The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Changes in the NBA

Episode Date: June 21, 2024

Rachel Nichols joins the show to talk about the Lakers new head coach, the changes the NBA are making to stop super teams and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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J. Mack, what a day. What a day. What a show. J.J. Reddick Lakers. I love when we drive to work. This happened yesterday. five minutes after our show. And you know you're going to have a story with a lot of branches on it. And this is certainly the case for J.J. Reddick to the Lakers. I think, as I said in the first hour repeatedly, this roster is not a J.J. Reddick roster. No man's land in the NBA is right in the middle. Portland was in it for years.

They had Dame. They had a couple other players. See J. McCollum. Yeah, they had nice player. No man's land. They did make a conference finals. And the Lakers with this team made a conference finals. Let me just point this out.

But are never going to beat Denver and OKC for the next five years with this roster. So Colin Cowherd spent much of this week being glass half full Colin. Very positive, relentlessly positive about a lot of subjects. And then we get to the Lakers' new head coach. And it's, oh, this roster's trash. They're not going anywhere. Not trash. I need to see some positivity, Colin.

It's Friday. Lift the energy. Come on. It's not trash. It's right in the middle. That's trash in the NBA. No, yeah, right. That's not trash in the NFL. No.

Because in the NFL, if you have the quarterback, you need like, I mean, literally, if you go get an edge rusher and free agency and hit on four draft picks, I mean, just go look at Houston. I mean, they went, but this is not the NFL. You don't get seven viable draft picks. You don't have to have matching salaries for trades. So these NBA fans, you know, all these trade scenarios, they're hard. They're possible, but they're hard.

They're difficult. Nothing's easy. The NFL, you can turn your franchise around in one off season. Bill Parcells wasn't even the coach. He went down to Miami as the general manager. They went one win to 11. He didn't even coach. So you can completely overhaul 40% of your roster or your Houston.

The league's laughing stock. They get the coach and the quarterback, right? They had a good left tackle, hit on a couple of receivers. And you're like, that's a playoff team. Right. But J.J. Reddick is coming in. And if I said, Colin, you could be an NBA coach. Coach, I'm going to hand you a team with two all NBA players.

You're taking that job. The Phoenix Suns had two all NBA players. The Lakers have two. One of them is a defensive player of the year candidate. That's not a bad job. Let's stop acting like this is Cleveland or Detroit. I didn't say that. Detroit.

I said earlier, there are far worse situations than the Lakers. But some of us have higher standards than, hey, eight best team in the West. This is not a championship roster. It would, and never forget this, how limited a coach is. Spow, Kerr, and Pop won a single playing game. A playoff game last year. Combined. One.

It's tough. You can only do so. And by the way, Kerr's a brilliant coach. He's got Draymond Green. Didn't Clay Thompson, third, fourth in the league in threes, Steph Curry. Yeah. A surging young player in Kaminga, a great home court advantage. You are what your roster is.

This is not the NFL. You cannot flip your roster in a year. So at the same time, though, a year ago right now, if I told you, hey, the Indiana Pacers are going to make the conference finals. You would have laughed your head off. And if I said in the West, the conference finals are going to be Dallas and Minnesota. Remember, Dallas didn't make the playoffs last year. You would have been like, Jason, you've lost your mind, get off the show. Minnesota bounced in the first round.

Let's not talk about the East. Making the Eastern Conference Finals is winning the Mountain West Conference. Okay, fair. But let's talk about the West. Minnesota and Dallas both had something the Lakers don't. An ascending superstar in their prime. Lakers don't have that. A.D. is an old 31 who played 76 games.

I would bet my 401K. Don't do that. He's not playing 76. There's an old adage. you know, buy low, sell high. Right now, AD, I mean, look what Rudy Gobert got. Rudy Gobert got five picks, five first round picks and rotational players. I think you have to consider, this is a coach with no experience,

who my guess is, is very good with guards and shooters. That's what he was. I mean, again, offensive coaches are good with quarterbacks. Defensive coaches, Mike Tomlin, are not. All coaches have specialties. Mark Jackson was excellent with the Warriors defensively. Steve Kerr made him great offensively. Kirk couldn't defend.

He wanted a defender, right? Like all coaches have specialties, and I'm talking the best coaches. Well, JJ Redick, we don't know anything. Now, I think he'll work, smart, competitive. I think he'll be fine. But I do think there's something to be said about. In football, we allow our coaches to have a huge say in personnel. The NBA runs through coaches because often they don't.

Let give him a fighting chance. This roster is a Darwin Ham roster. Length, defense, bigs, they were good at defense. What were they poor at? Offense. They have no shooters. How do you give JJ Reddick a roster with no shooters? That's what he is.

