The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Kevin Durant made a choice

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

Kevin Durant nixed a trade at the deadline claiming he's too big to trade mid-season Colin brings you his Dynamic Dozen Players & Personalities in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago   Guest: Dan WoikeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

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

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends

on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I told myself 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 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, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend, and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.

Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

All right, here we go. It's hour two live. The City of Stars, Los Angeles. Austin Reeves, semi-stop. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. LeBron and Luca last night, Dallas, all sorts of feisty. And a couple of minutes, we'll be going to Dan Wojke, who covers the Lakers for the L.A. Times. It was a magical night.

But I was saying this is that, you know, that you've heard about the placebo effect where people can talk themselves into being sick. And I was just talking to somebody yesterday who had a rough spot in their life. And I told this person, I said, optimism is such a big part of recovery. Like, you've got to be positive. You've got to wake up. Tony Robbins talks about this all the time. Your mind plays tricks on you. Your mind gets negative very quickly.

You've got to get things out of there. Don't consume certain things that get you angry. you'll have a hard time getting off that merry-go-round. And so we're all capable of we wake up in the morning and something happens in our life and it triggers this great optimism or negativity. And watching LeBron play with Luca, I said it last hour, it's like a kid that got a bicycle at Christmas. Every part of LeBron's game in the last four or five games with Luca is energized.

And I'm watching him last night. I said I would give LeBron a new two-year deal today. His fourth quarter last night, it didn't make a biological sense. I don't know where he's getting the energy. He was the best player on the floor. Ali Ups, his defense is unbelievable. And I just think he liked AD personally and professionally, but AD wasn't a playmaker.

So LeBron always felt like he had to be the initiator. Occasionally he let Austin Reeves run the show, but it's different now. Luke is the quarterback. Jack Reddick has said the quiet part out loud. Luke is running the show. Austin Reeves can be second when LeBron's on the bench. But I'm watching the energy right now, and it feels very de-weighed in LeBron, where LeBron is really playing with on a nightly basis, an energy that I don't think I saw

consistently with AD, and it's not a shot at AD. But there was a way LeBron had to play. He wanted to pass the baton. and though AD was a remarkable defensive player and a good guy and gotten very good shape and was getting hurt less. His game's his game. Luca is allowing LeBron to conserve energy and then give you these intense five-and-six-minute bursts. Last night it was a 12-minute burst, and it was like nothing I've ever seen from a 40-year-old guy.

And here is J.J. Reddick on the new LeBron James. LeBron's playing at an all-N-Ba defense level. He is. You know, people may have perceptions of what he is as a defender. I watch it every night. He doesn't get scored on in isolation if teams do try to target him. He blows, plays up. You know, I think there was this perception of him at this age, like conserving energy.

No. There's no conservation of energy on that end of the floor. And with that, Dan Wojke of the L.A. Times is joining us in studio, and I so appreciate this. I text a friend. Maverick Carter is a friend. You know Maverick. Maverick's underneath the basket. About once a year he gives me his tickets.

So Maverick Carter, a really good guy, and was a high school teammate of LeBron, and I said, I don't even know what I watched last night in the fourth quarter. I'm like, that was insane. The energy was palpable. Yeah. And I do feel like, not that he's like conserving it, but I do feel like LeBron it sometimes felt like, man, I would like to let somebody else run the show a little bit and play off ball. Does it feel different to you in the last five or six games?

I think it's an interesting question, Colin. I think that there was a time where we heard about the torch being passed, right? Or wanting help. He wants help playmaking and stuff. But then when it came time to actually do it, he didn't. And I think part of that was because he was always the best option. Yes. It's always like the ball and LeBron.

It's kind of sometimes why he's been hard to coach. Is that what better play is it than give LeBron James the ball? Think about this, Dan. in Cleveland, as great and skillful as Kyrie was, he ended up being an off-guard. A lot. And I would argue Kyrie is as skilled as any player I've ever seen with the ball in his hands. He's incredible. And he was great last night, too.

Yeah. So I think your point is this is a little bit of LeBron saying, okay, I've met my equal at initiating offense. He said something this year, you know, being around him now basically every day since he's been in Los Angeles by and large. I've never heard him hear him say that somebody is better than him at stuff. Like, that's just not what he's, that's not how he's built. He said, Lucidantius does the same stuff as me and some of it even better. And I think at this stage in his career, having somebody who can do that,

it does sort of shift LeBron into, I call it like Olympics, LeBron? Yeah, yeah. Like, the version of him we saw in Paris where you're controlling the game, but maybe you don't have the ball all the time. Like, you're doing all of these little things. He's such a Drake coming down. Yeah, he's such a basketball savant. He's so smart at finding ways to matter and ways to, like,

make differences in games. And yeah, it's on the offensive end. That clip of JJ, that was a question I asked some postgame about LeBron's defense. Like the last six weeks or so defensively, like LeBron has been excellent. And they've been good with Anthony Davis. They've been good when Anthony Davis was hurt. Their last 19 games are the best defensive team in the league. Now, here's the question, though.

