The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - MVP, Chris Paul

Episode Date: May 5, 2022

Top 10 MVPs in the NBA right now Chris Paul doesn't get the respect he deserves Guest: Mark SchlerethSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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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 Clifers Show.

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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 Foxxport's. Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It is hour two.

We are live in Los Angeles. And the show is called The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Todd Bulls, new head coach, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, going to be joining us last hour. Alex Curry is sitting in for Joy Taylor, who's in Miami today, getting an honorary doctorate, which is, I'd like to get an honorary... Right? Bachelor of Science.

That's pretty epic. I left college 12 credit shy. You didn't finish. No, I got a job. It was a play-by-play job way above my skis. I meant to what you want to do. Yeah, so I left. I got all my experience doing my behind-the-scenes work.

I didn't do broadcast journalism in college. I played soccer. So I got the degree, played sports. Yeah. Did everything in my experience. Yeah, so she's going to get an honorary doctor. So cool. Good for her.

Dr. Joy. She's doing tomorrow, Joy has a commencement. commencement speech. Is it Barry University? I think it's called Barry University. It's a small private. That sounds right. Yeah, Barry University, small private in Miami or she was like a track star. So, you know, basketball is funny. This is where I'm, I totally separate from people on the internet. So for me, like basketball, I want guys who play defense. That's why I never really bought into like the Westbrook phenomenon or the James Hardin phenomenon like everybody else. They just play no defense.

Carmelo Anthony, I never bought into him. He'd score 28. He'd give up 24. No leadership. I think leadership matters. I think do you play at least some defense? Are you good late? Are you dependable?

Can you be somebody I can build a culture around? But everybody in this basketball world, I feel like I'm on an island of sanity, everybody's like, triple double! Russell Westbrook has never been the most valuable player on his own team. He's the most talented in Oklahoma City when Durant left. But I don't think he translates to value. So I just don't get it. So I was thinking of all the players left right now in the NBA.

To me, here's my top 10 most valuable players. Valuable. I would start with Draymond Green. He is after Steph Curry the most, he's the heart and soul of this franchise for 10 years. he always shoots well in the playoffs. He's shooting almost 55%. And they've outscored opponents by 70 points when he's on the floor and been outscored significantly when he's not.

So Draymond Green 10. Number nine, Jimmy Butler. Now, Jimmy's a great athlete and he tends to be a very good post-season player. Like he steps his game up in the playoffs, which I love. He outscored Trey Young in that series. He's an athlete more than a closer. You could even see last night. He's a guy I think you can build a culture around because he's so committed to defense.

He's so committed to playing hard every night. So Jimmy Butler number nine. I would say Devin Booker is eight, a better offensive player than Jimmy Butler. And he's averaging almost 25 a night. You saw how valuable he was in the playoffs when he was gone for a couple games. He's there get a bucket guy. And this is the simplest way to put it. They're 52 and 10 when Chris Paul and Devin Booker play.

So this is, when these guys are both hitting their shots, this back court is lethal. You get the athletic two, you get the feisty IQ one, the mid-range guy, Devin Booker at 8. Number seven would be Luca. I think he's a defensive liability. His fourth quarter success can dip like last night. But he is, on any given night, the great score in the league. You can't stop him. There's a hardened quality.

He's a bigger, stronger, harden. that he just take, I mean, he can get 45 points a night and it doesn't feel like it's that strenuous. So, I mean, he's averaging also four made threes per playoff game. That is a ton. Number six, I'd rate him higher John Morant because I think he maintains his energy throughout. And he also leads all remaining players in clutch scoring. That is a very, I don't have the numbers in front of me. I believe that's a very rare accomplishment for a player this young to lead the playoffs in clutch

scoring. He also is a very good rebounder. When he came into the league, I said he's Westbrook, but a more self-aware player and a much better facilitator. He's average an eight assists in seven straight playoff games. So I do worry about his sustainability because he's 174 pounds and he finishes too often, in my opinion, at the rim, but I put him six. I would put Jason Tatum 5 much better defensive wing.