Steve Kerr, is it an irony that Steve Kerr's teams became great shooters? Steve knows shooting. He knows offense. right like Jerry West by the way if you go look at Jerry West history what was Jerry great with finding guys that could score you know he he went and made a big deal for Shaq but that was a generational once in a lifetime town

that everybody loves Shaq but I just think the NBA is you do not want to be Portland where you've got one star you're in no man's land and I we both said this for years Portland waited too long to make a big swing but that team was that the owners were making big bucks, right? They're in the playoffs

every single year, making first round, second round, conference finals. Like, they're happy. It's not the worst thing in the world to be relevant in the playoffs every year. For Portland. For Portland. Yes. The Lakers have... Lakers are the Yankees. They're Texas football. There's a lot of components. Let's bring on

Rachel Nichols. A dive into this stuff. It's fascinating. All the moving parts here on a Friday. Hello, friends. Hello. So, I I won't go too long on this, but I I tend to be a believer in if you make a hire for a leader, a CEO of Fox Sports. For instance, you know, our bosses upstairs used to work in the truck.

So every CEO I've had has had a specialty. John Skipper was a writer, Bodenheimer Sales. Our guys are very good with jewel events in the truck. And so what do we have at Fox? Jewel events where you need to be great in the truck. So we are built for our leadership. Jim Harbaugh, what is he did? Let's go get running backs.

Let's go get tough guys. I like JJ. This roster has no shooters. I would just argue that when you talk, you're completely right about everyone has a specialty. I would argue, though, that his specialty isn't a matter of shooters versus not shooters or guards versus bigs.

I think JJ's specialty coming in is tactics. We've all talked about it. He's shown great, great sort of dexterity with X's and O's. He also really embraces analytics, not to a fault, but more than any coach the Lakers have had in recent time. And I actually think the opposite with Anthony Davis, I think that he has the potential to lift Anthony Davis to places he hasn't been yet. Because I don't think Anthony Davis has played his best basketball possible,

and maybe he never will. I think defensively he has. Yes, but as a complete player. Like the amount of talent he has, the size he is, the way he moves, the fact that he was a guard first, I just think that there is, it's high. I mean, he's a nine-time All-Star. I'm not saying that he's a, you know,

know, slumpin now, but I do think he could reach an even higher level, and I don't think that's about where you, did you use to coach Biggs, or do you know how to relate to them, are you fuzzy, warm and fuzzy? I think this is about, at this point with Anthony Davis, can you break down every piece of film and say, okay, stop it, start it, stop it, okay, right there, right there, that's where we need to make a change. It's two feet on this side of the floor, let's do that. Or statistically, when he does this with its left hand on a Tuesday, I mean, all of that stuff

brings a lot of, you know, mirth from players. But a lot of it works. The Boston Celtics this year were built on that stuff. Yeah. So if you listen to JJ on his podcast, he likes five out. He likes the Celtics. They have the personnel. Yes.

So, you know, JJ, what I'm, in poker, they call it tell, he's verbalizing it. Yeah. I like teams like that. Yeah. Everybody can shoot. Lakers have no shooters. I mean, that is ultimately, and again, you're hitting all of the things I've thought, you're verbalizing them is that this coaching hire is important.

It's not the most important part of this summer. It's just not. It is the roster. They have to make some big decisions, and Rob Polinka has to pull several rabbits out of his hat. Like not tweaking like a big move. Exactly. And until they make those decisions and we see what comes out of the next six weeks,

it's hard to predict anything about JJ because Darvin Ham might not have been the best coach in the world, but you can't sit there and criticize his rotations and not. realize he didn't have different players to put in those rotations. He was very limited in what he could do. And if JJ becomes equally limited, to your point, you can't play five-out. You can't do all of those things that teams around the league are doing. And then

he's not going to be his success, whether he was good or not good. Yeah, I saw that Jeannie Bus was really crestfallen when they didn't get Dan Hurley. Although I would argue Dan Hurley, there are some things. He's an East Coast guy. He's more volume driven. He's kind of built. He's like

Nick Sabin. He's almost built for college. Yeah, and by the way, that's fine. Mike Shoshavsky realized that and just would coach Olympics. The best NBA players. I was going to say, that's the way to do it, man. That's the way to do it. I'm just going to sample the NBA, but I'm a college guy. Does it feel like in the building they settled?

