The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - NBA news

Episode Date: April 17, 2024

More on the end of the Warriors dynasty and what they do from here Who should be the NBA MVP? Shohei Ohtani is on fire right now   Guest: Chris MannixSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

I'm Sam Jay. 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple 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 on Fox Sports Radio

in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right. Here we go. Playoffs have begun in earnest.

It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. It's one of my favorite times of the year. Playoffs start. About 10 days later, the NFL draft. We got two, three, four, five, six weeks here. Fantastic basketball. Now, Boston's probably going to run through the east like a hot knife through very warm butter.

That I suspect will happen. The Knicks' wonderful story is a better story than a team. But out west, here comes Sacramento, OKC, Minnesota, Denver, Lakers, interesting teams. Well, just remember, heat-sixers tonight, right? And the loser potentially is the eight-seat. You think Jimmy Butler scared of Boston? You think Joel and B doesn't want the smoke from the South? They led them last year.

You know, is Boston saying, come on, Miami. You should hit up your boy Bill Simmons. I wonder if he's kind of getting nervous. Because Boston was amazing this season. And if they stumble in game one or two against Miami or Philly, it's like, oh, my gosh, here we go again. Choke City. Well, if I was the Celtics, I'd rather face Philadelphia. Because I think Miami's history, giant killers in the playoffs.

Yeah, they got a lot of injuries. Miami, I don't think Miami's going to win. Spread is five tonight. Sixers favor by five. Big number. Any action for you? I'm on the Hawks and... Well, I thought the Warriors would rally.

So I thought the Warriors would win last night, but then they couldn't beat the Pelicans or the Lakers. And they'd get back, you know. So I thought last night they'd summon like one more great game. That was my guess. My guess wrong. So, by the way, Clay Thompson, what to do with Clay Thompson? So I was looking at these numbers.

He had a very good April. So his last three months, he averaged 16 in February, 18 in March, 23 in April. theory was is that Steve Kerr and Steph were running a lot of the offense through Clay Thompson to send a message to the owner Joe Lakeb, look, he's valuable. We need him because Kerr wants him. Stefan, Draymond won him, but the owner's got to write the check. And Orlando may write a big one to get him.

So here was Steve Kerr. He was 0 for 10 last night. It was not the kind of night that Clay Thompson needed fighting for his warrior survival. But here was the coach after. Clay's presence means so much to the spacing on the floor, to the flow of the offense, and he's still got good years left. And I know I speak for everybody in the organization.

We want him back. What Clay has meant to this franchise, as good as he still is, we desperately want him back. Yeah, I would take him back for the right number, but it's a very team-friendly number. Last year, playoffs, he looked washed, and last night, like, couldn't get a shot. So we all go to high school reunions. Everybody's happy.

There's going to be documentaries and cool statues. All these guys are getting statues, but sometimes, Clay, you don't want to become a statue on the floor. So I don't know what they do. Winning basketball games is a business. This does not feel close to a run-it-back roster. They can't win playing games. So here's Draymond echoing the same sentiments on a, Clay Thompson. I don't think there's any scenario where Clay leaves and that's the best

decision for this team and organization. They've shown nothing but respect, loyalty, love, trust us. So I got no reason to go into it like, oh man, they're not going to do right by Clay. They did right by me. I have no reason to think that our ownership group aren't going to take care of us the way we've taken care of this organization. That's interesting. Let's bring in Chris Manick, senior writer, Sports Illustrated. You tell me, I mean, it doesn't feel like a run-it-back roster. They also have the kid they drafted from Santa Clara Pods, who's got tons of energy. It's not quite the refined product, but he's a good, good player, high-energy, great motor.

Your takeaway in Clay Thompson, what happens? Yeah, it does not look like a run-it-back roster because even though this team went 27 and 12 down the stretch, they still finished the 10th seat and got creamed by a King's team without Malik-Malek. and without Kevin Herder. So the facts kind of speak for themselves. Now, I talked to a couple of team executives this morning about what they would offer Clay Thompson and Free Agency. And their guess was somewhere between $20 and $25 million per year over a two or a three-year deal. They also guessed that Clay Thompson is going to be looking for significantly more in that deal. So there's going to have to be a reckoning, I think, in that Golden State front office.