He's really built himself into a great defensive player on the wing. He outplayed KD in that series. Second most point scored in NBA history by a player before he turned 23. He was friends with Kobe. He practiced with Kobe. Kobe kind of monitored him and mentored him. He just gets a little better every year. And again, I think he's a guy you can build a culture around.

He wins the right way, practices. the right way. A number four, Steph Curry, like Jimmy Butler, always seems to get to the playoffs and say, all right, let's put the playoff gloves on and just plays a little better. He's the leading score for the best offense in the playoffs. And, you know, what do you want to say? I think he's the best shooter and the best ball handler in the sport. And when he's healthy, there's just nothing quite like him in the history of the league. A number three, because you get, you can get the mid-range game and the download scoring. I would say Joe L.M. Bitt, I do worry about sustainability long term, but he's giving you 30 and 10 in

playoff games. And he can be a force inside. He can be an intimidator. He can pull up and give you a jumper. You know, he's the closest thing to Shaq in the league. He is just a powerful force on both ends and a rim protector. Number two, you saw it again last night, Chris Paul, leads every single playoff player in fourth quarter scoring. The fact that the narrative is he's not clutch. He's out. actually the most clutch guy in the playoffs in the fourth quarter last couple of years. Blame some of his struggles on Blake or Doc Rivers or James Hardin. Don't blame him. And he's nine and one in his career against Luca.

He not only dominated the fourth, he went after Luca. He sought Luca. He attacked Luca. Chris Paul. And number one, I think he's the best player in the game. And I felt that since the end of last year. Many people felt that three years ago. He'd be my MVP, Yonis.

Listen, Chris Middleton got hurt. And the five games, he got hurt for blowout wins. So best defensive player at any moment in the NBA on the defensive end, most dominating closer on the offensive end. He is now with increased ball handling over the last several years. They're a facilitator. His assists go up. I also think, you know, Boston's making it difficult for him.

So this is going to be a little ugly and inartistic series. But to me, he's the best guy in the league. You know the other thing I like? when you look at all these guys, all good dudes. I know you all think Draymond's a villain. But sports is in a really good space right now. Now, Luca can get feisty with refs with a fan last night.

But by and large, I'd be incredibly comfortable building my culture around this. I'd trust these guys. I'd pay them. If I was an apparel company, I'd have them as endorsers. I'm not going to get in trouble. These are really smart.

high IQ, self-aware. Most of these guys, Luca's so young. He's kind of figuring things out. Right now, Luca doesn't pace himself quite like Chris Paul does, whereas he gets three points. Chris Paul's scoring in the playoffs.

Three points in the first quarter, five in the second, third, and then 10 in the fourth. Like Chris, Chris has been playing this game so long. There was a break last night for Phoenix. There was a fast break opportunity. And Chris just said, no, I'm just going to play at my own pace. He completely controls the 10.

tempo of the game. Nobody does it like Chris Paul. Mark Schlereth, three Super Bowl champs, two pro bowlers. So the draft is over, and here we sit as you live in Denver and do your morning show. And I put up a stat earlier. I said, it's just the way it works, is that it's recency bias. So when Brady was in New England the last year, everybody said he's washed. And then you watch him with an offensive coach.

and you're like, no, you're not. And then in Stafford and Detroit, it's like, yeah, we've seen the best of him. And then he went to McVeigh, and you're like, oh, no. And then I put up Russell's stats. We all said he was washed. His stats are better than Stafford and Brady in his last year at his place. And he was hurt last year. And so I think there's a lot of people out there that are like, well, we've seen the best of them.

And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. He's never had an offensive coach. He's never had this receiving core. Good God, he's never had this running game. what are realistic expectations. You tell me as somebody who spent years in this league, what are your expectations for Denver? Oh, my expectations are the playoffs.

And I don't know if they're going to win the division. I still think Kansas City is probably a class of the division. And that's like, you know, saying that's like eating a turd sandwich for me. But I'm okay with that. So I still think that the class of the division. But you look at the work ethic that Russell Wilson brings. You look at the division. You look at just the way he walks in there.

brings that team together, a team to me that lacked exactly what you were talking about. Culture. You talked about those young NBA players and the way those NBA players kind of, you know, not Chris Paul's not young, but you know what I'm saying, the way they lead their team, the way they build their culture. Russell Wilson comes in here, and I'm talking to George Payton the other day, the general manager of the Broncos. I go, man, how refreshing is it to have this guy?