Look, this was one of the most uneven, messy coaching searches I have seen in a long time because they fired Dharvanham clearly without a plan for what they were going to do next. I don't believe Frank Vogel should have been fired, but the Phoenix Suns clearly had a plan on what they wanted to do next. They brought in a guy who had won a title from Arizona, and they brought him in like two days later, and that was it. He was the coach. Boom. If the Lakers had hired JJ Reddick three days after Darvin Ham was let go, I think people would feel a little more unsteady ground about this. But the fact that it took nearly two months that they went through other candidates first, that Jason Kidd and Tyloo's name were floated, even though, of course, they were never going to come.

there. It just feels messy, and I think that is kind of projecting onto how people feel about JJ. JJ is a total gamble. There is no way to know whether he's going to be good or not, because we don't have enough information. It could be that he becomes, I don't know, Larry Bird, who had no experience and was a great coach. Doc Rivers had no experience. His first year's coach, he won coach of the year. So it's possible. On the other hand, we have seen Jason Kidd. We have seen Steve Nash, who flamed out from their first job. And these are guys who are Steve Nash, very high basketball IQ, knows X's nose, knows all of that stuff,

but couldn't get it right in that very difficult situation at that time. So there is just no way to look at JJ's attributes and say, ah, this predicts to here, this predicts to there, because we just haven't seen him do the most important thing, which is coach a basketball team. So I just think that when you're talking about him and everyone's saying, is it a good hire, is this a bad hire, there's no way to make that decision right now.

And frankly, it's going to depend so much on the roster. don't know if you can make the decision, you know, in any point until you'd see what players he's getting. So, Trey Young put an hourglass on social media. I have backed that move. I think he provides playmaking and shooting. He's a star. He plays well in New York, Atlanta. He's a big stage kid.

He loves the spotlight. Yeah. And he's shaky defensively, so's Luca. You can win a lot of games being shaky defensively from your wing star. What do you make of his tweet and what do you make of the idea? He would solve some issues. You couldn't collapse on AD, which you can do now on this team. He's collapse on AD.

He's a shooter when you're talking about JJ Reddick, and I think JJ Reddick would be able to improve him in both directions, frankly. I understand why Trey has sort of hinted about coming here. He loves the big lights, plays well under the big lights. I think playing out in L.A., playing with LeBron and AD would feel really good to him. And the Atlanta Hawks have kind of signaled they're going to have a decision to make this summer, and they may be ready to move on from Trey Young, because when he wasn't there for the home stretch of the season,

their record didn't really change that much. It's not like he affected winning and losing that much. So they just saw that, and I think they're open to a deal being made. All of that being said, the thing with the Lakers is, none of this isn't a vacuum. If you bring Trey Young in, who I think would absolutely supercharge the offense, what does that do to what you can do with the rest of the roster? Because they are so financially capped in so many directions, and there is only a limited amount of money that they,

can do they're not going into the second apron they're not going into that kind of luxury tax and by the way they shouldn't because really the second apron that everyone keeps talking about now the double luxury tax yeah it's partly about money but it really also it limits all the moves and roster moves you can make and the lakers definitely don't need any limits on that so you know there's only so much money to go around and one of the big problems with the lakers this year was they didn't have the role players they had when they won the title okay so i i proposed i know this sounds very much like local radio but i said I don't think this roster is built for JJ.

I am a believer that Anthony Davis will not play 76 games. It's the healthiest he's been in eight years, and sometimes you've got to buy low, sell high. Oklahoma City is the perfect trade partner. They're just too young, and they're not really, they need a guy. Chet Holmgren loves to drift outside. AD doesn't. You're not beating Yokic, Porzingis, Janus.

You start looking at these teams. Yeah. The league's getting bigger. 100%. The West especially. So I said, Sam Presti loves to draft and develop. But even teams that draft and developed, Denver and Boston, went and got Gordon, Porzengas, Holiday. You're not a championship team. You have to go, you have to give up some draft picks to get a guy. So I said, you go get Anthony Davis. They got a zillion draft picks. You give up four first rounders. If you're the Lakers, you'd like to get more of them next year.

It's a much better draft. Right. Jalen Williams, a 23-year-old, a wing shooter. Lakers don't have any. Kaysen Wallace is only 20. Tremendous defender shoots threes. So you'd have to put a third team in. I know it's a hypothetical.

You'd have to figure out the money. But you can only have so many young guys. At some point, Kyrie was a part of getting to the finals. Absolutely. And Porzingis. I mean, they're plus minus with Porzengis change the team. Do you want to just be, we draft and develop better than anybody.

Does this, and again, you say, well, Anthony Davis, Anthony Davis plays 52 games next year. You wouldn't be shocked. Right. Am I out of my gourd on that? Look, this past season was the first time. He played more than 62 games for the Lakers. First time?