Joe Lacob, the owner, has made it clear. He wants to take this team, the luxury tax next season. They spent $380 million on salaries and tax penalties this year. He wants to get them under the tax tax next season. That can begin with excising Chris Paul from the roster, but it's going to lead to a hard conversation with Clay Thompson. They say to him, we think you're worth X. If you think you're worth Y, go out there and see if it's out there for you. Yeah, I get that. You know, we were talking about, I threw out my scenario. The Clippers unravel against the Mavericks, and Paul George is like, I'm a California guy, I don't want to leave the state, but I'm over this, I'm over Harden, I'm over Kauai, and that he moves up north, and then you can keep a lot of your Moses Moody, Cominga, and frankly, you give LeBron a call, because Steph's timeline's probably three more great years, but I do think Paul George is somebody, I mean, he chose California, is that crazy to think? Because if you do that with Paul George, and you move off, Paul, you could keep a lot of the parts. Otherwise, what would they do?

Look, I don't know if the audience wants to be bored with salary cap machinations and exactly why things will or won't work because of the first apron and the second apron. Just to say, it would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for the warriors to pull off a deal that brings Paul George to Golden State. It would have to be presumably a sign-in-trade deal. Maybe Paul George opted to his contract. a lot of obstacles standing in the way of Golden State, which is what makes this situation that they're in so problematic. I mean, they can rely on some organic growth next year. I think Kaminga is a star in waiting. I think he's going to become an even better player next season.

You mentioned, you know, Brandon Posinski, he is someone that's going to get better in a more enhanced role. So even if Clay Thompson leaves as a free agent, they can fill in some of those voids with the players that they already have. But Colin, we're talking about a team that has made championships the bar for championships during this era. There really is no scenario where you can look at this Warriors team and say a tweak there, a twist there, and they are a championship contend. That's why I think this offseason is going to lead to some very hard conversation that Warriors front office about where this team goes from here. So LeBron is 12 and 0. in his last 12, like game sevens, playing games, in-season tournament.

He, in this roster, I said before, is that if they were a band, they could give you great performance, but they're not a world tour band. They're just LeBron's old and AD's older than his age, and they don't have a lot of dependable parts. But you could get one great night out of them. I think they match up pretty well with Denver. Don't think they'll beat them, probably get beaten five. what transpires in your opinion in that series?

Oh, Colin, I'm sitting here in Nick Wright's chair in New York City, so I feel like I should be infused with LeBron and Lakers' optimism, but I'm just not right now. I mean, you look at the most recent history, a four-game sweep in the conference finals last year. The Nuggets went 3-0 against the Lakers this season. Yes, the margin of victory in those games was very tight. The Lakers were not blown out in many of them.

So you have some reason to believe they'll be competitive in this series. I'm sure there's an argument to be made that catching the nuggets early might be better for them than catching them late. But you could also make the argument that the nuggets are not exactly sleepwalking into the postseason. They won six of their last eight games. And despite some of the adversity that they face during this regular season, they still finish in a statistical tie with Oklahoma City for the best record in a competitive. Western Conference. So you really got a squint to look for the Lakers pathway to victory, but I'll do it for you if you want. The pathway to victory is DeAngelo Russell playing out of his mind. DeAngelo Russell, after the All-Star break, average about 20 points per game,

shot 41% from three. Those are excellent numbers. You saw him down the stretch against the Pelicans last night making a key three-pointer. They need the DeAngelo Russell that played the second half of this season played in the play and has played in for a lot of his time with the Lakers to show up in this series and not be the DeAngelo Russell that was virtually unplayable in that series against Denver. The Nuggets just played DeAngelo Russell right off the floor. And if he is that same player, this series is going to be over very quickly. So let's go to the east. Miami and Philly play. Boston will be favored over both. but I would rather face Philly, even though I'd have to face M. Bede.

I don't want to face Spolstra, Butler. I'd like to get out of that. There are these weird teams in sports that just rise and they're just a pain. I don't want to face Spolstra. Jimmy, bam, I don't want to. But as somebody that covers the Celtics, are either of those teams capable of pushing Boston and making them a little uncomfortable?

Yeah, I think Miami is the team the Celtics would most likely like to avoid, even though the heat are probably a weaker version of the team we saw last year. They're still Miami. They're still brilliantly coached. They've still got a great closer in Jimmy Butler. And Celtics historically, at least over the last 10 years, have really played well against the 76ers. Al Horford plays really well against Joellen Beats. That's probably the matchup that they would prefer in the first round.