He goes, I'm a grinder. I walk in this building every morning at 5 o'clock. I pride myself on that. I walk in, Russell's already here. He's already working. And it's not for show. You know, he does the stuff behind the scenes that you don't see. And I know he's polished.

And I know people, hey, he's quirky or he's nerdy or whatever you want to talk about. Russell Wilson, he's all of those things. But there is nobody that works harder from a preparation standpoint, from putting the work in, from leading his teammates. Like I look at the Broncos and that young receiving corps that you talk about. I think they thought they were working hard. I think they thought they were preparing. I think they thought they were studying hard. And then Russell comes in and they go, wow, we've got to pick up our game because we're not even close.

That's the culture shift that has happened in Denver. And I can't tell you, I mean, the excitement here in Colorado is palpable, man. People are so excited about this football team. It's because of number three. You know, Ryan Tannehill came out and said, you know, it's not really my job to develop my replacement. He got a ton of pushback. I defended him on my podcast. I defended him here.

He's an old 34. He just lost at home. He's fighting for his career. What was your takeaway on it? See, I've always felt like in my own career. Like, I have enough confidence, if you will. And confidence, it's not arrogance. Like, people will say, hey, that's arrogant, what I'm about to say.

But it comes from a place of confidence because I know I've done the work. I know I've done the preparation. I know I've done the study. I know I've put my time in. And so I don't care how young you are or how physically are. You're not better than I am. And so I always looked at it from my position. Like, I'm going to help you become the best player that you can become,

but you're still not better than me. And I don't know that quarterbacks necessarily have that same kind of perspective. Because if you go through this, like, we all want our athletes to tell the truth until they tell the truth, right? And then we want them to lie. And I'd like, like, Tanhill in this particular situation, to lie about. about it. Yeah, I'll mentor him because you are going to mentor him. You're going to do your study. You're going to do your preparation. When he asks you a question, you're going to answer it, right? That's going to happen. But look through history. Did Brett Farr want to mentor Aaron Rogers?

No. I mean, they just recently made up a few years ago. I could tell you a story about Joe Montana. Joe Montana had no interest in Steve Young and mentoring Steve Young, to the point where Steve Young asked Mike Shanahan, who was coaching the quarterbacks at the time, like how does Joe get through his progression so quickly so Mike went to ask Joe and this story comes directly from Mike Mike wins to ask Joe hey you know Steve Young was wondering how you're going to get how you get through your progression so quickly and Joe's answer was I ain't telling you squat if it's for him like like like so this is this is kind of prototypical and I and I hope that story is true because I don't want to besmirch Joe but we know there was tension there right right

There was tension. Hey, Peyton Manning will be the first to admit, man, I'm a rep hog. I want every single rep. It's mine. And I think there's a little bit of a different mentality that goes there. So, you know, I think Ryan Tannenhill was honest. Frankly, I'd like him to lie about that and say, yeah, I'm going to do everything I can to help the kid out. But I think there's, I think it's positionally, it's a little bit different, if you will. I'm kind of embracing that. know, positionally, I think especially. There's only one quarterback in a roster, and if they have questions, your career's over. The Debo-Samuel situation, to me, was really, really interesting. So they were offered, the Detroit Lions called the Niners and said, we'll give you our first and our second. And those are good picks. And they're cheap labor, right? Because they're going to be paying a lot of money to Trent Williams and Kittl and all that stuff.

And they said, no. And it's interesting. I think if I was Debo, if you paid me what I wanted to be paid, then I would do the running back receivers thing. All right? I mean, the more you pay me, the more I'll do. What did you make of it, though? He's clearly saying, I don't like carrying the ball.

I get hurt. I mean, that game against Green Bay last year, Mark, and Debo was a big dude. He is yoked. He was beat up. I mean, he was, I mean, you could, you could, I was wondering during that game, Is he going to play next week?

