The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - NBA, Lakers, Cowboys

Episode Date: May 31, 2022

Could Kyrie Irving be traded to the Lakers? Update on Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams The Cowboys did not have a good offseason What will the Pelicans do with Zion Williamson?   Guest: Bill OramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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I 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, 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on

TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday 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 iHeart radio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Foxxport. Sports Radio. Here we are. Hour number two, and we're live in Los Angeles.

It's the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHard Radio. Fox Sports Radio FS1. Our producer Ryan is back. He was on a two-week trip to Italy. We're just a crew of international travelers around here. The herd is global, at least in our perspectives. You know what I followed last night on Twitter?

I went down some rabbit hole. Oh. It was a British sports talk radio station. Oh, it was just delicious. It was unbelievable. It was debate city. Debate City. Oh, it was great.

It was just great. We have some fans in Australia. We do? How do you know that? They reach out. Oh. Yeah. They listen to the show.

So Sports Talk Radio in Great Britain is just like here. It's just a bunch of nonsense and people arguing and occasionally with a little bit of wit. But I got down this rabbit hole. My mom was from there, obviously. I've talked about that. And so I went there a couple times once as a kid. And they can argue about soccer just like we do about the NFL and NBA. That's what sports is, really.

Just arguing. Yeah. I mean, there's room for debate. How many light conversations have you had about sports with someone? Even people you like and enjoy being around. You just almost have to fundamentally. disagree or the conversation is not interesting. Well, my USC conversations are all combative now, because they're going to be great, fast, and nobody wants to hear it. No one wants to hear it.

And you have been officially branded as a USC homer. Yeah, whatever. You know, whatever. Everybody's got their team. All right. So what we do before big championship games, we did it before the Super Bowl, we take the 10 best players, we believe, and it gives us some sense of who's going to win this series. So, you know, and we've had some success. We did it with the Rams and the Bengals, and I think we thought the Rams had the six of the 10 best players. And sometimes the team with fewer great players has one or two at the top, but not the depth. So let's do the 10 best players in the finals. Here we go.

Number 10 would be the Celtics, big guy, Robert Williams. Best defensive rating of any Celtic defensive player. And that's saying something. Now, he's had injuries. He's missed a lot of games. But if he's on the floor, he shut down Bam out of Bayou. And, you know, Draymond Green was telling me yesterday, I talked to Drayman. He's like, if that guy's on the floor, we're not scoring inside.

So number 10 would be Robert Williams. Number nine, I would say Al Horford. He's Mr. Double Double in the playoffs. He'll give you 12 and 12. He's also been a very efficient three-point shooter in the series. He's experienced high IQ basketball player, a little better defender than people give him credit for. But Al is going to give you double doubles as much as anybody in this finals.

Number eight, I would say Jordan Poole. Now, he comes off the bench, but he averages over 17. And the difference between him and Horford and Robert Williams, if he scored 30 in one of these games, you wouldn't be shocked. He's got a huge ceiling. Very clever. Lightning fast first step. Jordan Poole, 17 a game off the bench.

One of the reasons I like Golden State. They've got a lot of people that can beat you. Number seven, maybe a little low. Marcus Smart. His thing is inconsistency. When he scores, they don't lose. He's a great defensive player. Again, he's offensively is a struggle for him.

He's not a natural fluid offensive player, but about every third or fourth game, he'll give you 20 plus, and when he's done it in the playoffs, the Celtics are 5 and 0. Number six, Andrew Wiggins. The best thing I can say about Andrew Wiggins, and a lot of people don't mind to plus-minus, he's got the best in the finals among all players. But when he's on the floor, you feel like the warriors are more athletic and better defensively. And that's the best thing I can say about him. When he's on the floor, I feel like he's just a six, seven and a half, springy, twitchy athlete.

He could score 20. He could shut Jason Tatum down for moments. Andrew Wiggins, number six. Number five is the catalyst often. Draymond Green. He's leading all remaining players in assists, believe it or not. And he doesn't hit many threes, but in the 20 games this year, he hit one. They won 19.

And Draymond will get the toughest defensive assignment. he is annoying and difficult. He's the Rodman of this era, but a little better offensively, a lot better offensively, because he is often the catalyst of this offense. Number four is Clay Thompson. Listen, they've made the finals in six straight years when he's healthy. The two years he wasn't, they stunk. So Clay allows Steph Curry breathing room on the defensive end.