And I'd said this for years about Carmelho Anthony. He'd score 29. He'd give up 22. But that still works. No, it's still plus seven. Do you worry, though, that Reeves LeBron, the Lakers do feel a little top-heavy? Yeah. Reves-Lebron, Luca, all playmakers. Mavs have one, but the Mavs have size. That Mark Williams trade, I thought, would have made a real difference.

Do you worry that Lucas' defense will eventually be a liability? Yeah, I mean, I think they're not a perfect team in any real way. I think the things they're great at, they're great at. and that gives you a chance in this league, right? If you can manipulate the game in the way where your strengths mask your weaknesses, and I think the way the Lakers have been masking their defensive weaknesses has been with overall team effort. You know, this is a group that has played incredibly hard.

You know, Austin Reeves is a really smart defender, even though he has some athletic limitations. Luca Dachish is huge. He's a big player, and he gets into passing lanes, and he creates turnovers. Now, does he get beat off the dribble? Sure. It happens.

But when he's engaged, like, I mean, you know, forget last night's game for a minute. Let's talk about Saturday in Denver, you know, where they win by 23 masterful defensive game plan. I guess the team they haven't been able to solve. Luca didn't look like, you know, a negative defender in that game. And I think at times when he's been engaged, he's been a pretty good defender. He's actually a very good rebounder when he wants to. Last night, the first time. He was great.

Yeah, like Luke is one of those guys that, and LeBron's got a little bit of this. Magic Johnson was good at this. Magic, we needed to play center and score 42. Like Luca, when you ask him to be around the basket, he is a big, thick body. He can clean the glass. I mean, last night's first half, I think he had like 10 rebounds at half. Yeah, and I know we'll get to the Warriors in a minute, but I do think when you have great players that are also smart players, it just helps this process move along much quicker than it might otherwise, right?

Like, we'll see with this Lakers group. I think to your point about LeBron, like there is sort of a, you know, when this trade first happened, there was a feeling around the organization that like this the lakers been provided an off ramp right but they can move now in this direction where they don't need lebron james the same way they needed them six weeks ago um they have a future i i think what they're seeing now is like the immediate future is maybe even more luke and lebrown than they realized should lebron want to do it and we'll see how long he wants to to do this but um they have real chances they have a real chance this they have a It feels like they have a real chance this year.

I think with an offseason to, like, perfectly architect the roster around the guys that you have and the core that you have, certainly will have a chance there. And they're also catching Luca Dantragette, like sort of the perfect time. You know, it's funny when J.J. Reddick got the job. I had heard this about Reddick. He's very arrogant. He went to Duke. And my take is, I am okay with arrogance as long as it's accompanied with self-awareness. J.J.'s got both.

JJ's a very good looking, very confident. I mean, he's made a lot of money. He's been very successful. He's also got self-awareness. He can laugh at himself. He knows when he's over the top. And I think if you go look at LeBron's history, even if he doesn't always agree with Eric Spolstra,

he respects his IQ, right? He respects, and I really do believe he respects Ty Lou. There is something about JJ Reddick is that I think this job could, the Lakers job is engulfed certain coaches. They didn't have enough, like, arrogance. They didn't have enough confidence. Oh, Darwin Ham sometimes felt I got a little engulfed by it. I think JJ, when I watch him, like, he's absolutely sure his way is right.

And for the record, so far it has been. I think the thing with JJ, and you mentioned arrogance, and that's a word that comes up with him a lot. It's certainly the first impression. It's also paired with open-mindedness. Yes, absolutely. Which is a unique combination. You know, usually, like, people who are arrogant believe their way is the best because it's their way. Not necessarily because it's a way they've cultivated through conversations with, you know,

everybody from the guy who, you know, sells him his pomade to, like, you know, whoever. Like, if you've got a good basketball idea, like, JJ Redick will listen to it. Like, that's the reality of it. I think coaching is really hard to judge, generally speaking, you know, being there night to night out. it's not always the showiest thing because players do what they do. Basketball is very free-flowing. I think the things that I'm hearing behind the scenes, things about, you know, communication, like making sure that you're touching base with players on a very regular basis.