What do you make of the whole situation with Debo and the Niners? Yeah, I look at it very much like you look at it. I think Debo is saying, man, I don't want to be paid to be a weapon. I want to be paid to be a wide receiver. And you understand the longevity of being a player in the National Football League is greatly diminished when you play a bunch of snaps at running back. I picked up the ball once, Colin, and ran. with it and I thought I was going to score a touchdown until about 14 guys hit me all at once.

And I was laying at the bottom of the pile. The only reason I didn't fumble is because they had a pinned against my chest. I thought to myself, note to self, don't ever do that again, you dumbass. Like that, I'm not going to ever be in that position again. So, like, you take a beating. And Debo Samuel is a fullback that has four-four speed. He's incredible with the ball in his hands. But I think it comes down to exactly what you said. Man, I want to get paid. and the likelihood of me getting paid as a weapon, they don't pay weapons. You know what they pay? The ex-receiver that lines up on the weak side, outside the numbers,

and draws the number one corner and safety help over the top. That's the guy they pay. Devante Adams. Slot receivers, they don't pay. They never have, and they probably never will. You know, I'll look at on the defensive side of the ball. Nickelbacks. You know, a nickel corner, your third corner,

comes in and draws the toughest assignment. Because when you're in man-to-man coverage and you're a nickel defender, you're always off the ball, the receiver's off the ball, so you can't press him. He's got a two-way go. He can cut outside. He can cut inside. He can go over the top. You don't have that sideline as a defender, right? You've got to cover them all over the field. You've got to be able to play zone. And oh, by the way, when you're a nickel defender, you're replacing the weak side linebacker. So now I have to understand all the run fits. And I've got to be able to to defend the run. And oh, by the way, the nickel defenders, they don't pay those guys. They pay the big time corner who goes outside the ball that travels with the ex-receiver.

That's who they pay. And so why would you want to play that position when it's the toughest position in football, you know, on the defensive side of the ball, and you're not going to get paid to play it? I want to move to the outside. And so I think Debo is in a situation. He's like, man, I want to play wide receiver and I want to get paid like an ex receiver. I don't want to be your slash weapon guy and make half the money and do more work and have a shortened career. So I understand where he's coming from. Yeah. By the way, just 30 seconds here, Mark.

Broncos are for sale. I've heard Kanye West. I've heard entertainment stars. What is the latest on that? Who's buying that? It's a great, great franchise. Who's buying the Broncos? Yeah, I mean, I don't know, but right now that Magic Johnson is rumored to be in one of the groups right now,

which I think would be, like, I think that would be tremendous. There are three or four guys. I think Rob Walton is one of them, Harris, the guy that owns a stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, I believe is one of those guys. You know what? Your guess right now is as good as mine, Colin. but as sooner the better that they get this done because

Russell Wilson is going to need a long-term contract and I think you're going to have to have an owner sign off on that. Good stuff. Mark Schlarith and Evans Mornings, Denver, big radio show. Good seeing you, buddy. You too, but. Take care, man. Yeah. It is funny when you look at the Brady-Stafford Russell numbers

is that, you know, if a quarterback has a down year, you're like, oh, well, he's done. We forget Brady's last year in New England, and our guys put it up on the screen. I mean, Tom completed 60% of his throws. Like that you're getting to a point now that that's like what bad quarterbacks are in that 5960. Tom's last year in New England, he had an 88 passer rating.

Like those are bad. Those are just, that's not even pro bowl numbers. You don't even get the back. You're not one of the three quarterbacks. Certainly not in the AFC. So you just, you forget. And then you look at Staffords and they're better because he's a little bit more in his prime. But, you know, look at Russell's numbers in Seattle.

Defensive coach, brutally tough division, and he got hurt. If those numbers, if my guess today, we should put this on tape. Are we taping this, Ryan? Is this taped? My guess is 66 completion percentage, pass a rating still about 103, 35 touchdowns, 7 intercept. because the division's already good. I think you'll see a 15 to 20 percent elevation with all those numbers. I think the pass the rating at 103 is that's Hall of Fame stuff.