I don't think he's as good defensively as he was before the injuries, but in that last game against Dallas, it was like, uh-oh, and it should be noted he's shooting better in the postseason than in the regular season. And I don't think that's necessarily physical. I think a lot of that is mental coming off injuries. So Clay looks like he's got his stroke back and he could be the difference in this series. A number three, Jalen Brown, who has not had the surgeries, but gives you some of the dimensions of Clay, good three-point shooter, very good defensively.

And he's the second leading score for the Celtics, very dependent. player. I never thought he would be this good offensively in the league. I thought he would be an NBA player. He'd be an all-defensive, super athletic at Cal. But he's become a very consistent offensive player. And in the conference finals, he made more threes than any other player. He made 19. So he's a little Clay Thompson for them. But I think physically now, he hasn't had to combat some injuries. Number two, Jason Tatum, one of the best young players in the game. I got no holes in his game. I don't think he's a terrific ball handler.

He can be a little sloppy and turnover prone. But so can the number one player, and that's Steph Curry, who's the leading score in the offseason, the most lethal score, the fastest score, the game changer. He is the most active player without the ball in the league. He's the table setter. He's the finisher. He's the culture setter.

He's the leader. He can be a little sloppy like Tatum. a little showy at times, but his influence, I still, I don't understand. And you don't hear it much anymore. But whenever I hear shade thrown at him, I'm like, I don't get it. I mean, he is the most influential, not the best, but he's the most influential player of my life. Basketball does not look the same as it did like 10 years ago. Michael Jordan's the best player, arguably, but I saw some of that with Kobe.

I'd seen a lot of springy athletic players. Steph is like one of one. A lot of people trying to duplicate it, and there's nobody out there. With that Bill Orham at the Athletic, we should be their PR firm today. It's been covering the Lakers for almost a decade. Actually, he's covered them more than that

because he covered them with local newspapers. Orange County Register covered the jazz as well. We bring them on often here. Okay, so let's just start with this. I threw something out earlier, and this is what you do for a living so you can shoot holes in it. But I said everything with the Lakers tends to get out,

and mostly because they want it out, right? So when this thing is we're not moving off Westbrook, and part of me thinks, well, that's what you should say. Don't look desperate. And then maybe there's a lot of truth to it, but not, I still think they would take calls. So I'm just going to throw something at you, Bill, and this is you can rip it to shreds,

and I'm totally okay with this. But I think you have to move off Westbrook because of the toxicity around his game. He can't play off ball. He lacks a certain self-aware. fairness. Kyrie Irving came out a month ago and said, I screwed up LeBron. I screwed it up. And I was like, wow, that's pretty good. LeBron was crushed when he left. Kyrie's a better player. Katie wants out of Kyrie, but he won't say it publicly. He wouldn't have to play with Westbrook. You inherit the

contract. Don't plan, move him at the deadline, and then you're free. Lakers are not patient. I don't believe they're going to draft and develop. I know who they are. And LeBron Ron doesn't want to wait for the Westbrook thing to unravel. Is that nuts? Kyrie, L.A., Westbrook, Brooklyn. Tell me I'm wrong. I don't think it's nuts. And I don't know that it's going to happen, but it makes sense.

And so from a logical standpoint, yeah, the Nets are absolutely, you know, kind of stick of the Kyrie Irving experience. The Lakers are sick of the Russell Westbrook experience. That said, the Nets know they have the better player and the more valuable asset, despite all of his idiosyncrasies. So if I'm the Lakers, I'm just wondering. what else it might cost. But, you know,

LeBron and Kyrie, Katie and Russ, I mean, those are relationships that go really, really deep. So if you're looking for sign off

from the superstars, you would have to think you're going to get it there. I feel like it's one of those deals that it just, it maybe almost makes too much sense on the outside. But I think the nets,

you know, the nets are very much in win championships now. And you have a, you know, an all-time great in Kevin Durant. You know, do you feel like you can win? with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

And if not, and you have to kind of, you know, take your medicine for a year with Russ, who do you replace them with in another year? So, you know, it makes a lot of sense for the Lakers. You know, I'm sure the Lakers would be first in line to, you know, stamp the approval on that deal. But looking long term for the Nets, as big of a pain as Kyrie Irving has been and as much as he hurt them last year, you know, you know, who's going to give you your best, you know, when, you know, the rubber meets the road, who's going to be the best player for you and who's going to give you the most chance of winning. And it's probably not Russell Westbrook based on what we've seen from him over the last couple of years.