Like following his gut, his instincts. J.J. Reddick is a very authentic guy. Correct. Very direct. He's very direct. But he's not Kurt. He's direct without being mean-spirited. He'll tell you exactly. what he feels, but he says it with a smile.

He says it like, hey, man, this is what I believe. I just think JJ Redick, there was some concern. He's a podcaster. He absolutely feels big enough for the job. Yeah, I think, you know, the way that I've kind of settled on this with him is that if you look at, you know,

you'll say he didn't have enough experience, right? Well, like, if the most important part of being an NBA coach is relating to your players, right? And I believe that to be mostly true. You know, he was a star among stars as a college basketball player right like biggest in the country uh... you know a total villain in a in a way that very few people are he was a

rookie who couldn't crack a rotation and had to sit on the end of a bench of a contender he was a a sending player like looking for a bigger role he was a starter he was then a vet uh... and then he was a guy who's body like he's basically lived every basketball and be a life and the course of his career i remember about him as a player beyond shooting in duke before step curry became a star I'd never seen a player work harder off the ball. Yeah.

He was a cardio machine. If you guarded JJ Reddy, you have to chase him around the floor. System unto himself. Yep. All right, I want to talk about Jimmy Butler. So I read a couple of stories about before Jimmy Butler and the Warriors happened. And there were analytic people that said, you know, I don't know if it works. Enough shooting.

Yeah. And my take was to know. He's the anti-Wiggins. He's intentional on every possession. He plays with intensity that you know when he's on the floor. He's never lost. I don't think he will rub Draymond the wrong way because Draymond calls out people who often need to be called out. Jimmy doesn't.

In fact, you could say scale it down. This to me, I felt his EQ and his IQ. I'm like, just get him in this system. It'll work, and I don't know what the analytics say. It has, are you a little surprised it's worked this well? No, I think that, you know, you touched on two of the things. I think EQ and the NBA is a thing that you hear a lot now. like emotional intelligence, like how do you fit in these systems?

And I think, you know, Jimmy is so competitive, so competitive. And you've put him in an environment where competition has thrived, right? Like this is a group that is one at the highest level, and they've done it in back-to-back seasons as a core and Stefan Drummond and Steve Kerr. To do that, you have to have just this incredible competitive endurance. You can't do it otherwise. It's too hard. And so I think he fits in that. I think that they are a very mature team when it comes to their culture.

So, like, it can handle personalities. It's not foreign to them at all. And I think that, you know, like I said before, with, like, LeBron and Luca in Austin Reeves, two degrees, you just tend to trust smart players, right? Like, figured out guys. And Jimmy Butler is a figured out guy. He hasn't been a good shooter since he's been in the NBA. It hasn't stopped him from winning.

Like, it really hasn't. It's not, like, you know, his athleticism has changed. Like, it hasn't stopped him. His availability and stuff like that, and Miami had the reasons for moving on, and Jimmy had his reasons for wanting to be out to it. He wanted a lot of years and a lot of money, and that wasn't going to work. Exactly, totally. But I think in this situation for a team like Golden State, right,

like I think, similar to the Lakers, there was a feeling that there's an opportunity here in the Western Conference. There is a lurking giant, literally, in Victor Wenbanyama and San Antonio, right? Like, assuming he'll recover and stuff like that. You have the Oklahoma City Thunder who, if it's not this, year will be soon. That roster is built to win and built to win for a long time. But right now, there's a feeling that there's a chance to be had when you talk to teams around the west. I don't think Houston can shoot well enough. I think in situational basketball, Houston will

come up basket shy. They'll have the athleticism, they'll defend. They can play. But they're not a shooting team, and you tighten people up in a playoff game. And I think Oklahoma City also feels like to me they're a year away, and they're going to be looking for buckets. outside of SGA, and if you can lock him down, again, these playoff, when I play a team seven times, and we're all equally rested, Warriors, Lakers, these older teams, Denver, I think the Warriors, I mean, if I said to you right now, O KC ends up with Golden State. I mean, I think I would lean thunder, but it's close, much closer than a 1-8 should be. Yep.

And I think it's because of the experience. It's because of, you know, we've just seen it so many times with these groups. Golden State can match some of their physicality, you know, what Chimmy Butler. They don't have the size. They're going to be hurt against teams that have size. And that's what's interesting about the West is like there's also all these just like really unique matchups. There are teams that are coming at this in very different ways.

And I think, you know, Minnesota is going to be coming here. They're getting better, getting healthier at the right time, playing defense. I know Chris Finch is a little happier about where they've been defensively, just had a huge win in Oklahoma City themselves. I think all of these teams can look at themselves in the mirror, like six or seven teams, incredibly, Memphis, and say, like, the time is now for us. Like, Memphis has been, you know, kind of at the doorstep a bunch of times.

