The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - LeBron, Bucks-Nets

Episode Date: April 1, 2022

Do the Lakers need to trade LeBron James?What to take from the Bucks win over the Nets last nightGuest: Kelvin Sampson Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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 a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Hurd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. What up? Welcome in. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening to show. I'm Doug Gottlieb, filling in for Colin, live at the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana. Welcome in. We've got a great show for you. It's our two. Kelvin Samson, head coach of the Houston Cougars, and join us in a moment. getting you ready for Duke, Carolina, three of this season, and the first time they've ever met in the tournament.

Then you have Kansas and Villanova. Ooh, that a tasty matching. We have NBA news. Feels like LeBron NAD both be on the floor tonight for the Lakers. Got some NFL news as we continue to react to Bruce Ariens retiring, coinciding with Tom Brady returning. and if we buy what Bruce Ariens was selling us yesterday. Welcome in. Let's get right to it.

Kelvin Samson has been to a Final Four as Oklahoma's head coach. He's now, he's been to a Final Four as Houston's head coach. This year they lost in the lead eight after losing arguably their two best scores early in the season. Like, unbelievable year. And Kelvin joins us on the Doug Gottlie, excuse me, in the herd on Fox Sports Radio. and coach now we're, you know, we're like a week removed from losing that game. How much is still replaying in your mind, shot after shot, that you felt like normally you make, you don't make, and you end up going home? I did some of them last night, actually, does.

You know, I think every coach goes into every game with a game plan of how you, you know, who you want to attack, what match up you see. felt like you had some kind of advantage in, whether you did or not, actually, you think you do. But we got a, it was a great game. It was, it was two cultures colliding. And, you know, if you told me afterwards that we would hold them to 28% for the, hold them to five for 20, I think they were five for 21, maybe, which was a lot better in our one for 20 that we would lose.

I probably wouldn't have believed it. All that stuff. But, you know, I've always been a huge admirer of Jay Wright over the years. I think he represents everything that's good about college basketball and coaching and building a program. And I guess if we were going to lose to somebody, that's a great program to lose to it. That was stung. You know, that's, that was the team that just kept getting better and better and better.

You know, sometimes you slot guys in the right spots and they're able to grow. They buy into how we want to play. They've got to be unselfish. And I think that selflessness showed when we play. You can tell a team that plays for each other that really buys them, just from their effort on the defense had been to the floor. And I thought that was probably where our strength lie this year. What's that like to stand there in the sideline and just, like, your kids, it was not

for lack of effort, right? Like, as you said, you hold them to historically low numbers. You just couldn't make a shot. What's that? It's almost like a helpless feeling. Well, the game before we're playing Arizona. And there were a game playing against, in the game before that, Illinois, game before that, Alabama, Birmingham.

Tyler Edwards made five threes against UAB. I think he made five more against Arizona. I think you know, the games just will worry you down a little bit.

You know, not every game you don't start fresh. You know, we played Arizona on Thursday night. I think we got back to the hotel like 1230, 1230, 1230, 1245, late, late Thursday, and then we turn around and play Saturday at 5. These kids aren't robots. You know, climbing that emotional mountain, climbing that getting up to the top again. It's not easy, especially when you get to a Sweet 16, Elite 8, you're playing another great team.

And I think that affected Villanova as well. You know, they're a good shooting team. We weren't a bad shooting team. I mean, we were in a great three-point shooting team all year, but we're certainly opportunistic. We made threes when we had to. Neither team could make the shots. You know, they shot 28%.

Colin Gillespie goes... And won! And they won. Colin Gillespie goes one for six. I mean, he may be my favorite player in college basketball this year. Justin Moore, you know, I mean, just... I think we, I can't remember what our free throw percentage was. I'm going to go out on the Laman's Day, not very good since we weren't a good free throw shooting team.