But his completion and TD interception ratio, just like Stafford and Brady's, will absolutely pop. I mean, Denver's got like really good weapons. And they just drafted probably the second best tied end in college football from UCLA, who's a vertical presence, so he'll replace Noah Fant. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day. seven days a week within the iHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered, comedy. 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 Cliverts Show on the Eye Heart

Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind Podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. USFL action continues Friday as the Philadelphia stars battle the Michigan Panthers at 10 Eastern on FS1, then Saturday at 7 Eastern on Fox. Todd Haley's Tampa Bay Bandits take on Skip Holtz and the Birmingham Stallions. All right, two things I have to talk about. Number one, it's kind of funny.

So like a lot of you on social media, I follow certain people. I follow everybody from comedians, an occasional politician, a lot of news people, some sports personality, some athletes. And I don't know why this is. But every spring and summer, my Twitter account is taken hostage by New York Mets Twitter. And I have no idea why. Why? The Yankees are the more popular team in New York. The Yankees have, you know, the gold standard. I got nothing but Met fans all over my Twitter. I have a few Dodger fans, no Red Sox fans. St. Louis Cardinal fan, never see it. Maybe people in St. Louis are not on social media or

find it tedious. I don't know what it is about my Twitter account. All these, there's so many celebrities and politicians and news people that I follow that apparently are all Mets fans. I don't know how it's possible, but I'm trying to figure out a way to get a hold of Elon Musk and say, is there a filter that I can filter out New York Mets Twitter? It takes over my account. All right, here's the second thing. So yesterday on another network, there was a show. And I don't know Chris Rousseau.

He's a broadcaster, a radio guy. I supposed to be a wonderful guy. And then it was J.J. Reddick, who's a very good basketball player, podcaster, great podcaster. And I basically Rousseau was saying nobody likes Draymond. He's too much, too much. And J.J. Redick was saying people love him. What are you talking about? And so I talked about this, not on the air yesterday.

I'm talking about it now, but I talked about it on my podcast. And I said, I didn't talk too much about Rousseau because I don't know him, but I said about J.J. Redick, I said, I've been told he doesn't like me. I'm totally cool with it. It will never change my opinion. My personal, I know a lot. of athletes who hate me. And I know executives who hate me. I know I get screamed at by agents all the time. But I was told JJ didn't like me. And I was like, so. He's still an amazing,

amazing broadcaster. It's very hard to do anything in this country at a high level, like two things. Like Randy Moss tried to play basketball. Michael Jordan tried to play football. But JJ Reddick is, in Draymond Green to me, are literally the best right now at this. The ability to be confrontational with a smile when they're on the air. That is really hard to do. Sometimes people who are confrontational are not likable. But JJ Redick will go after people on his network and he's smiling and he's kind of sly about it.

So I just, I just, I'm throwing it out there. But I want to let you guys know that if you can't stand me, I understand there is a brigade, a large contingent of athletes, agent, and coaches and executives who don't. It will not skew my opinion of you. So it's J.J. Reddick is always welcome. No, now he works for that network, so they won't let him on this network. But those are the two things. So Elon Musk, please create a New York Mets filter.

Please, I beg of you. My Twitter account is awash in Max Scherzer thoughts. And then, and also J.J. Ruddick's a really good broadcaster. Right out of basketball. He was playing a couple years ago. right out of it. Smart guy. Yeah, it just, it's, it's hard.

You're asking somebody, okay, you were great at this. Go be great at that. But there's some athletes that you can tell, just interviewing athletes for a decade. You can tell when you're interviewing them, they're going to be a great broadcaster. So I was interviewing RG3. He's at another network, too.