Like, are they really ready to win now? Like, we'll find out. I think it's going to be a really good playoff. So it's interesting. There are teams that I think that are very authentic, and you know exactly what they are. And I'll tell you why the Knicks are this. The Cavs and the Celtics are very good pick and roll teams,

and the Knicks can't defend it. Carl Anthony Towns is a brilliant offensive player. He's really skilled. Chris Finch told me yesterday, he goes, I knew he was good, then I coached him. And he is so good. He can't defend the pick and roll. Brunson's not great at it.

And Cleveland is so efficient that I just think when you look at the Knicks, I think they're a step away. I think Carl Anthony Towns gets them to a place offensively. They get off of Julius Randall. He makes them a better offensive team. But I think when you look at the Knicks, they are absolutely not built. They're not constructed to beat the Cavs and the Celtics. They just can't defend them.

Well, you know, they've struggled against good teams this year. I think defensively they've really struggled against good teams. And to me, there's a disconnect, right? because you have such a defensive-minded head coach. You have the type of, you know, your coaches and a lot of times, your coaches and your best players are what drive your identity. And, like, it does feel like their identities are moving in different directions. That's right.

You know, they're a terrific offensive team with a top-tier defensive coach, and I think you'd want a little more alignment there in a perfect world. You know, it is a little bit, it feels a little bit like an over-correction. we'll see what happens if they're able to get Mitchell Robinson back and can get him into shape and playing like will that help? It'll help some. But it just feels like at their core, who they are is a team that's going to outscore you

and that they have to outscore you. And when you have put time and money and assets into players like O'GNan and Obie and McElbredges and Josh Hart, guys that are there largely to make sure it's hard for the other team to score, you would like to see that sort of personality kind of permeate the entire roster the way it's just quite frankly you know it doesn't like the night of the lucidacha trade right like this feels like ancient history now like the lakers without anthony davis like had no problems with carl towns because he was 24 feet away from the basket all game right and they didn't exploit their size advantages they didn't exploit their toughness

advantages in that game and that's been kind of a recurring theme against teams that can spread them out and Cleveland and Boston are going to spread you out. That is what they do. And they're going to put Carl Towns into rotations. They're going to make them scramble. And, you know, it's just, it's hard if one of your best players is, you know, one of your biggest weaknesses on the defensive event. Finally, let's wrap it up.

Let's pivot back to the Lakers. It's one thing to cover a player. It's another thing to see a player occasionally. When you're around Luca, you're at practice with Luca, you're in the locker room with Luca. What is he like to cover? Is there a joyfulness around him? Because it seems like he's bringing that out of LeBron. I think for him right now, there's still shock. He's still somebody who is dealing with the emotional baggage from this trade. I thought last night at the end of the game, he looked a little shot. He was exhausted last night. Like, Colin,

you what that game reminded me of a little bit? Do you remember doing like the presidential fitness testing when you were a kid, like where you'd have to, it was, that game went out way too fast and lap one of the mile. It was like, you know, just this horrible cramp after the first quarter. It was so much emotion expended in that game. And then it kind of sputtered to the finish before LeBron was able to really pull it through. I think big picture, Luca being around LeBron can have just as much for Luca as it does for LeBron in terms of what it takes day and day out to have your body ready to play at a consistent level, you know, what it takes to make others great. Obviously, Luca knows how to do all that stuff, but seeing that and seeing a player that

he's loved since he was 13, 14 years old. He's a really giving downcourt passer. And sometimes it's different from when he drives in dishes because there's an immediate payoff. But when you pass the ball down the floor, you're often eliminating yourself from the play. Sure. You're taking yourself out. And a lot of guys, LeBron's always been great at that. Not all offensive players are. They kind of want to bring the ball up. It's LeBron, Luca, and Yolkich are the three best at it. And the Lakers have two of them. It's incredible to watch him. He is so, I mean, he is the classic quarterback in this league.

And LeBron said the other day, right? Like LeBron said he's built to be a receiver. We can argue about whether he can do both, certainly. But I think the biggest thing that I've seen being around Luca right now, right, is like, there is somebody who has a fire and wants to prove him, prove Dallas wrong. Like, you can see that. Like, he is carrying scar tissue from this trade. And you also see a player that is incrementally getting more use.

to like, I mean, Colin, look at this. This looks insane. It's Luca Dachia's in a Lakers jersey. It still looks weird. But, you know, you're seeing a player who's getting every day, like, fractionally, more comfortable with it. And come April, come May, you're seeing a player, too, who loves the spotlight, loves the big stage. And, I mean, every night it feels like it's a pretty big stage when you got him on the court with the Brawn James. L.A. Times, Dan Wojke. Great seeing you again, my man.