But they were 15 for 15. But, you know, both teams guarded. And when you did have an open shot, there was so much pressure to make that shot. The guy that we went at a lot with was Taj Moore. And he could get a shot. You know, he could get a shot. you know, we used him in that game a lot like we do the Illinois game.

He just couldn't make any of them. But like you said, Doug, it wasn't for lack of effort. But, you know, had we been playing a really good offensive team that maybe not a very good, deepest of the team, and Villanova could say the same, you know, maybe we would have both have looked a little bit better. But, you know, we had a really, really good team, easily could have advanced.

Villanova had a really, really good team. And then they outplayed us as much as it hurts and still hurts. Villanova deserved to win that game. I thought their toughness was, we looked at ourselves as a tough team, but they were a little tougher than us that day. Okay, so here's my question. You brought up the culture, and I agree with you, right? What you're able to do at Houston, you did it at,

Bazoo, you did it at Oklahoma, you did it in Indiana. Like, you know, is you build this culture. And Jay, like, those guys are almost, they are almost robots in how they've become programmed to their culture. It's actually a great thing to see, right? But as you and I both know, the landscape of the sport has changed dramatically, right? And now you're recruiting guys and having them for a year, some for two years maybe, and a lot of them have already been wired by other coaches. coaching staff because you're getting them from the portal. I guess my question is, how likely is it that you can continue and Jay can continue to build programs through culture when

oftentimes you have a completely new team from one year to the next? Well, I don't think, I can't speak for Jay, but I think, you know, we're not just grabbing the name from the portal, for instance, Doug. We played against Josh Carlton two years. Danny Hurley, I felt since an outstanding coach. He brought in this big kid Sonogo. That was a better player than Josh for how Danny wanted to play. We saw Josh play really well.

He had some COVID issues. He had some knee issues. He gained weight. He got out of shape. He didn't get the play. But we knew there was something there. And we also know he was a high level, high level kid that was not going to be any issues as far as being able to coach him, coach him hard or be an issue off the floor. So checkmarked.

So we went to Kyler Edwards. You know, we scrimmage Texas Tech for his three years, actually two of the three years. If we actually played Texas Tech his junior year that year that he transferred, and we recruited him out of high school. So we knew what we were getting there, check mark. The only question was Chajey Moore, but I trusted his coach, Rod Barnes. So I knew that with those three kids, they sit how we coached. And Tyler had a great relationship with a lot of the kids owned the team. So it wasn't a reach to bring those guys in. Now, we're in the middle right now of betting some guys to see whether or not we want to bring them in because our culture

is not going to change. You know, what we have to do a great job is evaluating, not recruiting. There's a difference in recruiting and evaluating. You know, we evaluate the kids that we would like to have in the program that we think that can, you know, handle this program, and then we go recruiting. So I think, you know, just like just like anything else when you hire somebody, you bet them, you make sure they're the right kind of person that can fit who you are and what you do.

And then there's no secrets. You know, when you were playing, Doug, and even before that, you didn't get on TV very often. So you had to, you know, it's blind faith with a lot of kids. Now everybody's games are always televised. So when we talk to kids about New Jersey Houston or Jay talks the kid about Villanova, it's not like you're hiding something.

right out there in plane, but I think the point you made, which is a really, really good one. I don't want people to miss it. It's the idea of the way in which you're able to be successful with transfers is you know the kid before he gets into the portal, right? Right. You're not going in blind and trying to figure out, because you don't have a lot of time to do the background research, to figure out what type of player he is, et cetera, et cetera. So, and obviously, you know, Rod Barnes is different when Tage, plays at Cal State Bakersfield and then transfers in, and you kind of got to take somebody's word for it, right,

and transferring up a level. Right. You've got to get lucky a little bit. A little bit, a little bit, but the, you know, your way of doing it is the way which is most successful. It's just hard because there are a lot of guys in. There's over a thousand kids in there now, and many of which you haven't laid eye contact on.

