets there a lot. So I don't know what his basketball future is, but he's got a beautiful touch, he moves well inside, he blocks shots, he's incredibly passionate, he plays with urgency, he finishes at the rim, I don't know. I, you know, I'm not an NBA scout, obviously, but the three best players in the league right now are all bigs in the NBA. The three best college basketball teams arguably all go through a big.

The best guard in the NBA that nobody can stop is Luca. Like Magic Johnson, he's a nightmare matchup. Doesn't Zach Eady have some place in the NBA? Maybe it doesn't matter. Tim Tebow had a great college career. You know, that cup of coffee in the NFL, that's all he was. I'm not diminishing what he's done for Purdue. But I'm watching NC State and Yukon, and I'm watching Zach Eadie,

and I'm like, I don't know. I'm watching all these bigs. The NBA's gone back to finally, rightfully, smartly, being a big man's game. And here is Purdue, their coach and Zach after. We don't take Zach for granted. You know, and so like some of the nights, he should have got 50 tonight if he makes his free throws. And that's what I was, I've told, I thought he'd get 50. I know the season's not over, but I thought he'd get 50 in a game this year.

He's very unselfish. So if you just get to your spots and you know what you're doing and you're stay with what we're doing. If they just come and get him, like now we're playing horse. But if they don't, then we want him to be aggressive and score. Yeah, he's just, it's just something to watch. Gonzaga basketball over the last 15 years in the tournament, loses infrequently. But nobody really blows them out. They could not defend Zach Edy. They played him twice this year. He did whatever he wanted. They had no answer for him.

Mark Fugh's like, yeah, I've never faced a, in 25 years coaching, I've never faced a player like that. I don't know. Don't know what his future is. I know what his present is. Unstoppable. So LeBron James and the Lakers won again yesterday. I've been saying for two years before this year, I don't know about this team. AD's health, D. Lowe, this team I like.

One of the many reasons I like them is LeBron James. LeBron was 9 of 10, three-pointers yesterday. He is shooting, this is ridiculous, a higher three-point percentage this year than and Steph Curry. Now, a lot of older NBA players add a three to their game to be more relevant for longevity. Vince Carter did it. Jason Kidd did it. The Gasol brothers.

It extends careers. Blake Griffin added a jumper. You lose the quickness. You can do it in spurts. Dirk Novitsky played until he was 39 and 40. Steph could play forever. LeBron this year finally said, you know what? I'm going to shoot the three and I'm going to get really good at it.

And he's been phenomenal at it. nine of ten are you kidding me LeBron has always had an interesting odd relationship with a three-point shot didn't shoot it first few years in the league then developed it but never really trusted it anytime he'd get

hot it would abandon him and then he would abandon the shot and go back to beating people to the basket sometimes he leans into it when he shouldn't there have been teams in the playoffs through his career that have dared him dared him to shoot the three-point shot so here's LeBron where By the way, he's still dynamic.

I think he leads the NBA still. He did earlier this year in fourth quarter baskets. But there's always been this thing that, you know, LeBron doesn't truly trust it because he'd beat guys off the dribble, score at the rim with either hand, does everything so well. But I think LeBron is coming to terms with I can see the end, and I'm just going to go all in on the three. And like everything else LeBron has done,

rebounding, distributing, getting to the finals. He does it at the top level. But once you lose that burst, and LeBron can still get past people, but it again now, it's in spurts. It's not for 40 minutes a night. And I've always felt LeBron is the Swiss Army knife of the NBA. I've said this for years. He's more magic than Michael. Magic could do many things better than Michael.

Michael was probably the better all-time, you know, attacker, score, defender. But LeBron, it should be noted, like Magic. LeBron's been to 10 finals. Magic 9. Michael only six. and so I feel he's more magic than he is Michael, that he's a better rebounder than Michael, a better passer, a better overall post-player,

and a better now long-range shooter. But I think this is what LeBron sees. I'm going to go all in on this thing, and year 21, he is shooting 41 and a half percent, and here's LeBron after yesterday's 9 for 10, beating the Nets and getting themselves ready for the postseason. I don't never have to lean on it. because I can do so much, I can score at any level of the floor, you know, basically once I cross half court.