Yeah, he's great. And, you know, I don't track all these athletes broadcasting careers, but I sat down and interviewed him. And one of the things that always attracts me to people, all people, if I ask you a question that's kind of weird and I have a tendency to be weird and ask weird questions that you've actually thought of it. It doesn't matter if your answer is right. I don't care. Yeah. But if even executives at this company, if I go up to Eric Shanks and say, I got a question,

it'll be out of left field. He always has an answer. It doesn't matter if it's right. He's thought about it. And RG3 has thought about, I'll ask him these stupid football questions. And I'll preface it by saying, dumb question coming, dumb question alert. And he'll be like, no, and I don't even care if it's right. I like people and athletes who get into our space and they're thinkers. They're just constantly thinking of, because they have access to stuff I don't have. I'm not in locker rooms. I'm not on those flights. I'm not on those bus trips. I'm not in those lobbies of the hotel. It's a different perspective. Yeah. So like I want you to give me that access, but I always really appreciate when athletes, because it's ultimately the sign of respect

for an athlete who becomes a broadcaster, the sign of respect is you've given things great thought. You don't have to be right. I've been wrong half my career or more. It's not a right industry. It's an interesting industry. And I find guys that think about these topics that have a kind of a cogent answer.

You're like, I like that guy. Richard Jefferson's another funny one. Very funny guy. He's great. Very funny guy. Sorry for rambling. Alex for the news. It's a good rambor.

Turn on the news. This. is the herd line news. Well, the heat took a 2-0 lead on the 76ers with a big win in game two last night. Bam, Abadayo led Miami with 23 points and Jimmy Butler right behind him with the 22.12 assist double-double. The heat also went on a 10-point run with the fourth quarter to solidify the 119 to 103 win. Now, the series shifts to Philly for game three on Friday.

It's tomorrow. The Sixers are still holding out hope for Joelle Embed's return. And Doc Rivers said that Embedde looked good, but still has to be able. some steps to clear, so they'll just have to wait and see. I can love Doc Rivers, and he can drive me crazy at the same time. That is legal in America. Some of his rotations, I don't love. I'll be totally honest with him, but I do think that Philadelphia, if MB can play,

is going to make this a seven-game series. I still think Philadelphia, I really like their players. I don't know if the chemistry is good. I think Maxie is becoming a, like, like I'm, I'm talking Anthony Edwards, like that level of player, like really fast. There's potential, but this series is going to come down to if Embed can come back and play. Yeah, that's it. That's the bottom line.

All right. Let's move on to another series because Gary Payton I'm expected to miss three to five weeks with the fractured elbow he suffered after being fouled by Dylan Brooks. However, the Warriors aren't ruling him out for the rest of the postseason just yet. There is a possibility that he could return if Golden State makes it to the NBA, finals. Now, I understand playing with intensity. This is what you want to see from players in every game, especially in the playoffs. But when it results in a long-term injury, that's over the line. We just heard Stephen Jackson tell us earlier, this play was dirty. If he was playing in this series, he probably wouldn't be playing the rest of the series because he would have gone out and gotten

it. The good news is they're going to beat Memphis simply because they're so patient on offense. they always work to get a good shot. Memphis is young, a little frenetic. If you watch Memphis on the defensive end, they make up for a lot of their mistakes with their athleticism and their energy. They're like 24-year-old team, like a bunch of kids. Yeah. But you're watching here, like a PhD in basketball in Golden State,

just the intelligence and the way they move the ball. And then you're watching a kid team that's wildly talented and athletic, but their switches are bad, their rotation. can be weird. So Golden State, if they can just hit threes, it's going to win this series. And they're going to win the series because they're going to pull away late because they're so patient and smart. But I will say this, Memphis is really good for this league. They are so good for the league. Fun to watch. Good dudes. Play hard. Despite what you think of Dylan Brooks, love watching Memphis play. Well, and you learn. Sometimes you have to learn hard and there are proper

ways to retaliate. Not a proper way to retaliate. All right. Let's switch gears because the trade market has been quiet for Baker Mayfield since the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson earlier this offseason and he is likely going to have to wait a little bit longer to find a new team according to Ian Rappaport. No movement is expected with Baker until June at the earliest and there's no real deadline to make anything happen. And sadly, this is an example of how not to handle your situation with a team.

Yeah, well, it was very, Baker tends to go public. And so I don't always think that's, um, listen, and I'll, and I'll say this, um, you always have a right to defend yourself and you should always be able to tell in your life your story. Don't want other people define who you are. They don't have any idea. You know who you are in America. Don't let people tell you who you are. So there are times with Baker that I will defend him. I don't think he's a bad guy.