Let me ask you this. Duke and Carolina playing in a national semifinal. As somebody who's been around this year, entire professional life is somebody who's called Carolina home, right? What what how big is this for the sport? Because I do feel like like look college basketball everybody likes to say they love college basketball but the sport's gone through a lot and then the pandemic took away the tournament and you're looking for something to grab onto for the future to show the popular it feels big for the sport. You know it better than I do. Do you think it resonates as much?

even at this date. With Coach Kay's last year is the story. The fact that North Carolina is then it is like the first chapter in the story. You couldn't write this. Look at that Carolina Duke game at Duke, how Carolina dominated that game. No one would have ever thought Duke would be in the final four. And Carolina wasn't, but maybe a month removed for losing to Pittsburgh at home,

so nobody really anticipated them going on the run. The story is, Coach Kay's last year, are you kidding? He's going to have to beat North Carolina and get to the national championship game? No one would have ever thought that. Now, in the state of North Carolina, it's bigger than it is anywhere else. You know, people in Texas really don't pay much attention

with Duke or North Carolina, but they both have iconic names. When I think of North Carolina, I don't think of any of the players that played there. I always think of Dean Smith. When I think of Duke, I don't think of any of the players that played there. I think of Mike Chichesky. Because those two guys are brands into themselves. That's why I think the game is so big, is that Dean Smith made North Carolina.

Mike Cheschewski reinvented Duke. Now you have this collision of these. superpowers, and it happens to be in the first round. That's what's great for college basketball. You mentioned in the state of Texas. I don't know if people nationally understand how important the state of Texas is to basketball. There's six, I believe, McDonald's All-Americans from the Metroplex. That's Dallas-Fort Worth, right?

You guys made a bottom floor last year and Elite 8 this year. Baylor won the thing last year, right? And, you know, Texas, of course, won the Big 12 going back, Big 12 tournament going back a year ago. Like the movement and the talent in the state where you now coach and compete, how long go did this happen that people are just now becoming aware of all of the basketball talent? And, oh, yeah, by the way, like, if you haven't been to your new arena, they changed Hoffines into an incredible place to watch a game. SMU did the same with Moody.

Texas is open a new place. The investment in facilities, the investment in coaches, and the level of talent in the state of Texas. When did this happen? I think everything goes back to 1997 when the Big Eight collided with the Old Southwest Conference. And what was left was those four Texas schools that moved in with the eight big eight schools. And now you've got the Big 12. And the one thing about Texas is this is a prideful, prideful state. You know, the, the flagship program for the Big 12 was always Kansas.

So they set a high bar, you know, all the way back to 1957 with Walt Chamberlain. When you played, and I coached there, Doug, it was Roy William with all his great teams. He's a Hall of Famer. He ends it off to another Hall of Famer and Bill South. Texas schools looked at Kansas. So what did we have to do to be Kansas? Then you start looking at facilities. You go to Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, now Houston,

and there's other great programs in this state, too. But it comes down to competition. I remember Joe Kis Stiglione told a great story one time about the Lost Dogs and the football coaches at University of Texas and University of Oklahoma and I don't remember the football coach of Texas

but he got a big race and they said well what are you doing trying to keep up with the Joneses because the Oklahoma coach got a big race and the Los Angeles said we're not trying to keep up with the Joneses we are the Joneses That's the most Texas statement I've ever heard. Daryl, I think, was the coach there, right?

That's an amazing one. We are the Joneses. Yeah. So that in itself tells you all you need to do about Texas. It's amazing. Hope you well, man. Congrats on another great year. Thanks so much for joining us.

Okay, Doug. My pleasure. Thanks for having me on. Kelvin Samson is joining us in The Hurd. Coming up next, after the Lakers season is completed, how do you fix the roster? Do you trade LeBron James? We'll discuss next in the herd. Want more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search Hurd 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 what you're saying. Yep, that's me.

Clever 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, personal health, personal health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you're just a lot of it. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the Hardway with me, your host. and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

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

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Doug Ghaly, been for Colin. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, however you may be listening to the show. Thanks so much for making us part of your day. So tonight the Lakers are going to take on the Pelicans.