But, you know, being able to have a growth mindset and be able to work on things that the league is changing to. You know, the league is a heavy three-point shooting league. I'm not a, you know, one of those guys that want to go out there and shoot, you know, 12, 14, 15-3s a game. But I want to be respected and teams have to play me from the outside. Yeah, there were times in his life where he was dared in the game. the playoffs. We've seen this to shoot a three. Those days are gone, and I've said this. There've been a lot of Laker teams over the years I didn't buy into, but now that AD has grabbed the baton is the number one, LeBron is shooting a three like that. Austin Reeves can be the fourth best player,

and Delo has gotten really consistent since being benched. I'll tell you that, LeBron three is not a little thing. If you're going to beat Denver, you've got to figure out a way to combat Yokic is scoring and distribution. So very, very good feeling for LeBron, who was on it yesterday, shooting better from long range than Steph Curry this season. So we have Dan Hurley later this hour, Albert Breer, and Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. Jordan Schultz from the Bleacher Report is joining us. Now, Jordan grew up. His dad at one point owned the Seattle Sonics. You grew up a basketball kid. You cover the NFL, but as you and I have talked about at lunch or dinner, you really are a basketball fan. That was your blood.

You were a young kid. Yeah. Didn't you play at Seattle? Seattle. You? Seattle, you? For a couple years. Were you a gunner like J-Mack? Or what did you do? If I was on the floor, if I was granted the opportunity, then yes, I would. But when you have such limited minutes, Colin, it's hard to get him up. Yeah. But you're a basketball junkie.

I am. I love hoop. That's my number one. Yep, you do love it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard 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. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so...

Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. from black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Yukon beat the Fighting Aligni, a number three seed. I've never even heard of this. They won in a 30 to nothing run. Like against a good college basketball team. I've never heard of that. Over the last 15 to 20 college basketball seasons, the one and done has certainly diluted the overall talent of college basketball. It's a lot of non-NBA upperclassmen, very few dynamic scores.

Even teams like a Kentucky or a Duke in Kansas can be painful to watch offensively. When you get a team like Yukon that feels like old school, where you have a top head coach, maybe the best coach, NBA talent, young stars, upperclassmen, totally committed to defense, an incredibly committed culture. They are not only a hot knife, they're a super hot knife through extremely warm butter. top five offense and defense. I don't know if they're historically great, but in this current state, there's nobody close. Even as great as Duke was.

And I covered them when they had Grant Hill and Christian Leitner and Bobby Hurley on the same team and a young coach K. Even when they were going for a repeat national championship, you know, Kentucky took them to overtime. Indiana beat them, or they beat Indiana by three. The games were wildly competitive. Right now, Yukon is winning in this tournament by 28 points.

Last year, they won by 20. I think this team is a better version of last year's team. But a 30-0 run, the Illinois, they were a number three seed. That doesn't even make sense. So if you go to the college football playoff, I mean, Michigan, Michigan had a lot of great players, over 15 NFL players, but Washington had NFL wide receivers, three of them, an NFL quarterback, an NFL offensive linemen or two, and a great coach. coach. Texas. They've got a first round wide receiver, defensive tackle, outside line. Alabama's going to have the first defensive player probably taken in this draft, multiple first and second round players. I mean, Michigan was the best team. NFL players everywhere

and all those team and excellent coaches. The NBA draft now, though, is G League, a lot of international, and a lot of like 19-year-olds that played very briefly in college basketball, if at all. So Yukon, it feels very, very much. very old school to me. They've got a freshman that's an NBA talent. They've got a guy that's been in college a couple years that's an NBA talent. Really good upperclassman.

Ferocious defense. Physicality. Top head coach. Winning culture. Here was Dan Hurley, who's on our show later after their dominating win over a very good Illinois team. Our defense

is elite. Our offense is elite. You know, we rebound the ball. These guys play every possession like it's the end of the world. And then, you know, we've got NBA-level players that, you know, are just willing to share. And, you know, they've created an unbelievable culture. We're, you know, we're going to be tough to beat. Yeah, I mean, Michigan was tough to beat, but was in several close games in college football.