So LeBron initially there were reports that he wanted Doc. Then they got Darvin Ham. Then he rushed to social media to say I'm good with it. I don't know enough about Darwin Ham. I remember him playing, I think, for a Pistons team that beat the Lakers. That jumps out to me. Tough guy, got a presence. He'll get respect from players.

He played in the game. We also have momentum in the league. players coaching is working and it's working kind of quickly. So I think there'll be some buy-in. But I do wonder, LeBron's not overly patient. What did you make of the hire? How does it work? What does it look like a year from now?

Let's say what does it look like at the All-Star break? Well, I think they made the right choice of the available candidates. I think that we saw, we know, Ron Polika has, you know, was always looking for, you know, star power. So I'm sure he was hoping someone maybe a bigger name was going to. to shake free, whether it was Doc Rivers or Quinn Snyder. I mean, obviously there was the Nick Nurse chatter very early on. But I mean, Garbenham is a guy who, you know, you talk to people around the league about him getting this job and the word that comes up most is overdue. And, you know,

this is somebody who deserves an NBA job, but this is not a typical NBA job. And so does he have the right traits to come in and manage a locker room that potentially, if Russell Westbrook is back, you know, has some, you know, has some bad blood in it. If you go back to how Russell Westbrook kind of talked about his first Lakers year at the end of the season. Is he the right guy to sort of repair those relationships? And people say he is. I mean, he has a presence, like you said. You know, players relate to him.

I mean, he obviously relates to players, somebody who spent eight years in the NBA. And it's part of the reason I think that you can sort of envision bringing Russell Westworth back next year, Colin, where I disagree with you a little bit. If you bring in a coach that is going to bring a new presence, a new voice, and maybe some new ideas, it's worth seeing what it looks like if it's if the deal that you're going to have to make is going to cost you additional assets and and hamstringing more down the road. I'm really interested to see see how Darwin works with LeBron and AD because he has talked about, you know, in interviews in the past about holding every single player accountable, not just, you know, the role players you can make an example of, but really holding star players accountable as well. And now he's got probably, you know, he's got a great opportunity here because he's got two if not three superstars who all kind of come with their. own their own quirks, especially when you talk about LeBron and Russ.

You know, LeBron says he likes being coached, and then you see sometimes that maybe that's not as true as it sounds. But I think having the LeBron seal of approval is huge from Darbentham for Darbanham. You know, you could look at it just as a, you know, what else is he going to say? Of course, he's going to tweet that, you know, he's excited about the coach. But he doesn't always do that. And he doesn't always come out and say, you know, I believe in our coach. He likes to let things take time.

go back to Luke Walton and even Frank Vogel, you know, those have been things that have developed over time. So an instant you see a approval from LeBron on Darbinham, I think is a big deal for this Lakers team going forward. It sets an important tone. So, you know, James Worthy came out recently, and he sounded a little like old guy on the lawn a little bit like they don't draft and develop. And my takeaway as well, either are the Yankees. You know, I mean, some teams, Green Bay needs to. You know, Lakers don't really need to. You know, this is a city that when, like Miami Heat draft and develop a little,

but the bottom line is a lot of players in a winter league want to play in a state with no state tax with beautiful, beautiful people. Like, not everybody is a draft and developed franchise. So I didn't think that was a fair criticism. But this is a really old roster. And there's limitations on what you can do in a year. There's been push and pull on LeBron's influence. Clutch says it's not as great as stated. Most of us believe it is.

He is entering his 20th year, Bill. He's almost doubled his net worth in five years. This has been very good for his business and tremendous for his family. LeBron likes it here a lot. And I think the Lakers have more leverage in this than maybe LeBron or Clutch are comfortable with. Where does the Laker front office, Polinka, Jeannie, Clutch, LeBron? Bill, where does it stand today?