Thanks, Colin. Do we have a coffee machine up here? We should give our guys? guests. We don't have parting gifts, but a nice cafe Americano out the door would be a nice thing. How about that? No one's ever said I need more caffeine, Colin. This is to be the first episode. Live in LA, it's the herd. One more herd? The herd streams 24

hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeard radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

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

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

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

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel

and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happens. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer-beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

SportsLice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsLice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife-Live 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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. Well, I hope you did not miss the greatest list that has ever been on a cable network earlier when I had my dynamic dozen. I'm getting some pushback that I did not excluded one New York basketball player from Villanova, second rounder, who.

is known as kind of a grinder, an overachiever. I probably should have had him, maybe at 12, but I'm sorry, Rick Petino's a rock star, always has been as a coach. That's what you're labeling Jalen Brunce is an overachiever, not all NBA superstar? Yeah, so this, again, is being labeled as the greatest list of all time on cable television.

I said New York, L.A., Chicago, the 12 most dynamic stars. People can push back. Maybe I should have Aaron Judge. head of Harbaugh, but Jim Harbaugh is literally doing national commercials. He's a rock star. He changed Big Ten ratings. He, national championship, been to Super Bowls.

Everybody knows Jim Harbaugh. Didn't you have a list earlier of the most, what is it, the highest valued franchises in sports and the Knicks were like top three? And their best player, Jalen Brunzer, doesn't sniff this list? Second round pick. So what? Little bit of a grinder. What's wrong with being a grinder?

He's a little anti-hero. So we're only doing top picks here. Oh, LeBron, Lucas. staff. I said, you're an elitist. You like superstars. Caleb Williams, number one pick. What is he accomplished? This is not just an accomplished list. I said

dynamic. It's called the dynamic does. I don't think Jaylen's a dynamic personality, and he is I mean, basically... Justin Herbert is the opposite of the time. He's a quarterback in the NFL. The NFL is a thousand times more popular

and quarterbacks are... But the Knicks are a thousand times more popular than the chargers based on your valuation list. Okay, I got Jalen at 13. 13. Gosh. I only got Justin Herbert at 11. Hayter. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the third line news.

I can never tell if the audience loved it when you're right or just can't stand it, because this Aaron Rogers take you had is starting to maybe come to fruition. According to the New York Daily News, Aaron Rogers prefers to play for the Rams next season, And not only that, he wants to bring a buddy Devante Adams with him. Now, you have floated for a couple weeks now that Rogers to the Rams makes sense. Listen, they move on for Cooper Cup, and they add Devante Adams to Puka Nakua, Kyron William. That's not bad. It makes sense is when you look at what happened, just take Brett Farr.

Where did Russell Wilson want to go when he was in dysfunction? He wanted to go to Pittsburgh, which may underachieve, but it's not dysfunctional. Tom Brady had been in super function in New England, so he was willing to go to an organization that was a little wonky, Tampa. And so what you find is Aaron had all this stability in Green Bay

like Fav did. Farve and Aaron go to the Jets and go, holy hell, get me out of here. So what did Fav do? Let me go to the Vikings. They're well run. I won't have chaos around me. And I think Aaron's saying, listen, I tried the thing in New York. I like stability.

I'm a grown-up. I do my own work. scouts. I don't need to be chased around. I mean, Aaron can go hide in Malibu and with the Rams. I mean, you never see Matt Stafford out. This is not New York, where it's always, you know, I mean, Woody Johnson isn't close to Stan Cronkey in terms of the formidable owner. Aaron Rogers to the Rams. I don't think it's going to happen because I think they're going to resign Stafford, but that's who I would go get. So let's say they resign Stafford. Where does Rogers go? Vegas feels right. Well, slow down.

Chip Kelly, Pete Carroll, Brock Bowers, Max Crosby. But I think what Aaron is seeking here is not only a good organization, but what he is seeking is what he had in Green Bayton, which is grown-ups and stability. And you just don't get that with the Jets. You just don't.