Denver's tough to beat. They'll be in several close games. Like you watch, and I said, I watch college basketball, there's $370. Division 1 teams. I watch it like I fly over a country. Like, you know, I get on a plane. I can see it from above. Oh, there's mountains. That must be Colorado. And that's flat. That must be, maybe Wisconsin, Minnesota. I have kind of a casual guess on what it is. And I watch Yukon twice in the regular season. And I was like, yeah, that doesn't look like anybody else. I thought the second best team was North Carolina. And I thought mostly because they were like as old as

the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Orlando Magic. I didn't know if I loved the team. I just thought, They got a bunch of old guys with your beards. They look like they can bang around with Yukon. I don't think anybody is close to Yukon. Alabama's knocking people off mantles, and they're an 11, 12-point underdog to Utah's Yukon. I don't know again. Are they historically great? But they feel very old-school to me.

Everybody's trying to find the next great thing. They went back, and they found it, and they've been great since Jim Calhoun, and they'll be a heavy favorite. to win it again this year. And here is Jordan Shultz with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the third line news. Interesting trade in the NFL this weekend.

The Eagles are sending all-pro pass rusher, Hassan Reddick, to the Jets for a 2026 third-rounder. It could become a second rounder. Now, Reddick started all 17 games last season for the Eagles in each of the last two seasons, and he's reached 10 plus sacks in each of the last four. What do you make of this deal? Well, my first take is he tends to be a very good big game, big play player.

You know, whenever you needed a pass rush, like a lot of defensive linemen can disappear in spots. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of hands. It's an exhausting position. But in big games and big spots. And I think Hassan Reddick, I think he's like 2930 now. I think Philadelphia, once they sign Jalen Hertz, you know, they're going to look for opportunities to get younger and cheaper, and that's what you have to do when you pay the bag to the quarterback.

But I, you know, Hassan, I talked to a general manager from a West Coast team not long ago, and I'm like, are you interested in Hassan Reddick? And his take was, everybody is. It's just a price. It's a number with him. But he's been a very good player for a long time. And again, it just feels like in big moments, kind of a Vaughn Miller quality. Like, Vaughn may disappear.

He's not what he once was. But in big moments on that Rams playoff run, Vaughn Miller was great. So I think it does make the Jets better. Also, the Eagles signed Bryce Huff and Hassan Reddick's only missed one game in his career. One game. Guys on the field, that matters. All right. Michigan's JJ McCarthy has been one of the most polarizing draft prospects,

figures to be one of the first players taken in the draft. According to ESPN's Jordan Reed, Scouts, quote, will still want to see a better understanding of how to mix speeds on his throws. McCarthy is a fastball-only passer who hasn't quite figured out when and how to put touch on throws, and we saw that at his pro day. Colin, what do you think of JJ McCarthy moving forward? Well, I tend to lean on people that do this for a living. Lance Zerline's a guy that has been working for NFL.com forever is, I think Minnesota feels

right, because I don't think he's ready to play right away in the NFL, and I think he needs to sit for a year. I think he needs an offensive coach, and he needs weapons. I do not believe he's talented enough to elevate others around him. Caleb Williams is. I thought Trevor Lawrence was. Justin Herbert looks like he's got it. Mahalm certainly does, although you didn't know out of college.

I tend to think J.J. McCarthy is going to be as successful as where he lands. If you put him in New England, I think he bombs. They don't have playmakers. He's just not ready to play immediately. I think you put him with the New York Giants and said play. I don't think he's ready to win. in. Tennessee doesn't work. Minnesota, sit for a year, really clever. The tall Sean McVey, Kevin O'Connell, great left tackle, Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson. So, and I think over the

course of my life, I've come to realize, instead of me predicting who's going to work and who's not, overwhelmingly, 90% of these quarterbacks is they'll be as good as their entrance into the league. And as the league has gotten more business, you know, more capitalized, people have less patience. So a lot of these guys, if they don't show you something by the second Thanksgiving of their career, the owner's like, okay, I'm going to fire you if you don't get it right. So I think Minnesota's sitting, he could be really good. But every scout I trust, everybody I read is saying the same thing. Well, he's got some traits, but he's not really refined.