You know, I think that it is, I think everybody feels like they need one another in this situation. The Lakers, you know, the Lakers as we've seen are really nothing as an NBA power player without a star, without an A-list star. And if it's not LeBron, the question becomes who is it? Yeah, if you have Caps face and you can throw it at somebody in two, three years, that's great. But, you know, you currently have the face of the NBA. And that is, you know, that is something the Lakers value as much as almost anything else. And by the way, a guy who, you know, there's every reason to believe you can still win with. So they really value him and they value what employing LeBron James represents to the rest of the league.

You know, kids are going to grow up watching LeBron as a Laker. That's going to help that's going to help cultivate not only fan base, but players feeling an attachment to the Lakers when they become free agents themselves. You know, and how they treat LeBron is going to. influence how other players view the Lakers when they're free agents. So if, you know, they, you say they have leverage with LeBron, well, if they trade LeBron to Indiana or someplace he doesn't want to go, no shade of Indiana, beautiful place, but if they trade LeBron somewhere he doesn't want to go or, you know, he doesn't sign off

on, that's going to affect the willingness of other guys to come to L.A. That's how the Lakers see it. So it's very important to them that they keep LeBron James happy and that they take care of him. But LeBron, I think, also knows that, you know, he has it as a, good here as he's going to have it anywhere because where else is he going to get the same the same treatment and the same influence as you said as a 20th year pro you know getting very close to his 40s you know is another team going to you know kind of give him the sort of intellectual equity that the Lakers have at this at this stage in his career so this feels like a real marriage of necessity and one that you know they obviously hope can still be productive and yield you know

results but right now this is just a this is just a marriage of two two sides or 12 sides, however you want to divide it, everyone who really needs each other. Bill Orham, the athletic, Laker Update. Great seeing you, Bill. Yeah, you too, Colin. Thank you. You know, it's interesting talking about LeBron. Think how big Brett Farve was.

And the NFL is significantly more popular than the NBA. Farve at the end was just, it was a mess. And that's after an unbelievable storied career with an organization that America loves. and he had all the relatable commercials and the Wrangler. I mean, Farb was as popular as anybody in the country. It's kind of a mess. You look at that Peyton Manning thing at the end. Again, wildly popular.

Bench for Brock Oswider. You know what I mean? Eroded physically. Michael Jordan. A lot of you are not old enough to remember the Wizards. I do. He was non-vertical. None of his teammates liked him.

It was awful. Shack was the king of the world. And in the end, he was just bouncing around to bad teams. it mostly Joe Namath, Johnny Unitius, it ends poorly. Like what Brady's doing, and this is just a testament to his commitment and his sort of ability to kind of see around business corners, Belichick now is not ending well. I mean, Bobby Bowden didn't end well in coaching.

Joe Paterno didn't end well. Woody Hayes didn't end well. Like it mostly in sports does not end like Derek Jeter. Didn't he have like a hit or something is last at bad at Yankee Stadium? something like that. So with LeBron, you think to yourself he's got control, but he's giving you about 50 a game. Lakers could be a mess.

What if Westbrook and Anthony Davis come back next year? Anthony's hurt 15 games in. Westbrook is Westbrook. Like, that's what I said. I think you bring LeBron back and build around him as an element to it. But this stuff, the organization, even for iconic players, it ends poorly. Brady is a complete utter outlier. It's not the way it worked.

Montana got shipped off to Kansas City. Farve got moved. You think it can't happen. I say this before. As good as LeBron is, he'll never be Michael in terms of popularity. Michael stayed out of politics. Michael was cooler. Michael was, as Joy has pointed out, we didn't have social media.

So Michael's games felt more special. Michael was six for six in the finals with six MVP's. Michael is the only thing that compares to Michael Jordan in my life, Muhammad Ali, but it wasn't as big because boxing isn't as popular. And Tiger Woods in his prime literally changed the way we all watch television. Like golf was getting the purses of golf like tripled. Tiger made more people rich from caddies to golf pros to sponsors to clubs than anybody of all time. But it usually ends poorly.

And I can see a scenario in which the Lakers are like, doesn't man somebody gave us two picks and a good player we're out and you end up in a place where you don't want to retire you want to play with your son now LeBron still I just saw a stat the other day is the best

player in the league by a long shot in field goal percentage on twos he's still a get a bucket guy LeBron is just a great get a bucket guy and I think in spaces in spots he can still be a very effective defender so I think you build around or LeBron.