The owner just got voted 32 out of 32 by Jets players in an anonymous poll. That's not a surprise. Devante Adams is still a lot. in contact with the Jets. They don't need Devante Adams. If the Jets release him, they clear 29 mil in cap space. Love that. Yeah, but they're

trying to get rid of Cooper Cop. The Rams don't need Devonte Adams. No, I'm sorry. I'd say, you don't think the Rams would take Devante Adam? No. He's best friends with Rogers. Lou Gehran doesn't have any leverage. He would be lucky to get the Rams. He doesn't have any leverage. This is not the Jets. Aaron's going to go there

and he's not going to tell people who to bring with me. Devonte Adams is the last thing they need. They don't They've got a number one, Puka. What they have to do is find their next star in the draft. Well, the rest of their depth chart at receivers, very uncertain, Colin. They have Cooper Cubs going to be gone, Demarcus Robinson free agent, 2-2-A-L, give me a break. They need somebody at receiver.

Do you just say, hey, bring your buddy, Devante Adams to Rogers. If you've seen how much he costs. I have, yeah. If you're going to pay Stafford, and if you're paying Stafford, all right, then, you're, then you're going to have to pay. If he leaves, then I've got to pay Aaron, and now I've got to pay Devante Adams. And what if I can't get rid of Cooper Cup?

I got so much money in just wide receiver. It's a tough one. It's not going to be easy for the Rams, that's for sure. But the Jets are looking great. All right, let's move on to, oh gosh, we're now talking about the Patriots again because you love them next season. Mike Grable has a lot of work to do to get this team back to the postseason.

They do have Drake May, so they're in the right direction. But he spoke about the challenge of getting back to their winning ways yesterday at the combine. Our expectations aren't going to change. It's going to be to win the division. It's going to be to host home playoff games, and it's going to be to compete for championships. That's why we're here. That's why I got hired.

It's to win. It's put a product on the field that they can be excited about, that they can care about, and they can support. That's the whole goal. And I don't, they shouldn't have to wait very long. But we also have to understand that we're not going to fix every issue on the first day of free agency, or we're not going to fill every hole on the first or second day of the draft.

Listen, they have the most cap space. They will get minimum three starters out of the draft because they're lacking certain speed elements. They'll probably get four starters out of the, think about this. I'll just throw this out. So was Jim Harbaugh worth a touchdown to the chargers from Brandon Stee? Okay, Gerard Mayo likes Daly, a little bit over his skis. So let's say, just say this.

Let's just say Vrabel is worth three and a half to four points from Gerard Mayo. That feels true. Free agency with all that money is probably worth a point to a point and a half. Now you've got five and a half points better. The draft with four starters is worth half a point. So if they are six points better than last, I mean, that's how Vegas would look at it. So if Rable's worth a little more than a field goal, you can go get a number one receiver, that's a point. You start looking around.

Look at how many games they lost last year. You'd be amazed how many close games they lost by like five and six and three and two and one point. So I just think, I'm not saying, I don't know, what do they win four games last year? Not many. My take is they will be. Remember I said Washington is going to surprise the league. They're going to be a wild card team. Rable's worth four to four and a half points.

The free agent class is worth a point to a point and a half. The draft class worth half a point. And by the way, the Jets losing Aaron Rogers, that's two Ws in New England. Oh, stop. Listen, I think the audience is going to start rooting against the Patriots, because if you start hitting all these picks like seven months in advance, you know, then you're going to get a little bit of an inflated ego. You know, if the Patriots hit on the heels of LACP?

Like JJ Reddick, I have the self-awareness to understand I've got it. Final story is Nick Siriani and the Eagles, man. This whole push-push stuff, Colin. coaches and GMs are putting their thoughts on the record after the Packers proposed to ban it. Well, Siriani discussed all the narratives surrounding the play. This is fun. It's a skill that our team has because of the players that we have, the way the coaches coach it. Again, there's just so much time put into it.

The fact that it's a successful play for the Eagles and people want to take that away, I think is a little unfair. a little bit insulting in that sense of that because the guys work hard at it. We work hard at it. Some interesting numbers here. So remember, they had Kelsey at center and when he left, everybody was like, oh, that's a huge loss. They still did a lot of tush push. The numbers, the Eagles have run it 108 times since 2022. The second most team, Buffalo Bill is at 55.

So half, basically, of the amount of times the Eagles have run it. Thirdmost team is your bears, 16. Basically, the Eagles are the only ones doing this. The bills are trying. It failed miserably against the Chiefs. So why would everybody want to ban it? Why don't they at least try it? Well, I think there's a couple of reasons.

Jalen Hurts, squat, 600 pounds. He is a unique player for it, and he's also short. So you get this, like, power lifter body behind the best offensive line in football. So some of it's just personnel realities. A lot of it's that. most quarterbacks, Justin Herbert 6.5, Josh Allen 6,6, or they don't squat 600 pounds. They're big targets. Like Josh Allen, jumping over the line is a huge target, nor do they have the offensive line.