And that's how I felt about him when I watched it, mission. It was more about the run game, the coach, the defense. Nick Wright was on the show last week and had a great point. He goes, when you watched Michigan the last two years, you were like, what a no line. What a coach, what a defense. You didn't think, oh, that's a top 10 quarterback. He was guiding the team. He was like a high, high-end game manager of the team, but I never felt like he's the best player on the team.

I was like he may be the ninth best player or a prospect on the team. So it's the classic overdraft, but I do think Minnesota or Sean Payton, then I think it can potentially work. Do you like the hockey background, by the way? Big hockey player. Not a lot of folks know this. I've had a couple teams tell me with J.J. McCarthy. We love the fact that he was a really successful amateur junior hockey player.

That toughness, that's how he was molded. So maybe he's not the most gifted passer yet, but he does have that background. I like that. I like that also. He sounds a little bit like Alex Smith, what you're describing to me. And for the record, Alex Smith succeeded when he had Andy Reeder Harbaugh. When he had, let's say, Mike Nolan or Singletary. He was viewed as a bust. So Alex Smith was dependent on the right coach.

That's, you know, outside of a Tom Brady and a Manning and, you know, a Mahomes, and we don't even know with Mahomes because he's only had Andy Reid. But, I mean, Mahomes didn't win in college. Sure. In the Big 12. Yeah. Not the SEC or the Big Ten. So if Alex Smith is the comp

succeeded with the right environment coach, I think that's a good comp. All right. Now to the women's college basketball game. Tonight, massive matchup. Iowa, LSU, two of the sports biggest stars will meet Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese. This is a rematch calling of last year's Natty.

Where the Tigers won 102-85. Who do you got tonight and why? I think LSU is better. I do not remember a women's college basketball game that had this kind of marquee power. I don't remember. I think it will be the highest rated women's basketball game of all time. And again, that's nothing against LSU women's basketball or Iowa. It's star power.

It doesn't matter if it's UFC, Serena, Novak Djokovic. It doesn't matter. It was McEnroe and Connors in my day. Stars drive. Look what Messi did to the MLS. I mean, it's incredible. Miami tickets were like three times the league average. Derek Jeter for years would go on the road.

Arod and Jeter would go on the road. Everybody else raised their ticket prices. The Yankees always have a big brand, but when you added like Jeter and his prime and Arod, that was a whole different ballgame. So I think the star power of this, and by the way, I'm watching it. I'm doing a YouTube hit after it. Like, this is a big deal. Like it's the most important, interesting thing on television tonight.

And I can't wait. Sounds like you like the women's game a little bit more right now than the men's game. A little bit? Well, I think the women's game has a bit more star power, but I will say between Zach Eadie, Burns at NC State, who could play pro football, and Yukon's dominance. I think the men's tournament is ending the right way with Edy and Yukon. But I think women's basketball this year had three legitimate stars, two of them tonight. And that's why the ratings have been.

so redeemable. It's like, it's not a surprise. You've got also, Reese and and Caitlin Clark keep coming back, unlike men's basketball. They keep coming back year after year after year. People like predictable. We're all kind of creatures of habit. And it's like, oh, I know these two. I've watched this before.

So it's going to be a heavyweight fight tonight. I can't wait. Jordan with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Don't forget Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, coming up, top of next hour. Dan Hurley, the great coach, not good, but great coach for Yukon, is around the corner.

I like that he just comes out and says, yeah, we're going to be tough to beat. I wish it's the very best, we're going to be tough to beat. It's like, yeah, you are. So there's a story today, and I think this is good news for the Jets. One of the things in the NFL or NBA that's very important is scouting yourself. What are we? Like, don't be delusional. What fans always think their team is better than they are.

Like Illinois is like, we got a real shot with you. Yukon. 30 to nothing run. You didn't. So the Jets, Joe Douglas, according to reports, would not like to draft a receiver with the first Jets pick. Or if he would, it would be later. He wants to move down. They solved their tackle issues for at least a year. They have a number one receiver. They went and acquired Mike Williams. For the record, Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady, have never loved working with young receivers. So why would you get Aaron another young receiver?