First time. And he's been here, what, seven years? So there's no question that he is a risk. However, it is, you do have to, you can't quite live just in the, I don't care about money. I know it would be complicated world. you have to think about what it would actually mean. And there's a couple things going on here. First of all, you can pay your own players more than you can pay someone coming in.

That's right. So they would give that up in terms of with AD, they can pay him more and not have to sacrifice with the role players as much, whereas if they brought someone else in, that wouldn't be the case. Which, again, cuts into your depth. And the Lakers' big problem, in my opinion right now is they don't have the depth that they used to have and need to have. Look at the Celtics, right? They had death up the wazoo that's not happening with the Lakers right now. So I definitely think that that's a hindrance, and then they've changed the CBA, they've changed the collective bargaining agreement, that you can't bundle salaries in the same way that you did before. So the trade for Damian Liller to Milwaukee, the trade for Drew Holiday to Boston, neither one of those could happen starting next year.

So some of this, like we said before, these are the key pieces. You'd have to work out the money. The league really is trying to avoid what the Celtics did. they're trying to avoid having all the superstars on three teams that's the biggest thing the Celtics you know look the Celtics by the way will go into the second apron I spoke to Wick Grossbeck the night the owner the night that they won the title and he's like oh this is great we're bringing everyone back by the way Derek white is going to be very expensive to bring back relative to what he'll be a $39 a year player they're already paying Jason and Jalen 300 million plus each so that's it let's pivot to that I have said they didn't this Tatum and Brown, without Derek White and Porzingis and Drew Holiday, we're just disappointing us. Derek White's much more essential because of Porzingis' health and Drew Holliday's age. That Derek White is a huge piece.

My take is the market, like in Orlando. But here's what he said to me, and I think that this is really key, is he said, I will pay, we're going to bring the whole team back. So, first of all, I love that, because I think too many owners start penny pinching after they've won a title. And I never understand it. Joe Lacob didn't. No, he didn't.

But we saw it a little bit of Miami when they got rid of Mike Miller. We've seen that a little bit in Denver, right? I mean, they should have kept Bruce, right? And they didn't. So I just feel like that we've seen owners try to get away with stuff sometimes after winning a title. And in this case, he is doubling down just like Joe Lacob did. And the other reason he's able to double down is not only does he have the money to do it, which is nice if you're him, if you're Steve Balmer.

He has the team that you can't really build right now anymore. and that they're set. If they fall into those rules of the second apron where you're no longer going to be allowed to trade certain draft picks, or you're no longer be allowed to do this with salaries, you're no longer going to be allowed to do all the things that would make it very difficult to be one of those teams,

it doesn't matter because he's got his team. These guys are young. As long as he keeps everyone, they don't need to make any more trades. They don't need to sign any free agents. So I just think that for some teams, that's a great idea and you can keep everyone, but Lakers are not one of those teams

because their roster needs a lot. lot of help. A lot. What's realistic for JJ Reddick? I think 500 if you take 12 starts from AD off and 10 for LeBron off. Sure. I think Austin Reeves is what he is. I don't think he has a huge ceiling.

If you just brought this roster back had draft picks who wouldn't play, to me, 500's realistic. When you peel off between 80 and LeBron, 20 starts. I think what's hard is just how good the West is going to be. I mean, it was great this year, but it's going to be better. And it's not just, oh my

Oklahoma City, who already, by the way, finished number one in the West and just added Alex Garuso, and I think we'll add someone else this summer is going to be better. It's the teams closer to the bottom. Houston is going to be better, which means some of those easy wins that help the record aren't going to be there anymore. So the Lakers are looking at a record with JJ, without JJ, where they don't seem to be going into the top four, maybe even the top five in the conference. So if they end up in the sixth seed, is that going to feel so much better than ending up

in the eighth seat? Maybe. maybe it will. It kind of keeps you out of that playing situation, but you're still, if you're the sixth seed, going to have to play the number three seed. So I think right now what is limiting JJ's potential success is, again, they don't have the roster

to match up with these other teams. You just said it a few minutes ago. They don't have that young ascendant star. They don't have a Luca, they don't have an aunt. LeBron is exceptional and playing at a level that we have just literally never seen before at his age. But he has gotten a tick slower and a tick, you know, not as good

at some things every year. And that's is going to continue. That's how aging works. Yeah. It's fun. I mean, I said yesterday, I'm loyal to interesting. I'm 100%. Look, again, he could be a great success. There's coaches who have never coached before who have been great success.