The expectations are Anthony Davis and LeBron James will play, although I think what we need is we need. Have you guys seen the Scott Hastings video that's gone viral that I posted and, I mean, it's crazy. He's got over 13,000 likes. Have you guys seen this? Scott Hastings was a great player. He played in Arkansas, playing the NBA. He covers the Nuggets for Altitude Network. And they were doing a pregame hit going back two days ago.

And the studio was asking him that Jamichael Green was playing. And he's just like, I'll ask him. He turns around. He goes, hey, Jamichael, you playing? He goes, nah, he ain't playing. Just ask the dude the easiest way, right? Great clip. You can follow me at Gottlieb show.

You can see it. But that's kind of what we need from Anthony Davis. We need somebody to sit there and watch him. warming up and just go like, hey, dude, you plan? So, um, Anthony Davis is expected to play tonight. LeBron James will play tonight. And the Lakers,

I don't think it's going to just be seamless. But the idea is, hey, you win a couple games. You get in a better spot for, so you solidify your spot in the play in. But you don't put together a LeBron James team with Anthony Davis and go and get Russell Westbrook. if the goal is simply to get to the plane or get to the playoffs. You just don't.

So at the end of this year, feels like there'll be a bit of a reckoning, right? And the Lakers, after they won the championship two years ago, they still turned over their roster. They've turned over their roster several times over. So they're going to have to do it again. When I say this, okay, it doesn't come from a place of malice. it's just a matter of factness with if you are to rebuild a team around LeBron James,

can you legitimately expect that team to win a championship? Because what happens is you get Shaquille O'Neal saying, well, if you trade LeBron James, you'll never win again. Well, that's not necessarily true. Miami's been to an NBA final since LeBron left. The Cleveland Cavaliers are obviously rebuilt. It takes a while. But what happens is you'll say like, oh, well, you know, you trade anything else, trade Anthony Davis, get rid of Russell Westbrook.

Look, if you trade Russell Westbrook by himself, you're not getting anything good back in return. There isn't an NBA team. Remember, the thunder are under the threshold for the cap. So they're going to have to do something creative here before the season's over in order to hit that floor. Because the salary cap doesn't just have a ceiling, it has a floor as well. got to spend over the floor. They wanted to stay out of the Russell Westbrook business so bad. They didn't, they don't want to send the Lakers a lifeline.

Nobody's didn't want to send the Lakers a lifeline. So getting rid of Russell Westbrook sounds easy. Hey, expiring contract. Somebody will take on $40 million. Maybe he never plays for them. Yada, yada, yada, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But the truth is that if you keep LeBron and trade everything else, one, LeBron with new teams, and granted it wouldn't be a new organization, but it'd be a new team,

generally takes a year, at least one season before it hits. Go and look at Miami. They didn't win until year two. Look at the Lakers. They didn't win until year two. Look at Cleveland when he returned. It's not an immediate thing. Bam, you win a title.

Now he's going to be 38 years old. The likelihood is even less severe. So you have to offer up the possibility. you got to think about train LeBron the end of the year. And as much as it feels like it would change the level of attractiveness to a Laker game, nothing's less attractive than an aging superstar who we like to think of as the greatest in the game. And some think of as the greatest of all time, but it just feels like a wonky fit anyway. No one's going to say LeBron James was a Laker.

LeBron James plays for the Lakers. There's a different. Kobe was a Laker. Magic was a Laker. Even Kareem who played for and won a title with the Bucks was a Laker. James Worthy's a Laker. Jerry West is the Laker. Elisor Baylor's a Laker's a Laker.

LeBron James played for the Lakers. Shaquille won a title with Miami. He's a Laker. He's a Laker. I would venture to say that even though he won a title and maybe they put his number up at the crypt, at crypto, I don't know if they're doing a statue out in front for the dude.