He's already got one Garrett Wilson. So if this is true, it's the Jets scouting themselves and saying, we just don't have enough good players. We need more picks. I think people forget this. Now, I want you to think about this. Aaron Rogers' last playoff

win is a quarterback. When is it? 2020. We're in the 2024-2020-25 season. 2020. The last time Aaron Rogers won multiple playoff games, just two in a single season.

Just two. It was 2016. Eight years ago. Aaron no longer massively elevates solid players. He needs several great players around him. That's what Aaron is now. He used to be a rising tide

that lifted everybody, now Aaron needs to be lifted. And the Jets do have an elite corner, an elite wide receiver, and an elite interior defensive lineman. Okay. But that's not good enough to win a division in the NFL. I mean, I think Detroit's got six to seven elite players. Jets have three. Now, Brees Hall's good, very good.

Tyron Smith, very good. but you're crossing your fingers on health with both. So, and Aaron right now is good, very good on certain times, but he's not great. He is not Josh Allen. He is not Lamar. He is not Mahomes. He's not as physically gifted as Justin Herbert. He doesn't move like Kyler Murray.

That's not what Aaron is anymore. He does not have multiple playoff wins since 2016. That's what he is. And what the Jets are saying is, we're acknowledging. what he is. He needs more good players. We're going to trade down from our spot. We're going to go down, get three. We don't have a second round pick. We've got to get one. And now, I think Joe Douglas missed on Zach Wilson. It's probably the position you don't want to miss on, but he's hit on a lot of picks. And if you get four or five more players that can start, you know, a tight end that can start, a center or a right guard that can start. I like Elijah Vera Tucker, but he's not healthy a lot. So it's, I think this is acknowledging, if you're the New York Jets, this is sort of what. what we are. Aaron can't carry like three elite players and beat Buffalo. Forget Kansas City, Baltimore, San Francisco. Right now, when I watched Jordan Love and Aaron Rogers last year, in fact, I'll go to the year before.

Aaron's last year in Green Bay and Jordan Love was better. He moved much better. Has the arm moves playmaking. Off script, on script. I thought Jordan Love was better. So the Jets are potentially with these additions a good team. They would need to hit on probably a first round pick, a second round pick, a couple of thirds. They'd have to hit on those, or they're not a Super Bowl team.

Right now they're not a Super Bowl team. I'm not even sure they're potentially a very good team. I think if Aaron's healthy, they'll be good. But good is not good enough in the AFC East or the AFC in general. All right, Dan Hurley's around the corner. Colin right, Colin wrong. Albert Brear stops by as well. A loaded show today.

And there is one question in sports that I've been trying to get the answer to for 20 years, and I still can't figure it out. And it's happened again this year. And I'll talk about that sometime in the next hour. Be sure to 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 Pipe and Hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport.

Whether you believe in analytics or the I-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 IHeart Radio 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 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 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 a TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. 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 crack I'm down to talk about crack all day But just so y'all know At this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So Thank you for finishing that sentence I don't think there's a more important year for black people Really? Yeah, for me it's one of the most important years For black people in American history

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, I was saying this is everybody wants new in basketball. We got to go small ball. And everybody, everybody, it's all threes. And that's fine. I adapt to. I hope so.

But what I like about Yukon, they have these certain principles that they feel very old school to me. And the coach can still use volume. They defend, like old school defend. They can shoot threes. That's okay, but they got no interest in small ball and just shooting threes. They go through their bigs. And they have what I think with Coach K, J. Wright, Roy Williams leaving. There is an opening.

And it's not that Dan Hurley needed an opening, but you can make an argument is this is what coaching looks like in 2024. And he has been nice enough to take time for us today and join us live. Dan Hurley, Yukon's basketball coach. So I view you, I look at you and I think, oh, I love this guy. This guy is old school. You know, he'll bark at players. He likes bigs. He likes physicality.