So Philadelphia has this uniquely built quarterback, short and a power lifter body, and then they have a great old line, so it works for them. That's the argument to keep it is they have personnel advantages. The argument to get away with it, get away from it, is it can be. be a bit dangerous when you have people. There's no evidence of that. It could be dangerous, but there's no evidence of Eagles run it 108 times. Injuries, where are there?

So this danger angle, I think you've got to talk about this angle. It's a repetitive play that's bad TV. I think every Eagles fan on the planet would argue against bad TV. It's automatic. They're running it at an 87% clip. I mean, it's working. It's automatic. Why would you want to ban it?

I just don't get that. Well, PATs were automatic. Kickoff touchbacks were automatic. were automatic. The league has a history of getting off of things that are boring. So are you surprised that because the Eagles have had so much success, other teams haven't been like, hey, we could

have a backup quarterback like a Taysam Hill, the R. Tust Push guy. Like, why not? Why didn't everybody copy the triangle offense with Phil Jackson? Because they didn't have Kobe or Michael. Didn't you ask yourself, everybody in the world, why does Phil Jack, why the Lakers are the only team running this brilliant offense?

Because Michael Jordan was unstoppable. in it and the only other player in league history that was 90% Michael was Kobe Bryant. And so a lot of it's personnel. You just put Jalen Hertz and then you might go Well, I think Jalen Hertz is a 600 pound power lifting 5-11 and a half guy that gets behind the best old line.

It's a personnel advantage. That's the Eagles best argument is we just got better players at this. And they do. They're uniquely built to, if Jalen Hertz is 6'6, it doesn't work as well. He's a target. Jaden Daniels is not a player I would do this with because Jalen's more, he's got

thinner body frame. Remember the bills were doing it with Josh Allen. I hated it. I mean, Josh Allen's a tank. I hated it. I thought it was terrible for Buffalo. I think it makes him a target. He's holding the ball up. I think that's so uncreative. I mean, if they're the second best team in the league at doing it, that shows you the separation between the Eagles and the rest of the league. They have kind of hacked the push, and it works for them. And it's

unstoppable. Well, for instance, in baseball, Joe Madden created a defensive ship. And then a lot of teams, started copying the defensive shift and it hurt by the way it was effective and it hurt the aesthetics of the sport and so baseball's like this is not good for the sport it wasn't illegal Joe Badden just thought of it and thought we're gonna put the second baseman in right field but baseball looked at it after five or six years and said we got all these great players like Bryce Harper lining out to right field we want them on the basis the only reason you get rid of the defensive shift

it's bad for television so maybe that's it we wait five years of the push get five years of it, if it's that bad and ugly and boring, then maybe they outlawed. Listen, I got takes to that. Clearly. You can't throw a 76-mile-an-hour slider at me and not think I'm going to hit it out. Is that the gummy bears and stuff you're loading up on it? I already had

I already had a brand muffin with gummy bears in it today. I am eating so much sugar. You know, you look like you're carrying a couple more LBS over there, big guy. Okay, okay. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lye News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, F.S.1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, and of course, the IHeart Radio app.

Why should you listen to Kovino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too.

Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Kavino and Rich live on Fox Sports Radio on the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media. That's Covino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

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

And we were thinking I'm originally calling it One of the early names of our band Before Jonas Brothers This is how you guys remember it going down Yes I have a very different memory of this We were talking about a thing A bit for the podcast

For people could call in and say hey Jonas And then I wrote down on my little notepad Hey Jonas And offered it up as a potential title For the podcast But thanks for remembering that Guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sportslice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife-12 and the TikTok podcast.

network on TikTok. 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 podcast. So before Jimmy Butler went to the Warriors, and we thought that was the fit, and it's worked out. They won't again last night big. There was a lot of rumors about KD to the Warriors, and I just watched KD play in Chicago against the Sons. That team's got some fit issues and misses a true point guard, and that thing just doesn't work. but KD was on the Draymond Green podcast and talked about he was the guy that nixed

the KD to the Warriors deal because it was there for him. But as far as the Warriors, I just didn't think it was, you know, and then I didn't want to move and then as a player like me, I just cost a lot. I cost, I mean, me going into your team is going to make, it's going to be a whole new area of your team when I get to your team, you know what I'm saying? And that's a lot of work. Change. To the season, like I'm still of value, you know what I'm saying,

especially in my contract and just my production, that me just getting up and moving in the middle of season, it's going to be a big blow to any team I'm going to. It just don't make sense for either side right now to go through that. You know what I'm saying? When we just play the season out, and if that's a decision you want to make, you know, in the off season, then, you know, you figure it out.