You know, we use this earlier. You know it well. Aaron Boone, Broadcaster, big brand, owned by the children of a legendary owner. Had one star Aaron Judge A.D. Both come from athletic families, kind of

have struggled Aaron did with the pitching staff. First couple years, I mean, he got criticism whether he struggled or not. I think JJ Redick will have some turbulence, but I would love to see him just take a swing and help him. I think football does such a good job of at least giving the coach a shot. Like, go get the big receiver for the offensive coach. Go get the pass rusher for the defensive coach. You've got to give JJ some pieces.

I also just think they've got to give him time, which is something the Lakers have not done. So they fired Frank Vogel, who won them a title, less than two years after that title. They fired Dharvan Ham, a season after he brought them to the Western Conference Finals. And there were reasons and X and Y and all the stuff. But the fact is, this is their seventh head coach in 13 years. Eighth, if you count the fact that they had an interim for not a small amount of time for five months, somewhere around there. So this is a team that has been quick trigger with its coaches, and that's just not going to work. It's not how you win in the NBA.

It is not a coincidence that some of the most successful franchises have the longest tenured coaches. And if they do the same thing with J.J. Reddick that they did with Frank Vogel, with Darvin Ham, they're not going to get anywhere. So the patience is also a huge, huge part of this. Yeah, Rachel, Nichols. So good to see you. You could have already been home. You came back into the show for us. I mean, on a Friday.

You're going to go on vacation soon. I've never had a two-week vacation. I've got to get, you know, I've got to get my appearances. I don't even know if I can handle it. Next Monday I may call and just be like, I got to come home. I can't, I can't handle it. I mean, you've got quite a substitute skipper steering the ship. Are you ready for Monday show?

You got USA Bolivia Copa. That's a big one. And we got Caitlin Clark Angel Reese on this weekend. Do you know, Rachel, if you want to come in Monday, you know, and you can always make room for you. Hey, did you see the ticket prices for that game? Highest ever. No, this thing is hitting.

This is becoming for the WMBA. That bird magic thing. Like it was like it hit pretty quick. You've got to give Angel Reese some of this credit, though. No, she said it herself and she said, oh, every hero needs a villain. She used that word villain. You don't have, if it was just Magic Johnson and no Larry Bird, you would not have had the boost that the NBA got.

There's no question. Well, wait, who was a villain in Magic and Larry? It depends on which series. Well, Larry was, the truth is the rivalries were, but they had very different styles. Caitlin and Angel have very different styles. So, again, nobody in Hollywood will make a movie without a villain. You've got to have conflict. And I think that's okay.

That's why I lean into Angel Reese. I think she knows what she's doing. 100%. I think we're struggling to deal with what she's doing. I don't think she's having any problem at all. No. And by the way, she's playing great. Yo, she's having a great year.

Cameron Brink got hurt. That was awful. That is, that is really, that looked bad. And it's just, it's an injury that takes almost a year to rehab from, which just sort of takes to. This is this rookie class, like Angel and Caitlin are good fast. Good seeing you. When it comes to protecting those that matter most, your family, you need a home, security system you could trust 20% off any new SimplySafe system at Simplysafcollon.com. There is no safe like Simplisave.

Want more Herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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 which 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. 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,

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Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier.

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on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. and finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get to fly. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball.

Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Farrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents

soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later.

We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo.

Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? I would buy it. Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake.

That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For hot water that never runs out, try a new high-efficiency tankless water heater.

They're called Navian, 15-year warranty. Go to tankless maidsimple.com. J-Mack with a do. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I thought I'd let you know early returns on my Instagram. Our people are 53% like your Anthony Davis rates.

47% said hell no. Wow. I thought it'd be like six. I thought it was high. Same here. But I mean, they really do need wing defenders and shooters. That's the league. Yeah.

I mean, you're going up against these Lucas and these Ann Edwards, Tatum Brown. Anthony Davis sitting there in the back is great. The league's just stuff right now the Lakers are not equipped to compete on a nightly basis offensively. Darvin Ham, this was a good roster for him. Limited offensively, good defensively. J.J. Reddocks are Steve Kerr in L.A. You've got to give him shooters and pieces that work. That's how...

Christy making the come up for the Lakers? How about Alex Caruso to OKC? We're going to talk about that here in like three minutes. All right, let's get to first start with the NFL. Arizona Cardinals, they added rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. to join your guy, Kyler Murray. Kyler spoke about his expectations for the offense with a new weapon in the fold. That takes us to another level when you've got a guy out there that is capable of, you know,

win a one-on-ones. obviously he's got to go do it and he knows that we all know it but as far as you know manipulating coverage and stuff like that you've got a guy out there that can do that and even if he's not open

he's open so I'm excited to be able to build that with him but if he you know when he does what he does yeah I fully expect our offense to be top of the league watch out Arizona Cardinals

right There's going to be seven new playoff teams this year. You know. Are they going to be one of them? Well, I got Washington is my shock of the league. And I'll be honest with you. Do you watch the way Arizona played last year? They played hard.