But that's how I view you. Do you view you is a little bit old school? Absolutely. You know, I think I represent in terms of like the, you know, the way that we push our players, the way that we challenge them to be, you know, to get better, but then also be about winning. I think like the values, the work ethic, the preparation, the accountability, I think is all old school. But then I do think, though, we do play the modern game of basketball, you know, blended with some of the analytics. Obviously, you know, becoming a better offensive team has changed the trajectory of our program in the last, you know, a couple of years.

It was our undoing a couple of years ago in that New Mexico State game, but that was kind of like a come-to-jesus moment in terms of just becoming a better coach and not having holes in your game. You know, Dan, the NIL and the transfer portal, it's very difficult. Some coaches, you could see some of these college basketball guys, these legends, they're like, I'm out. It is hard to create loyalty when you bark at players. Everybody thinks they're a little better than they are, yet you demand they play defense.

You're not afraid to bark, but yet you're endearing enough to players that nobody plays as hard as you. I said the other day, you're the UNLV rebels with Tark. And I remember Shoshchevsky saying to me one time before he played him, he goes, we play hard. He goes, we don't play as hard as UNLV. I don't know how he gets him to play that hard. You, in a world where every kid wants to leave the minute he hits the bench, how do you get these guys to be so endearing and yet you demand so much of them well i just think you know we we don't you know misrepresent things when we when we go through the recruiting process with them you know when they

when they when they when they visit campus uh i i demand that they are here at a time of year where they can see practice so they could see you know potentially you know what they'd be getting themselves into uh you know what the environment is is truly going to be like for them the emphasis that we're going to put, you know, on winning. You know, I do think, though, we spend so much time with our players. You know, I think a lot of other college coaches, you know, complain about having the players on campus during the summer. Oh, man, I got a coach during the summer. I wish they would double our summer hours. I wish they would. The easiest part of my day is that time on the court, you know, with the boys. But, you know, we've, the players understand they've got, they've got

friends that play in other college programs. They understand the commitment that I make and the staff makes to helping them absolutely max out the value in their career. And when you invest that type of time and love and, you know, any athlete or player worth anything is going to allow you to get the most out of them. You may end up facing Zach Edy, and I had said, I don't know what his NBA future is, but I know how good Gonzaga is, and I watched him eat Gonzaga alive twice. and Gonzaga may lose infrequently.

Nobody's blowing Gonzagg out. Mark, Few came on our show last week and said, I don't know what to do. I don't have an answer. And I look at Zach Edie, and I think, I don't know if he's a pro, but nobody's stopping Janis and Yokic and M.B. Now, you can't tell me there's not 15 minutes a night.

I know that you haven't probably scouted them yet. But what is your take on, like an Edie, when people say, yeah, you're just a college guy. And I'm like, Dan, I don't know. What's your take? on that. I guess a little sad. If that's what,

if Zach Eady is not like a lottery pick and, you know, a tremendous NBA player, then there's something wrong with the NBA. You know, like then they're maybe not playing the right game at that level.

You know, this guy's been as dominant, you know, like brings you back to like Ralph Samson, Patrick Ewing, David Robertson type of performances at that spot. So, you know, the kid's a special player. And special players, when they go to that next level, they add new skills quickly. So I think he's going to get to the NBA and increase his range in his shooting,

his passing, his dribbling, and he'll adapt. That's what special players do. So the last team to repeat was Florida. That was Billy Donovan's teams. Those were good teams. They had, if I recall, Noah, Ronnie Brewer. a lot of NBA guys, and they played defense as well. And so you win last year, and I always think, oh, boy, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's tough.

That's hiccup time. You're a target every game. Yukon's always a bit of a target. But have there been times this season, Dan, that you were worried about, okay, kind of a bad practice, guys aren't focused in? Have you seen any of that from your team? Did you worry about it? Yeah, I, you know, maybe, I was a little bit.

worried when we were picked closer to fourth than we were third in the preseason coaches poll in the Big East. And then our closed scrimmage versus Virginia, we got smoked in the second half of that closed scrimmage. That was a little scary. Our first Big East game this year, Seton Hall beat us by double figures and obviously clinging got hurt in that one. But I'll say this, Colin, man. The thing about stores and Yukon is it attracts serious people. You live here. You've been around the state.