And I do think he's one of the 32 best quarterbacks. But I do think he can be a little abrasive without having to, need, be abrasive or defensive. And I think a lot of people now view him as a bridge. Just a bridge guy who's certainly talented, but they don't want to build their culture around him. He's kind of got like, I said this about James Harden. Some athletes feel like their own culture.

Like Aaron Rogers is his own culture. James Harden is his own culture. Baker's got a little bit of that feeling. I never have a problem with any American defending themselves. But don't defend yourselves. Constantly. Like, it feels like you're constantly battling people. I feel with him as just this toxicity, and he's always chip on his shoulder.

And it's like, use that once a year. Like, there should be a card. Soccer's got a yellow card or red card. You should go to the, I'm defending myself, go to that mountain about once a year. I felt like he was going to it every weekend. And even the Cleveland media eventually, they're just exhausted from it. Well, yeah, you're still under contract. You still want to play.

you can't call out an entire organization. Other organizations see that. They see how you're going to react to a situation. You're a good player. Sometimes it's okay to just step back and see how it plays out. Yeah. Alex for the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Oh, I got a Chris Paul thought and an Aaron Rogers thought. I don't know what I'll do first. Probably Chris Paul. I'm in a good mood today. I love Chris Paul. And he was remarkable again last night.

sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more

about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it. I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having a trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fans, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tondons and Wampas on the Ice Planet, hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for Black. black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years from black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I don't know why this is, but there's not a lot of movie stars in Hollywood that I'm really into. Very few people like move me to a screen. But there's a lot of people who I, like Jason Bateman and Laurelini are in Ozark. And I don't know if they're considered like headliners, but I'm fascinated with them. They're always in good things.

They make really good choices as I always said Don Cheadle, Michael Keaton, Ed Norton. I don't know if they sell as many tickets as, you know, the rock or, you know, whoever's the star of the moment. I don't know. But there are actors, I like these people that are, they don't get quite the credit they deserve. And I feel myself kind of watching their content. I like, I feel like I want to, Steve Bouchemy, Christopher Wachin, these kind of quirkier different actors. They're always in fascinating projects. And I know Chris Paul's a star, but I feel like for the last 10 years, I've been defending him. And he got this stupid tag that he wasn't good in the clutch.

Hell, he's the best clutch player in the league right now. For years and years, LeBron got this. LeBron's not clutch. Kobe is clutch. The analytics told you, LeBron was better four minutes to go into game than Kobe, and Kobe was great. And so I always feel like I defend people who get this tag and it's not true. So Chris Paul is nine and one against Luca and he totally worked him last night. Went right after him.

And but part of what I like about Chris is he's so smart. He really paces himself. You know, Luca is attack, attack, attack, attack, attack. That's what Luca is. Jump ball, game starts, attack attack attack. Chris Paul averages three points in the first quarter, three and a half times that in the fourth. you watch Chris, he's like a really smart boxer. Sugar Ray Leonard did this as a boxer. Sugar Ray

Leonard, I think it was the fight against Hagler, is that he won the last 20 seconds of the round because he knew it would influence the judges. And so Marvin would win the early round. Last 20 seconds, Sugar Ray would own it and he won the fight. And that's Chris Paul. He's the really smart boxer. He knows exactly when to step on the gas, bring it back, slow the pace. And he always knows the temperature in the room. And he's your classic popular. quarterback. He's not flashy, not the biggest arm, and not running out of the pocket. Nobody in this league works the officials, works the floor, works the tempo like Chris Paul. And I just, I love him. And I am so over this. You know, he's not, he's not clutch. Go back and

look at his career. A lot of that was James Harden, Blake Griffin, and Doc Rivers. And I, they're all three great. But watching Chris Paul play is an absolute pleasure. Just an abs, I watched him play probably four times live. It's even more impressive live. Phoenix fans are getting a treat every night with that. That's one of the smartest players in the history of the sport completely manipulates, stars, refs, the clock, the tempo. And here was Chris after.