Ah, they pulled up the schedule. I was just going to request this, okay? Hard early. They open with five of their first six games against playoff teams from last year. Yeah. And then the Chargers and Herbert and Harbaugh. And then Miami in Miami. Colin, this is a brutal schedule to start the season.

They could be 1 and 6. Okay. They're not a playoff team, but they're going to be a spoiler. They play hard. I like their coach. You just keep your eye on this team knocking some good teams off. They get a lot of those go-either-way games at home. They get Detroit at home.

Washington at home. The Chargers at home. Bears at home. A lot of those games are at home. A lot of long flight for the jets to go cross-country. Listen, if you want to make a wager now, I will do it. What's the judge? Let's do it right now.

I need to hold off until I know Aaron Rogers is back. Let's make the wager. What's the over? Okay, I'll make it wager on that. I'm sure the Jets are favored by like two and a half. Okay, I'll take the points. Week 10, I'll take Arizona and the points against the Jets. And the Jets win, you have to do a sport with me of my choosing.

No. What if I was going to say, we'll go bowling or we'll play pickleball. Steak dinner. Pick a wall. I'll make the bet right now. We can live stream it on Instagram. I already have my jet skis purchased. I'll put a couple crisp hundies on that.

Arizona, by the way, the jets. Money line or with the points? Well, give me the points. Okay, yeah, that's what I thought. Arizona, you are. Okay. All right, now let's get to NBA. We had a trade yesterday afternoon.

The Bulls are shipping two-time all-defensive selection. Alex Caruso, aka Alex Caruso. Great nickname. He's going to OKC in exchange for Josh Giddy. This is weird. This was a straight-up deal. Well, Giddy's got a higher ceiling. Caruso's better today.

Well, no draft. There were reports that Alex Caruso could have been had for a first-round pick or two firsts. Okay, at the deadline. And the Bulls took nothing. Now they're taking Josh Giddy, a non-shooting guard, who was going to not be starting next year for OKC anyway. I mean,

it looks to me. My sniff of this, is that the Bulls are starting operation dump salaries, and we're going to tank for Cooper Flag, who's the best high school player in the country right now, and if the Bulls can reboot around Cooper Flag next year in the draft, that would be good. I think Zach Levine's next, and then I think DeMar de Rosen probably will be elsewhere next season.

I know you're all in on the Bulls, but this feels like the beginning of a major reboot. Yeah, well, I mean, there is a transcendent player in next year's draft, the Duke Kid. Everybody loves Cooper Flag. He's like a big 610, 7 foot kind of guy who's just utterly dominant, good handle, can shoot it. Here's what's interesting. OKC, right?

You wanted Anthony Davis to go there. They can now start Caruso and Lou Dorts side by side. Those are two elite wing defenders for, guess what? Kyrie Irving and Luca Donchich in the playoffs. Caruso, perfect defender for Jamal Murray. OKC starting to build something good. You got Chet Holmgren coming back. There's something here.

I don't know if they're... I think they're probably one more piece away, right? Yeah, they're a big physical center like Anthony Davis away. Okay, let's say the Lakers say you cannot have Anthony Davis. Would you be interested, Jared Allen of the Cavs, who was an all-star shot blocker? If the OKC can get Jared Allen in some way of here. Yeah, that's fine.

He's good. He's good. I don't know what OKC being good does for the league. OKC is... You know what they remind me of a little bit? Danny Aang Celtics. They wanted to win every trade. but in the end Brad Stevens came in and just said,

let's just get better players. I don't think you win a championship with all the draft developed stuff and winning trades. That's all great for the vanity stuff, but at some point, Sam Presti, who does really well at the draft, the draft gives you about six guys that can play a year. Like at some point, you've got to go get an overlooked Derek White or a little bit of an injury riddled but talented unicorn and Porzingas.

You've got to take some swings on current NBA dudes. I like your comparison to Aange and the Celtics. Because remember, they had offers. They could have got Kevin Durant for Tatum. They were winning every trade and accumulating picks. And at some point, get Tatum and Brown dudes around them. But see, what's crazy is they nailed Brown and Tatum, I think third overall. And if you look at the guys that went before them, it's like Markell Fultz, Lonzo Ball.