And he's going to have to come to terms with, though. We've got to get some young guys on this roster. Like, we are just way too old and way too injured. But, you know, I think the Lakers have a lot more leverage here. And you start looking around at the Rams and the Chargers and the Clippers and the Dodgers. Stars want to play in California, despite what some media outlets will tell you, stars aren't leaving here. They're coming here as entertainment and sports converge and tech.

and sports apparel are converging the city. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite

athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a little kill. 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 yeah, yeah, yeah. 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. Saturday, two of the U.S.FL's best square off as the New Orleans Breakers faced league-leading Birmingham Stallions at 3 Eastern. Then Sunday, the Panthers' ballot. the stars at noon

Eastern. Don't miss USFL football this weekend on Fox. Interesting story with Aaron Donald of the Rams making national news today. He ranks 100 second in the NFL in contracts, but it's misleading. I'll get to that in a second. He says he would be at

peace if he does not get a new deal. Here's Aaron Donald on the podcast. I am an athlete talking about his future as contract. Go ahead. It ain't about the money. It's a business into the day. That's what you got to see. So it's about, for me, it's about winning. I don't want to play football if I can't win anyway. So I feel like if it were lying, then I got a real opportunity

to win another Super Bowl, then it makes sense to play. But again, it's still a business. We got to handle the business side of things. And if that wasn't to get handled, then, you know, it is what it is type of situation. I'll be fine regardless. Now, it's important. The Rams would love to have him back. Obviously, he's great. But his best season was four years ago. And in Interior defensive lineman can age really fast. He is still fantastic. But he did get a huge signing bonus four years ago. He got 40 million cash.

So let's not make it like that. Even this year, he's a $27 million cap hit. Now, a lot of that's not in cash, but he got paid. And when he got paid, he was the first $20 million a year player who wasn't a quarterback. So when you start reading about his contract, and this is not a knock on him because he's unbelievable, low maintenance, just absolutely, there's no comp in the league for him, and the Rams absolutely want him back. But remember, number one in this

organization is Sean McVe, because Aaron Donald was losing before McVey in St. Louis, and he was losing in L.A. before McVeigh is the most important guy in this organization. Number two is Matt Stafford because of the position. And I would argue number three, because of the way the league is moving, is Cooper Cup, who's like 150 catches a year. I mean, he's just so productive. And then you get into Aaron Donald. And that doesn't mean Aaron Donald won't be viewed historically as better than Stafford and better than Cup. But I do think with Aaron Donald, there is a price. He's 31. He's an interior defensive lineman. And also, you got to remember with the Rams, Stafford didn't take the most money. Cooper Cup is not going to take the most money. Cooper Cup talked about his contract,

which an extension is coming. I don't think that's really kind of the approach that I take. I definitely think there's a place that you want to be. There's a place that I think you feel like is fair. And I'm in a place for both, you know, for me and just for this organization. And I want to be there. I'm not trying to beat anybody. I'm not trying to, you know, compare myself to anyone else. It's more of just, you know, being in a place that is like the, I don't know,

being in a place that is just right for both sides. Now, again, Stafford and Cooper Cop didn't take the most money. That's not saying that Aaron Donald can't. But it's important to know, Interior Defensive lineman had his best year four years ago. Not that it's been a huge dip, but that position ages fast. He's talked about, I'd be willing to retire,

Coppin McVeigh and Stafford. I don't think they're moving off football soon. So I do think with certain great players, there is a price, and it's often dictated by age and position. Now, again, he's the only interior defensive line that is a serious pass rushing threat. I mean, there's probably a couple others in the league.

Vita V is great, but he's more of a run-stopper. And I think the Rams, I haven't been told this, but I know they love him, and you have to love him, and he made the play in the Super Bowl. But it is, these are hard. The salary cap with the Rams works because they're really smart in the front office and they've drafted well. And there is no other, I mean, there may be a Stafford on the market and a Cooper Cup in the market.

You're not going to find Aaron Donald on the market. And that's really his last. leverage point, and that's why at 31, I would give him a big deal. But I would have paid whatever, whatever for Matt Stafford. I'd pay whatever for Sean McVeigh. If it costs $20 million a year and I own the team, I'd pay that to McVeigh. I'd pay whatever for Matt Stafford. Cooper Cup, I'd pay a ton.