So with that in mind, if you trade LeBron James, if you can find a way to get a pirate's bounty in return, you have to consider it. And if it's a way of getting out of the Russell Westbrook business and not taking on more bad contracts in return, you have to consider it. Again, it doesn't mean unequivocally you do it. Hey, at the end of the year,

they're getting ready to Russell Westbrook. He won't play for the Lakers after this season. I don't see unless there's some dramatic tournament. round, which the likelihood is not strong. He ain't playing for the Lakers next year. I'm not saying LeBron will never play for the Lakers again. I'm saying you have to offer up the possibility. You have to be able to have big boy discussions.

Because if you think, hey, just trade out all those other pieces and build a team around LeBron because you're far away from winning a championship if you trade LeBron. My argument would be if you trade everybody else and put a new team. Team run LeBron, you're still probably that far away from winning a championship. Let's get to Ryan Music with the news. Is the herd line news. What do you got, Rhino? All right, Doug.

Let's just very quickly put this out, since it just came out, the World Cup draw is in. So the United States group is, group B, England, Iran, the United States, and then a to be determined qualifier that they believe, will come from three possible candidates, Wales, Scotland, or Ukraine. Wales and Scotland and England in the same draw, like that, I kind of like this. Can I pitch you on it? Sure. Okay.

I legitimately know nothing about our level of competency or. Neither do I. Yeah, I don't know anything. Okay. I'm not going to sit here and break down. I refuse to call it a pitch. It's a field. right?

But I can't tell you, like, what we're searching for in sports is rivalries. And rivalries are built on two things. History and hatred, right? All right, so what do we got here? England. Historically significant soccer. And there's some historical significance with the United States, right? There is a historic kind of friendship slash rivalry there.

That's good. then we got Iran that's kind of awesome right it's kind of awesome like Iran's a country that's a legit rival there's some legit hatred there

that works Scottler and Wales don't care who is the other one no those are it's a so there's still a qualifying I understand it's like playing games right it's like the playing so you got Scotland wheels and there's the third one

huh Ukraine Ukraine or the Ukraine yes that's beautiful I mean, I kind of like it. I don't know. It feels like we have a chance to advance too, right? Like, I would guess that England would have the greatest, they'd be the strong,

and we'd be the second. But I don't even care about that. World Cup I'll watch. Need rivalries. Have it with England. Need hatred. Have it with Iran. I like it.

I'm in. Okay. Listen, you sold me on it. That much you can guarantee. So we did a lot of baseball last hour. So let's dive in on some NFL here, Doug. The Rams, they're ready to run it back. They're signing former linebacker of the Seattle Seahawks, Bobby Wagner,

to a five-year $50 million deal. Could be worth up to $65 million with incentives. Also this offseason, added wide receiver Alan Robinson. Now, they did lose their starting left tackle, Andrew Whitworth, but he has been replaced by Joe Noteboom, who they re-signed and has been with the team for several seasons so far, and cornerback Darius Williams. and O'Do Beckham Jr. remains a free agent as he rehabs his torn ACL.

As of right now, it feels like the Rams are far and away the best team in the NFC. I do have some hesitation because very, very rarely do we ever look at who we think is the best team in April, and they're the one holding up the trophy come February. But the way the NFC is shaped and the offseason that they've had, to me, I mean, it'd be them or the Bucks, and they beat the Bucks, twice last season, and the Bucks haven't necessarily done anything to get better. They've just tried to retain as many players as possible, like a Chris Godwin, for example. But I like where the Rams are at right now.

I want to hold for a second, okay? Because here's what we got to remember, right? So they still have Cooper Cup. He's awesome. That's right. They still have, you know, they still have so many other their star, pieces. But they brought in a safety off the couch to save them in the postseason, and he's now back on the couch. Had they replaced that position? The answer is no. Andrew Whitworth retired.