Like, they could have easily landed on one of those landmines. And then the Celtics are like a 41 team. Nailing those top picks is not easy. No, the Celtics did it and the Thunder have done it. But the Celtics only got a title in the easier, East. Remember, that's easier over there. But the Celtics finally realized we need two more All-Star Level

players. I mean, hell, Derek White makes it almost three. So, I mean, again, the draft and develop stuff's adorable. Danny Ainge was doing wonders. It wasn't working. Danny, I think it was Danny that made the move on... Who made the move on Kyrie Irving? It missed... I think that was Aange, yeah. Okay. I'm pretty sure. But that was

a swing. I appreciate the swing. Like I said, Kyrie Irving, Dallas. I appreciate the swing. But this whole thing about, you know, draft and develop, it's got limitations. This is not pro football. You got to go get. Does that hold true? You say OKC with the picks.

Does that hold true for the Knicks as well, who have a bit of a war chest? No, the Knicks took a swing on Jalen Brunson. They went and got somebody else's player. So they didn't just do Villanova. But DeVenzo was around the league. They made a lot of moves of guys that were, the Knicks are not a bunch of babies. They got veteran players here. Oh, G's young.

Jalen's kind of young. but they're not okay C. They went and got a really good player that was playing that was just undervalued by Dallas. So should the Knicks then consider a lot of those picks and say, hey, Paul George, we'll do a sign and trade. Come on down. I think Mikhail Bridges is the fit in New York.

That's my take. He's a Villanova guy. He fits their culture. Everybody wants a big swing. I don't think the Knicks are that far off. If you could keep, I'm serious here. They were a game seven loss away from the country. No, and they fell apart.

Well, injuries, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, if they were healthy in the postseason, and you added to Mikhail Bridges. No doubt in my mind the Knicks could get to the Eastern Conference Finals. And physically, they wouldn't shoot like the Celtics, but they would be a physical team that could give them a problem. Yeah. Final story is Clay Thompson, Colin, I feel like he's going to be a topic

pretty much every day on the show for the next two weeks. So the Warriors reportedly offered Clay a two-year deal. Clay is saying, no, no, no, no, no, I want three. You gave Wiggins four. You gave Draymond four. Where's my four? So they're holding firm at two. Clay wants at least three.

And I don't, this is, this is really interesting. The magic have been heavily linked to him, and Shams reports there's mutual interest from Clay's side. Well, they don't have any shooters. Orlando's a great place to go. Yeah, they could not make threes against Clay. No, no, no. Clay and Orlando's a perfect fit. He does not want to, this is like Akeem Olajuwon ending his career with the Raptors.

No, it's not. Patrick Ewing with the Sonics. No. Clay is a golden state warrior through and out. Going to Canada, frigid weather is not the same for a key. You know what I mean. No, going to Orlando, no state tax, beautiful winter weather, wonderful places to live for two years, is not going to Canada. But Elijah one was draft.

He's a rockets guy through and through for 15 years and then ends his career in Toronto. Patrick Ewing, drafted by the Knicks, ends up wearing a Sonic story. It was a goofy. I think Orlando. Orlando in the weaker east with Clay Thompson, that is a... What is he adding? Three wins? No, he's adding three-point shooting, which they don't have.

And by the way, what... I don't know. I think the Orlando Clay thing is not that terrible. Two years of your life, you don't live in California. I think it'd be fine. I'm telling you, Orlando, for a couple years, I lived in Tampa for a couple years. I was in Orlando every weekend. It was great.

I just, the whole, like, he's Warriors' culture. He's been with Kerr. Hurry. You just want to rotate, you want to just, right, let's move on, let's reboot all the time. No, when players have 300 million, multiple trophies, stop the Love Fest, move on. It's the NBA, it's pro sports. I saw the Warriors paid a luxury tax close to $180 million. They had to write a check, and they did not make the playoffs.

I don't count the play. Yeah, I think Joe Lacob's over it, and he should be. He paid for Clay, and he was paying a massive... This is what we do. We chew up our athletes and we spit them out. The Golden State Awards. Spit him out. 300 million networks.

Enjoy the cash. We're moving on, buddy. I wish somebody would spit me out and have a 300 million net worth. What a terrible life that would be shooting a basketball. What a terrible life. Oh, I've got to live in Orlando and make $25 million a year. Terrible life. Tax-free, too.

I know you're big on that tax-free. You know who else is big on that? Agent and Accountants. J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. NFL, expanding the season, it's happening soon.

Next. 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. 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 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, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me. to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month,

tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected.