And that's how I kind of feel with Aaron Donald, though, there is a price here, age, his willingness to move. And let's be honest, as great as he is and as great as some linebacker. are. The game is changed. I mean, it's really changed. Wide receivers now are wildly important. Quarterbacks have never been more important. So interesting to see how it develops. Joy Taylor with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the Lakers have hired a new coach, Buck's assistant coach, Darvin Ham, as their next head coach, deal reportedly for four years. And so, that is significant because they're also doing some other different things with Darwin that they did not do with Frank Vogel.

Vogel had a three-year deal and got a one-year extension before he was let go. And according to reports, Ham will also be allowed to hire his own staff, which they did not allow Frank Vogel to do. He will have a large amount of autonomy. He was also promised that Lakers' senior advisor, Kurt Rambis, will not be present in regular coaching media. like he was with Frank Vogel. That is, and I like Kurt, but that's, you can't have that. That's not the way it should work. Coaches should have autonomy and not have somebody hovering over them.

Oh, I mean, that's why I just think it's, and like I'm glad that they gave Darwin the job, but that's why I think it's kind of laughable that you're blaming last season on Frank Vogel. When you have Kurt Ramieson meetings, he wasn't allowed to hire his own staff. He obviously did not have autonomy. me he couldn't even set his own lineups. He had to get permission to remove Russell Westbrook from the closing lineups. Can you imagine Bill Parcells standing for that? No, I mean, it's not even about standing for it.

Like, if you're a coach in this organization, you just generally don't have that kind of power. It's kind of similar to being a coach with the Dallas Cowboys. Now, the Dallas Cowboys swear up and down that the coaches are allowed to coach, but we know who makes the final decision in that organization. And the Lakers are very similar in that way. So I do like that they are at least, at least putting out there that they're doing things differently. Now, how long will this last? Will this actually end up being the case?

We will see. But they are letting him hire his own staff and he's going to be able to make the decisions on that. They did give him a four-year deal. And Kurt Rambis will not be in meetings. Again, not really innovative. That's how all functioning organizations do things. They give coaches the runway they need to be successful and build. build a roster and put together their staff.

And, you know, then when you fire a coach, you know, you're actually firing the coach and their decisions as opposed to blaming it on someone when all this other chaos was going on that probably infiltrated the job that they were able to do. So I know I sound a little pessimistic about all of it. But actually, we talk about this all the time. If you make mistakes, fix them. That's not the way you run a functioning organization, is having a million people telling your coach what to do, not allowing the coach to pick his ingredients, if you will,

and then change the ingredients if it's not working. So that is reportedly what the Lakers are doing. He is going to meet with Lakers staff members this week. And Woge also reported that he's expected to hire a former NBA head coach as one of his assistants. And that was a big reason why Tailu and Monty Williams reportedly said no to the Lakers before because they wanted to hire their own staff. So Aaron Donald is skipping OTAs while he seeks a new contract with the Rams, as you were just discussing. And he also said on the I.M. Athlete podcast recently that he,

He has decided to join Kanye West, Donda Sports, to further his career. Hearing the whole, you know, spectrum of, you know, everything that was going on with, they was going to be bringing, the family atmosphere that they got in Donda Sports. And not just me, but my wife being a part of that, for me, it was a no-brainer. So I think it's a hell of an opportunity to open up a lot of different doors and a lot of different, you know, things outside of football that I want to be involved and I want to do that my wife want to do.

so to be a part of that. And, you know, we're excited about it. And, you know, we're going to see what this thing goes. He is the first active athlete to sign with Donda Sports. Donda Sports launched in January signing Antonio Brown, who is also the presidents of Donda Sports. Who is? Antonio Brown.

I don't love that. Yeah, I'm not against the idea of, you know, new representation. I mean, Rock Nation, obviously, he was very successful. Clutch was, you know, an innovative, that's a very common place now,

but at the time was an innovative, new approach to representation. Rich Paul and Jay-Z are more stable, and stable personalities. I didn't know A-B was the president of that. Oh, that's not. People want ownership over their careers. I personally would not attach myself to anything.

and Antonio Brown is doing. I just, I didn't know that. So it's like, I don't know. But the company's also looking to try to purchase the Broncos. So there's that as well. I mean, look, Aaron Donald is, Aaron Donald is a name you would want if you are establishing in an organization and a,

you know, an agency like this. Listen, if I was Aaron, it was just Kanye and Kanye hired a president like a business person. I'd be like, yeah, I get it. To me, if somebody's going to be running parts of my business, one of the things I want is stability. Yeah, I wouldn't sign with Kanye either. So I get Kanye and Antonio Brown, and they're both highly... He's a musical genius, but I'm going to leave it at that.