Granted, wasn't great at that stage in his career, but what is his replacement like? There's a lot of key pieces, and O'Dell Beckham Jr. was a huge part of what they did until he tore his ACL. We don't know what happens there. Robert Woods is going to. on as well. And I know those guys have been sort of replaced, but again, how it all comes together is really interesting. And I do think you're underselling a little bit the Niners. We don't know about the quarterback situation. That's a damn good football team. Do they hang on to Debo Samuel? What do they do there? But they still have Nick Bosa. And then there's the Green Bay Packers, who record-wise have been the best team in the NFC the past two years. They seem to have fixed a lot of

the holes, there's obviously two very, very noticeable vacancies at a wide receiver. And right now, you're right. In April, Rams look better. But football games aren't played in April. They're also not played on paper. And I don't think any of this is complete. Listen, Doug, the USFL, there will be football games come in April, just not NFL games. Right. The point I'm making is, as of now, like, what is Green Bay doing? But there has to have been a plan. It has to be plan A, a plan B, and a plan C. There's no way that Aaron Rogers would have signed off on trading Devante Adams unless he felt good about their plan. I just don't know what the plan is. Totally.

And to your point, there was a lot of reporting last week, specifically from Tom Silverstein, who said that the Packers were under the impression that things were not going well with Devante, going back to last summer when they were trying to negotiate a contract extension, and they weren't able to come to terms. And they knew, for the most part, that it would take a lot of. convincing to try and convince him to come back. So it's not as if, as surprised and as shocked as fans and us in the media might have been. It does not appear as though that that was some wild shock to the Green Bay front office. Were you shocked by what you saw? No, they were shocked.

No, there had to been planned. They had to know what they were doing. Everybody had to be lockstep with it. And right now it does feel wonky. And it feels like, wait a second, you had Devonte Adams aren't going to be the best kind of league. And now you had no, what do you really, do people really think they didn't have a plan for this? Again, I don't know what it is. You know, is it Antonio Brown? Is it drafting Chris Olavé? Is it, you know, who do they plan on?

Like, how do they plan to do it? I don't know. But I'm guessing that both Devante Adams and Marcus Valdez scantling being gone had to be foreseen, for saw. Yeah. Had, there had to be knowledge that it was going to happen. What happens next? I would hope they have a plan A, plan B, and plan C for it.

Well, the succession plan for the New England Patriots was Mack Jones after losing Tom Brady. And Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, was talking about their soon-to-be second year starting quarterback, and he told the athletic, this year will be very telling. Just the way he handles himself, he took some real beatings and hopped up. He has developed a good relationship with the whole cast of wide receivers. I'm very happy with what I've seen, but this is a big year, the second year. I like Mac Jones. I think what we saw from him in his rookie season was good.

I mean, out of all the rookie quarterbacks that we spent half a year talking about last year leading up to the draft, he far and away had the most success. Now, was he put in the best position to have success? That's an entirely different discussion. But I do think we've seen good things from Mack. And look, the Patriots are obviously still need a serious difference maker on the offensive side of the ball. And that's what we saw from Mack at Alabama when he was at his basketball. best. I mean, he had like three first round picks that he was throwing to and an NFL caliber

offensive line and a great running game. Let me, let me stop you there. Let me give you a likely scenario here, okay? So the Patriots spent more money last year in the offseason than anybody had ever spent before, right? And they were able to do that because the year before, they just took the cap hits on the chin and they just figured out a way they had to revamp their roster, right? So they make the playoffs for them. Take a look at the rest of the league. The magical years of having a rookie quarterback under a rookie contract are years two, three, and four.

During those years, that's when you use the fact that you're paying your starting quarterback pennies in comparison to the rest of the league. Remember, the rest of the league is now paying quarterbacks up to $50 million. Mac Jones, do you know how much he costs against the cap this upcoming season? Dead cap money is 12-7, but his cap hit is $3.5 million. They only have to pay him $1.3 million in cash. So all of that money, that money doesn't go into Robert Kraft's pocket or Bill Belichick's pocket. That money is able to be spread around, spread around. And then you heard Robert Kraft talk about how excited he is for the draft.