We're becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Diana Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jagged. of time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Adamani Arriba, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden,

I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, It's Fupa's sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be? Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard.

Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

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

He run under the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that, I say, you figure it out. real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's baseball night in America on Fox as Matt Olson powers the Braves against Aaron, Judge and the Yankees, or the NL Central leading Brewers Battle the Padres. It all begins at 7 Eastern on Fox. Check for the game in your area. Great job by Fox last night, a historic night. Reggie Jackson with some comments. It was a pretty magical night of baseball. Tip of the cap to everybody involved.

So this story has come out. Per a league source, 18 games. The players involved in the union know 18 games is coming, the goals to figure out what to request in return. So they want bigger rosters. They should get them. More players in uniform on game day.

They should get them. They also, in my opinion, deserve a second buy. So I believe in that. So one more game, one more buy, more players getting jobs. That'll be 64 games played if you add two players per team, fewer preseason games. Does it dilute some of the urgency? Yeah, probably a little. But college football is going to a 12-team playoff, and it will set television records with more games.

The WNBA's ratings are up. It recently expanded. The UFC has more fights. They've never made more money. The NFL expanded recently to games. The ratings are up. Formula One expanded. It's growing.

So, sports is not a boutique business. It is a scale business. More equals better. Even the NBA just added a couple of games, but they had the play-in games they've added. The in-season tournament, it's working. Like people have a demand for it and a want for it. Advertisers want more games. Sports is working.

Growth is inevitable. so you can be old school, but 93 of the top 100 shows in America on television last year were football games. And so there are some things where more works. And does it dilute things a little bit, a little less urgency? The 12-te-team college football playoff is going to elevate the ratings in college football by 10 to 15%. That means Auburn, Alabama probably won't mean as much as it used to. We'll all get over it.

More is better. For the record, Jets favored by three over the Cardinals. I will take the Cardinals plus three in week 10 against J.Mack in my bet. So J.J. Reddick is the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Yesterday, Coach K talked to Fox Sports John Fanta on the LeBrock, excuse me, on the LeBron-J-Redick pairing. I know LeBron and JJ are friends. It's not just about being friends. about being partners.

You have to be partners in this. And, well, Bronn wants to win. He wants to win. I know JJ wants to win. And then it's a matter of them and the people that they're working with to figure that out. Yeah, I said before, I worry about the Lakers' lack of patience and their competency in drafting, smart, competitive people tend to work,

as long as they're not stubborn. If you look at, I mean, Coach Kay would admit he got stubborn on one and done, and then quickly he started getting beat by teams that had players who were one and done, and then he got less stubborn and had a great last 10 years of his career. So as long as you're not a stubborn person,

smart and competitive, with not quite enough experience, I'm good in any field with that. You'll learn. I had a friend get a job years ago at Google. And she said, just bailing water for six weeks, like literally thought I'm completely over my head. But smart people figured out, had a great career there. Every job you take, and I've preached this for years, you should be bailing water a little bit, or you didn't challenge yourself.

If you take a job and you're comfortable day one, week one, you didn't challenge yourself. you're not going to grow unless you're challenging yourself. So JJ's could have stayed making millions a year doing a podcast and broadcasting. Steve Kerr could have kept broadcasting. Smart people want to challenge themselves. Steve Kerr had a great life, did not need to be coach of the Warriors. JJ Redick's got a great life. Does not need to be coached the Lakers.

The money's not the issue. Smart guys want to be challenged. Smart people want to be challenged. So I'm here for it. 41 and 41 if they make no moves, though. this is a Darvinham roster, not a JJ Redick roster. You think that's negative. I think that's realistic.

Currently, it's a Darvinham roster, Colin, but they're going to reshape it. Remember, last year they went into the season with like six new guys in the rotation. Remember because they had Russell Westbrook and all these other dudes? They're constantly evolving the roster. Let's not overreact because you don't love Tashon Prince and Rui Hachimora. I don't even know Jackson Hayes is going to be back. Like, let's take a deep breath. They built a roster with length for Darvinham.

They gave Darwin a fair shot. He didn't work, but they built a roster. Wait a minute. They got to the conference finals two years ago as a play-in team. Let's not say, like, he didn't, there wasn't some success, right? Conference finals? I thought they should have retained him. I was not a Darwin ham basher.

I didn't think his rotations were great. Yeah, now I'm getting into the rotations. But offensively, that's not. not his gifts. His gifts were defensive. He was good at that part. Jay J.J. need shooters. That's what he knows. Go get Luke, Luke Kinnard. Can we steal him? He's a shooter. Okay. Terrific. Hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you

funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.