Not yet. But again, Aaron Donald knows what he's doing. He's done an incredible job with his career, and we'll see if he ends up retiring. I doubt that he will. I think he still has years of prime left in his career. I think he just wants to take more control over it. The issue with the NFL contract structure is you can't just sit out. Like if you're not going to play for a year, that is catastrophic to where you stand in your,

you know, your career, especially as a position like he is. He's not a wide receiver. And, you know, he's got a Hall of Fame career. He's been an unbelievable player. And now he has a championship. So I'm sure that changes perspective on everything. So James Winston suffered a torn ACL during week eight last season, causing him to miss the rest of the year. He's now back on the field with the Saints for O's CAs,

but according to Nick Underhill of New Orleans football, he has a visible limp. If he suffers a setback, Andy Dalton and Ian Book would be the next in line. We saw a little bits from Ian Book last year. This team is not tanking. This team's going to win games. The NFC in that division is weak. Yeah, they're not in a situation like the Seahawks or even the Panthers.

Or Houston or no way. Right. They're in that sort of. middle space where they have a good defense. They have some real pieces on offense. Taysam Hill is out of the quarterback room now for 2022. So he's going to be that hybrid player. They have, they have a half dozen elite players, O-Linman, D-Linman, corners, pass rushers, and they draft. So last year's draft, a couple of guys could really play this year's draft. Now it's a different team. It's being, it's being coached by someone other than Sean Payton, which is, which is significant.

He is, he is one of those coaches that has that sort of influence on a roster. and an offense. But if James Winston is not able to play, I think that I agree with you, which you said earlier. I think that firmly puts them in play for a guy like Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garapolo. Now, again, Jimmy Garapolo is, Jimmy Garoppolo to me is slightly more of a bridge than Baker Mayfield because Jimmy Garapolo's injury history. He's had a more successful career than Baker Mayfield, but the injury history... No, he's dinged up all the time. Even when he plays, he's dinged out. So if you were going to make a move and give up assets for a play, player, I would go with Baker Mayfield for that reason, that Baker hasn't had injury issues outside of

this year. So in that, and if you're placing a potentially injured player, Jimmy Garoppolo is not the best option there. Jimmy Garoppolo is a, is a for a place that is going to be, I believe, in a desperate situation where they have their guy, but he happens to get injured. Yeah. Which happens every single year. Yeah. Joy with the news. Well, Dallas Cowboys and Zion story want to talk about next. Be sure to catch live editions of the. heard weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVarrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask?

Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right, Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 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 I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey, from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars. fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related

episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a little camp? 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 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 on day, but yeah. Yeah, yeah. Literally. 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 for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years 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. Whatever your happy place is, so fun and game day. boat, whatever it is, driveway.com, let you buy or sell a car from there, driveway.com. So, Dak Prescott was talking and talking about there have been substantial losses for the Cowboys this year. It was not a good offseason. I don't like their last two drafts at all. And I think even for the Patriots and Belichick and Brady,

if you have three or four drafts where you don't hit guys, you know, Brady left, not because he didn't like Belichick, not because the defense, not because of Robert Kraft. He left is they had no receivers. Tom felt like as I'm aging, that's why he chose Tampa. He didn't choose Tampa because of the coach of the winning culture. He chose it because they had great receivers and great players. And they draft well.

And some teams do in New England over the last several years. Hasn't. And I don't like what Dallas has done in the offseason the last two years. But Dak was talking about this year. And, you know, he does have the benefit of a pretty weak division. He said, talent's one thing. But if you don't fulfill it, doesn't really mean anything. I'm excited for the guys.

We're going to continue to get better. and that's what this off-season's about. My question is, listen, DAC is a franchise quarterback. Take his six years. There's young DAC, and now he's experienced DAC. And if you look at DAC's six years, the numbers are pretty good.