Again, I don't know if it comes to fruition, but it's pretty obvious that the Patriots, they have a plan that they're trying to execute, right? Year one plan was you lose Brady, you get out of the Gront contract thing, so you get some cap relief, right? They trade away their best cornerback midseason last year because he's going to want a new contract. J.C. Jackson is gone. He won a new contract. So now you have all that money freed up and you have draft picks. right in year two of the rebuild my guess is they try and continue to to draft probably in the second third and fourth round right where there's there's value in the volume and not paying guys and then as you continue to build the roster over the next three years you can do so and load up with that star talent around mac jones because he's not he's making bubkis right counts three it three point five against the cap this year four point two against the cap following year and then four point nine in his in his fourth year these are the magical years, this is what you build for. And if you don't have to have the greatest quarterback in the world, you just have to be competent and you can build a roster around it.

And do people who think the Patriots can't build a competent roster around a quarterback, what do you think they did for 20 years with Tom Brady? That's Ryan Music with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Some games are different, some moments are different, especially in the NBA, where many games feel like nobody cares who won or how they played.

Last night was different in Brooklyn. I'll tell you how and why next in the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Hurd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Mike check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game? What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson.

Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball. basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things who's culture that you will not find anywhere else. So make your next move, your best move.

And tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see

there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own

experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Doug Godley been for calling this the herd on Foxport Trader, the iHeartRadio app, wherever you may be. However you may be listening to part of the show. We're live at the Final Four at Radio Row in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Superdome is the site of the Final Four. Give me pretty cool. I used to call these like Cologne Games, right? And the idea of Cologne Games, music, do you wear Cologne? on a daily basis. There are some guys that wear cologne like every day. My issue with cologne every day, and I learned this lesson when I was in high school. I went to high school at Tustin High School in Orange County, and there was a guy in high school who used to wear Dracard Noir. Do you guys remember to do you guys? They're like, oh, I remember that. That was like my first cologne, right? So,

Dracard Noir and literally wore it every day. And wore it every day. And wore it. And wore it. And wore, you Or it to the extent of where, you know, the rule with cologne, right? Like, if you can, if you smell cologne on yourself, you got too much cologne on, like, I mean, it was just pungent. It was, it was too much. It was a good lesson in, don't wear cologne every day because every, you just, that becomes your signature smell and people can smell you coming in. And though it's nice and refreshing, it just, it felt like too much. And that's what I learned about putting on too much cologne. So I'm not a cologne every, music, are you a cologne every day sort of, sort of fella?

No, I am not. I am very much the, I tell my wife, like, on a date night, I'll be like, Cologne tonight, and then she'll be like, yeah, that sounds good. That sounds good. That sounds good. You might have a good and finish to the night if it's a Cologne night. Well, the NBA is much the same way, right? Every night is not a Cologne night.

I'm not going to sit here and pitch you on, oh, tonight, there's a huge NBA game, right? And I'm not saying that players don't take it seriously. I think they play harder than you think, but not as hard as you. would like. And when a game is over, there seems to be a little bit too much chumminess at times. Some games, you can't tell who won, who lost. Last night was different. If you remember last year in the playoffs, you remember last year in the playoffs, the nets were dominating the bucks, and then Kyrie got hurt. They were dominating the bucks, then Kyrie got hurt. I don't know.

They fell behind to the Sons. Then again, another comeback. They ended up winning, what, was it, six games last year? And Janus was incredible in the closeout game. Last night was a Cologne game, right? Last night was a game where everybody, that was it, it was a big game for Milwaukee, frankly, a big game for Brooklyn. Karee playing in his home gym.

Kyrie and KD. back on the floor together against the Bucks. And Janus was the best player on the, planet and the Bucks won the game. And though it doesn't mean that the Bucks will absolutely win a series against the Nets, it does. It means last night went SEC. It meant more.