You know the landscape here. You know how big Yukon basketball is. I just think that this place, you know, it's obviously got one of the best brands and incredible recent history. But there's, you know, there's less grimy places that you can

go and play college basketball. That's maybe, you know, they've got a bigger social media presence. You know, they got bigger social media. They got better marketing. You know, they got more national media behind them. I think Yukon knows it attracts serious basketball people. And I think that explains a lot of our success.

Yeah, there's never been in the history of college athletics. The women's program, the men's program are, I mean, I can remember saying this to friends years ago. Ask Duke who they don't want to play in the tournament. It was always Calhoun. Like, they're just men. I mean, that was always my feeling. And in a weird way, don't you kind of like it? That even though if you win a title, you'll have six, you'll be,

that's more than, that's more than Shishvsky, that's more than Kansas. That's like UCLA territory. Don't you kind of like it that you're not, you're not as disgust as Michigan football's got two natties since 1950? I can't stop talking about him. Don't you kind of like the underdog thing a little? Oh, I love it. I love it, and then we use it. I mean, it is, it is, it's awesome fuel.

You know, the, the slights, the perceived slights, the made-up, the made-up slites, the made-up slides, the quotes that we make up here that people have never said, you know, take, you know, misquoting, opposing coaches and players about our players. Yeah. Yeah, you've got to use it all. And, you know, because, listen, when you achieve the level of success that we've had, going back to, you know, a calendar year, you know, the human nature stuff is there, that complacency.

And, you know, you've got to use anything at your disposal to keep the boys on edge. Dan Hurley, what a pleasure. Big favorite, that's just the world they live in now against Alabama. There's Biggs all over the place. Burns and Zach Eadie, they run their offense through Biggs as well. they're physical. I said a couple days ago, the refs, maybe the only thing that could beat you. If you're allowed to play physical basketball,

you guys are a complete handful. A complete handful. I love your style, and I appreciate you taking 10 minutes because you're kind of a busy guy these days, Dan, and I really appreciate it. Colin, this is a great one to be on, man. I've been a big fan forever, man. So I know we've done some good things here

if I've landed on this show. All right. Thanks, coach. All right. Good stuff. remarkable when I live there for 10 years. It's really a remarkable story. They don't get the headlines of like, you know, now they do, Gino does obviously, but for years it was Tennessee or it was a Stanford, and you've had other great players, and Kim Moki gets a lot of attention, and it's just like all Yukon does with basketball is win atties. That's all they do. And I like the word. He goes,

we're not, we're a little grimy. We're not, you know, we're not what everybody is, but I just think there's nothing wrong. I like evolving to. There's nothing. There's nothing wrong with old school. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with it. How about him saying we conjure up disrespect? It's like Michael Jordan. Miss quotes from coaches talking about our program, our kids.

That's awesome. That and the fact that he said honesty during the recruiting process. That's a big takeaway from me. We don't blow smoke. Exactly. You want to come to stores? This is the process. This is how it's going to be.

You and I talked about this this morning. There's about a seven state area. And not all of them are hot beds, but. Maine, Vermont. New York, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and you start, Massachusetts. You start cobbling together. There are seven states there,

and they are the singular basketball power. Now, Syracuse, Beheim's now gone, so, you know, you don't quite know, but it's like St. John's isn't despite Bettino. Like, you get into a seven-eight state area where, you know, when I grew up as a kid, the Washington Huskies were great, and they were surrounded by your Oregon's

and your Idaho, Wyoming, all the stuff, but it was like they were the power in like a five or six state area, and they got the best players from all the states. And, you know, Villanova, I guess, with Jay Wright gone, is that one they battle, but Villanova tends to recruit the D.C. area. Yeah, this could potentially be six titles in 25 years, going back to 99. That's incredible. It really is.

With all the people trying to win now, the big money in college basketball and football. All right, Albert Breer around the corner, some NFL stuff. Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong on a Monday, plenty of both. And the question I can't figure out in sports. Live in L.A., it's the herd. 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 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with Ashton,

athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.