I think you just always got to lean on the work, the work. You know what I mean? It all goes back to the work. You can't cheat the game, right? you got to do your strength and conditioning. You got to lift. You got to get your rest. You got to get your shots up and all that.

When you do that, you live with the results. And those results are good. I just think we said this. This is not a great series. Dallas will go home when a game, but they're too lucid dependent. So Tom Silverstein is a reporter that covers the Green Bay Packers. Is it Silverstein or Silverstein?

Stein, overstein. Tom, sorry. He has an interesting article today on Green Bay. He said, everybody's beating him up for the draft for not getting a wide receiver. And I said I felt they should have taken a wide receiver over a linebacker. But Tom does point out this. Each of the last three Super Bowl teams, top 10 in defense, scoring defense. The last time the Packers won a Super Bowl, they were number one in scoring defense.

The Super Bowl they won before 31, they had the number one scoring defense. and six of their last seven first round picks have been defensive players. And so everybody in the media is like, get a receiver, get a receiver, get a receiver. And I did think it was a bigger need this year. But what's interesting in this article, what Tom is pointing out is the Packers are now going to be a run first team and led by their defense. Is Aaron comfortable with that? But I don't think it's by accident. Because I think over the course of your life, when things stop working,

stop doing them. Right? The slick passing game Packers, it's not working. Yes, you're winning a crappy division. Your last 16 playoff games, you're 7 and 9. You had one scoring drive last year in your playoff game. At home, several home losses. It's not working.

Congrats on winning a lousy division. Somebody's got to win the Pack 12 too. But for all his talent, what Green's, Bay is telling you is he's not really a centerpiece guy. Now, we'll have a great run game. A.J. Dillon, Aaron Jones are fantastic duo. Probably second in the league, in my opinion, after maybe Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Cleveland. But there's no proof that if you put the franchise on Aaron's shoulders, he'll just carry you through the flaws. No, he won't. No, he won't. Got proof. He has one, one, come from behind playoff win in his.

career. Matt Stafford had two last year. The minute you gave Matt Stafford a functional, a functional culture, Matt's like put it on my shoulders. Brady's put it on my shoulders. Peyton Manning, put it on my shoulders. Not many of those guys. Mahomes, put it on my shoulders. I think Josh Allen's one of those guys. I think Justin Herbert could be Aaron's not. Aaron's his own guy. What you do is you take his enormous gifts and he is gifted. You take his enormous talent, his significant IQ. And you say, listen, we're going to be, we're going to have defense and run. And we're going to use your gifts to sort of in spots.

But we're not asking you to throw eight innings. We're not going to do that. We've been doing that now for several years. You have one come from a hind playoff win. So Tom's article is really interesting. And he does, he does say in here, how will Aaron deal with it? You know, Aaron's his own guy. He's his own culture.

But you start looking at this article, and this is why Green Bay is going defense. Farv's last Super Bowl, top defense, scoring defense. Aaron's only Super Bowl, top scoring defense. And by the way, not every quarterback is a put it on my shoulders. You know, Sean McVeigh got Matt Stafford, and I know enough people within the Rams. McVeigh was saying some things publicly, but he didn't want to sound like he was bad-mouthing golf. McVeigh was telling people, through my connections with the Rams, McVey was telling people,

this guy's got the highest, forget IQ, EQ I've ever seen. You can put unbelievable stress on Matt Stafford, and it's just maybe it's parents, maybe it, whatever it is. I don't know what it is. He's like, Stafford is never, ever flustered, ever. It doesn't matter. We saw him in the playoffs.

the team was falling apart in Tampa. He's like, I got this. We saw it in the Super Bowl. Team is flustered. No look, path. I got this. Not everybody has that. So the article's really interesting.

And it kind of defends the Packers saying, listen, this franchise, we've tried the slick passing game. It's not working. It's winning a lousy division. Who cares? In the end of the year, somebody's got to win all these bad college conferences.

Are you winning? championships. Not unless you're the SEC. All right, hour three. Next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel.

Help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for business. 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 Great. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, 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 I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.