It meant more. Because, you know, one of the presumptions over Janus is you can do all that stuff over inferior teams, but what happens when you run up to a team, you know, that has a guy who can match you shot for sure? shot and maybe even be better than you shot for shot. I mean, the guy was incredible last night. 44, 14, 6 assists. Like, it's a joke how good he was.

It's a joke. He made a three. He made 15 of 19 free throws. He did have eight turnovers. Like, it was a full day, the amount of, the volume of touches. KD missed one down, missed a big one down the stretch. He had 26 and 11 assists and seven boards. had six turnovers in his own right, so he wasn't perfect.

But last night was a Cologne game. And honestly, I kind of feel like tonight's a Cologne game for the Lakers. This one matters. All the other stuff, it doesn't get erased and doesn't get eliminated. But at least you can create a narrative of, hey, we have LeBron, we have A.D., we have Russ. We have all these guys together. It's all going to be okay in the end once we're healthy. New Orleans is a point and a half favorite, by the way.

Point a half favorite. Love the Cologne games. Tooie feels like a Cologne every night sort of guy. How did you know that? Are you a Cologne everyday guy? I am. I am. What is your Cologne of choice?

Maybe, I mean, Collins following is so big, we'll probably get you a lifetime supply. What's your Cologne? No, mine is, it's the John Varvatos Black. Varvatos? Barvatos. Barvatos, yeah. Is it Varvatos? Have I been mispronancing it this whole time?

What do you say? I thought it was Vervatos. Maybe it is. Music, I need you're much younger. I don't even know. I don't even remember. You know what? You're probably right.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't do that. Don't, don't, don't do the host says it, so I got to be right. I literally have, I have no idea. I really don't either. Don't look to me to break the tie because I don't have a clue. Well, somebody's got to know. Well, I'm sure somebody knows, but unfortunately the three of us, nobody has the answer.

We'll ask the internet. How about that? Okay, is it varvados or varvados? Right? Was that, was it yours? Yours was varvvvvvv. Yeah, I thought it was, I always said varvatos, but I think you could be right, Varvados. I also feel like Colognes are a lot like, you know how, and I don't know if you guys are like, like, you can't wear like Nike shoes and Adidas sweats.

You just can't do that. No. You can't do it. Can't mix brands. There are some brands like you, like you can mix Lulu pants with Nike shoes. You can't mix a shoe company shoes with a shoe company sweats or sweatshers, right? Like, we're okay with that? The good old fashioned Google machine says varvetos.

Okay. There you go. Okay. So I've been saying it wrong for 20 years. Good. Good thing it's your favorite cologne, though. But I'm not, but see, here's the thing. I'm not a, like, four or five spray guy.

I'm like a one or two. It's just like an extra scent to get you through the day, right? I got it. That's all. I got it. I got it. And look, if it smell. And most any of the, you may not love everybody's cologne, but it smells nicer than the

natural body odor of dudes, especially when we're sitting around studio. I disagree, Doug. All natural. Two his pheromones do it for you? Is that what you're saying? Look, we can all be McConaughey's over here, okay? McConaughey is a no deodorant dude who he is a, he is, he's El Natural, but to a point that's too much so, right?

Has he ever been in studio with Colin? Not in studio now. But we've all heard the stories, right? Oh, yeah. Pungent. Yeah. Pungent. Pungent.

But somehow it works. Yeah, there's... Does it? Does it work? No. Of course it doesn't work. Of course it doesn't. There's nobody who walks away from a dude that has the natural B.O. going like, you know what?

Kind of into that dude. I think I see it. I think I see it there. I get it. I'm going to do that myself. Every time I forget deodorant, it's the grossest thing ever. You're just like, man, I can't wait to get back to the house to throw on. a little just a swipe of something.

Like, I think deodorant's the opposite of making your bed. Like, once you get past, we'll get to this next hour. Plus, Bruce Ariens stepped down. Do we buy the BS he was selling? I don't tell you why next in the hurt. Another podcast from some SNL

late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer or street or sidel, 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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.