Yeah, I mean, that makes sense. I will say, don't you, now you're, what are you, looking at. What don't you like about? Because I think Phoenix is broken. Maybe I misheard. Did he just say it would be very difficult if I just changed teams midseason, that team would have to be blown up? We just saw Luca Donchitz get traded midseason.

Jimmy Butler, midseason. Both those teams are thriving now, Colin. What the hell is he talking about? Who would be too difficult for me? Kevin Durant, what are you even talking about, dude? Well, I thought Jimmy Butler was the perfect fit. I thought was a perfect fit. I think Luca fits LeBron.

I think they've done the KD thing. There's no going home again. I think they did it. But couldn't he have gone anywhere else and easily fit in? Hell, Detroit Pistons are one of the hottest teams in the league. Couldn't he have gone to Detroit and help them be a top five team in the east or something crazy? Top four? I don't know. Well, we don't know that that many teams went after him. We know that Golden State was interested.

And I think his take was, I've done that. Which is, which is, it's, you know, there are certain places in my life I've been. there's no reason to go back. I get the, I don't need to do that. Again, I think Kevin Durant really wishes Phoenix would have worked, and it didn't, and it hasn't, and they're missing a point guard. Is that some of that on Kevin Durant, though? I don't think he's been the problem.

I don't think sometimes, like the Bradley Beale thing did not work. That just didn't work. I thought it would. It did not. I watched them play against the Bulls, and it's so obvious when you watch them in person is you have Durant in the corner and Boozer on the wing, and when they try to initiate the offense, it doesn't work.

And so they need a point guard, and Bradley Beal's more of a two guard. So it just, the Phoenix thing's not going to work. Colin, last night, they lost a game 151 to 148. Okay, they had five guys scored 20 more points. I think they shot 57% from three. And they lost. They got bigger problems than a point card. I think some of this, Kevin Durant has to take some ownership of this.

They got swept by Minnesota last year. He got swept at the end in Brooklyn by Boston. Remember that? Tatum and those guys laughing at it. him. Kevin Durant needs to get his active, and I'm a huge KD fan. But at some point, you've got to take ownership. Hey, man, I haven't been good enough. I think it's always.

I always feel this with Kevin Durant. Byer, beware. You know what you're getting. He doesn't want to be vocal. He's not going to be the leader. You know, it's sort of like you know what you get when you get Aaron Rogers. You're going to get a little bit of an older, prickly player who could be a little passive aggressive. You know that going in. So are you built for that? LeBron is a, I'm going to be the new ecosystem of the franchise. I'm going to talk to the press.

I'm going to push back. It's my ball. I'm going to initiate. That's not who Kevin is. Kevin's more Aaron Rogers. Sometimes he can be a little prickly. He can be a tad moody. They're both remarkable talents.

But I often, and this is nothing against Matt Isbia, you know, the owner. He came in. He was going to be hyper-aggressive. Totally appreciated. I just met his brother this weekend. They're aggressive guys. I appreciate that. But I think not every player is built the same. When you brought A-Rod in as a baseball player, he was not Jeter.

He was not a foundational piece. He's not the leader in the clubhouse. He is a superstar player that needs to be appreciated, and there are certain things with A-Rod that you have to be ready for. And it worked. And that's not a criticism. We're all different personalities. And so I think you just, you have to be fair to Katie.

When you bring Katie in, I would prefer to bring Katie in if I have certain elements already in place. Right. And I think Golden State had those, but I think Katie deep down said, I did it. I've been there. I done it. I won titles. I was MVP. Why repeat it?

Colin, you know as you grow up and mature and get older, like you change. That's normal. Life is change. Has Kevin Durant changed at all? I don't know. He's still the same guy. I just want to get buckets. I just want to hoop.

Like, that's what it's been his line forever. But that's some players, that's what they want. I, you know, I, bro, he's 36 years old. It's almost over for KD. It's, you got no more chance for it with legacy or whatever crap you want to call it. I find myself defending him. I think I don't know him, but I think he's a different personality. And if you inherit him or you trade for him, just know what you're getting.

And he doesn't want to be like in Brooklyn. He's like, hey man, I'm going to give up on this dynasty because I don't care about trophies. I'm going to go play with my friend. I didn't get it at all. It did not work. But that's who he is. People, people, what Maya Angelou say, people tell you who they are. Listen.

Yeah. He's telling you who he is. Hour three, we're going to the NFL Com. My next. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin.

And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. Nice. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

We get to ask other people. questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.