He completes 66% of his throws. Not great, but certainly solid. Passer ratings close to 99. That's very close to elite. Three-to-one touchdown to interception ratio. He's more mobile than most quarterbacks, and he wins a lot of games. So he's a franchise quarterback.

I see him more of a B2B plus, many see him as an A. The concerning part is the offensive line for Dallas, the run game, the weapons, the head coaching, and the pass rush, all not as special as two years ago. So I think what's happening to DAC is what you're going to see over the next several years. He's going to move into the Derek Carr territory, which is he gets all the heat because of the position he plays, but he's going to be the life preserver to a franchise that doesn't do many things well. And that's Derek Carr. And so, Dak. early in his career was sort of hoisted up by his surrounding talent.

Now he's going to be the most dependable thing they have and take more criticism. And I think that's been Derek Carr. He's been a life preserver for a sinking franchise. Finally now, you know, it goes in waves. And now the wave to Derek Carr, he's finally got support. Dak had it early and now I don't think he has much of it. The good news, this will not be a mystery for very long because when you look at the Dallas schedule, you're going to get the truth really early. They open with Brady and Burrow.

A couple of weeks later, they're at Matt Stafford and at Philadelphia, and then they get Detroit at home. But I think Detroit's more of the toughest average to bad teams in the league. So you're going to know by the time we move into November what they have. And my guess is there'll be about a 500 team. Here's another story. Zion Williamson. Of course, all these young guys want to Max. According to a report, Brian Winhorst, who I trust, ESPN says, Pelicans are not going to guarantee him five years. Gail Benson, who owns the Pelicans and the Saints, is going to give them a football-style offer, which is a lot of money, huge contract, they're not going to guarantee all of it.

And the NBA, you usually have guarantees. I like Zion, but here's a reality. I cannot make the highest paid employee at my company, somebody that's available 38% of the time for work. and I don't care how talented you are. And the other thing about Zion, and I've said this with Luca, we know Luca's great, but there's holes in the game. Zion, there's more holes. He's not available.

He's a poor defender. And I'm not sure at this point if he elevates others or he's just great. The other thing about the Pelicans, and I agree with what Gail Benson would do here, is they're pretty feisty. They gave Phoenix trouble. They got some young players. They added CJ McCollum. And you know what I mean?

I look at this. Folks, I said it two weeks ago. Find me the championship level club in the NBA currently or the last five years with a terrible contract. Golden State doesn't have one. Boston doesn't have one. Milwaukee doesn't have one. Dallas did. Porzingis got rid of it.

Find me the championship level team in the NBA. Phoenix doesn't have one. Chris Paul's not a terrible contract. Chris Paul's been great for them. He's paid more than I'd like. It's not a terrible contract. So you sign Zion and he doesn't play, that's a terrible contract. And so, and Zion's become something, and I think we're both fans here,

but he's become a little bit of an oddity and fascinating, which is great if you're available. But he's not a lot. And I also think it's a genuine concern. when big guys have weight issues and health issues, I get it at 32. At 22, that worries me. So he's got weight stuff and injury stuff and it's young. So let's see how it plays out. I do believe this team's on an upward trajectory.

Brandon Ingram's been great. I think they like the coach. I think they like the GM. They got nice players. And they gave Phoenix a lot of trouble. That surprised all of us. I mean, we thought Dallas could play with him, right? Phoenix. We didn't think the Pelicans would play with him.

So I think you make calls on Zion. I don't think Zion would be offended if he ended up somewhere else. And I think he made calls on him. Listen, the kid is crazy fun. It didn't play like anybody in this league. And if he stays healthy, I'm not sure. There's no duplicate of him on the market. I mean, there's nothing else like him in the market.

He doesn't play. I mean, the highlights are insane. But he's become kind of an oddity, a fascinating player that's unavailable. Great when he's there. He's not there. And again, I don't know if he elevates others at this point or he's just great when he's available. So keep you posted.

That's a fascinating story because he'd have bidders. That kid can sell tickets. Not a lot of 22-year-olds in any pro lead that can sell tickets. You'd pay to watch John Morant. You'd pay to watch Zion. You'd pay to watch Luca. That's rare. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

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

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clivert 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 Cliverts 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 Clivert 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.

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. I mean, 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.