But any first round matchup for the Celtics right now is a little bit concerning. Because the Celtics, they haven't played like a meaningful game since Ash Wednesday. I mean, they have been basically just sleepwalking through the last month, month and a half of the regular season. I was at the game last week against the Knicks. A meaningful game kind of for both teams. The Celtics suited up their stars. The Knicks suited up their best players. The Knicks just kicked the crap out of them.

So the question of whether or not the South is going to be sharp, having another week off, having not played meaningful games in a while, going up against the potentially sharp or you're in focused, Miami or Philadelphia team, that is a cause for concern early in that series. Watch that game one for the Boston Celtics. They lose that game. There are going to be some alarm bells going off in Boston. So sometimes this happens, Chris, where a story is better than a team. and I think that's the Knicks. Julius Randall gets hurt, more of the offense runs through Brunson, and he's terrific. He's the best quarterback in New York, including Aaron Rogers and Daniel Jones.

I love him outside of Ewing. I think he's my favorite Knicks guy since maybe, I don't know, Alan Houston or Walt Frazier, whatever. But I think the story is better than reality. When he's off the floor, it's not a highly functional offense, and I think they're going to get doused in the first round. And then I think they're going to go big game, honey. Carl Anthony Town, something like that. Give me your thoughts on the Knicks, the future, the now. I just, there's not enough offense here to me to win a playoff series, is there?

I think there's enough offense to win a first round series. Is there enough offense to beat a Milwaukee team in the second round? Is there enough offense to beat the Celtics in the conference finals? That's very much an open question. I had many questions about the Knicks, even before this Julius Randall injury, because the history of the Knicks stars in the near playoff past has not been very good. Julius Randall has been great during the regular seasons. The Knicks have made the playoffs. He has been categorically awful in the post seasons.

Now, Jalen Brunson wasn't bad in the playoffs last year, but you look at the three-point numbers. He shot better than 40% in the regular season. He was around low 30s during the postseason. That's not going to get it done in a postseason series. So when you go up against teams that have good defensive players and good defensive coaches, and they're able to dig into one team with one really serious option, that's going to make a Nick's deep playoff run, I think, really problematic. All right, you had, you're an MVP voter.

I would go Luca Yokic, SGA, Jalen Brunson, maybe a four, I don't know. But I could argue both. But I do think Luca really taking Kyrie to a place LeBron did where basketball trumps everything, I think it's substantial. Because I think if you look at Kyrie in Boston, Kyrie in Brooklyn, Kyrie pre-Lebron and Cleveland, it's not the talent. It's, you know, there's stuff. And I think Lucas solved it.

And to me, if there's a tiebreaker, I think that's substantial. What was your vote? I like that normalizing Kyrie is kind of a criteria for winning MVP. Not that I necessarily disagree with it. I mean, it clearly works between Kyrie and Luca Donchitz, but I use other criteria there. I mean, look, it was incredibly close between Yokic, Luca, and SGA, but Shaggildas Alexander got my MVP vote this year because,

look, he took over and is the leader of the youngest team in the NBA and the youngest team to ever win the number one overall seed. This was a player that last year was on a team that was a lottery team, takes them all the way to the number one seed, put up the kind of statistics offensively that we have not seen since Michael Jordan's best seasons, since Steph Curry's MVP seasons. And one of the more important differentiators that I used for Shea Gildes Alexander is that he is a two-way player. He's top 10, top 12 in defensive winshares. You've got to go a little bit further down to find Nicola Yolkich and way further down to find Luca Donchich, who is not a better than average defensive player. So all three of

these guys put up great numbers, but Shea's team success on a team that was nowhere last year. And the fact that I think he's the best two-way player of the bunch, that gave him a slight edge on my ballot. I like it. How about that, Jay Mack? I like that. Listen, it's close. It's inches. You can, the argument, value is what are you? doing, it's not a stat. If it's just scoring, Luca's going to win a lot. So, Yokic, I would make

this argument, Chris, that once you win the championship, it's different. You don't have that pressure. Lucas still faces that, right? SGA faces that. So Yokic doesn't face that, like, impending Jason Tatum now faces real pressure.

Bro, you've got to get to the finals. This team is stacked. So the argument, if you make that argument, it comes down to Luca and SGA. Well, Luca has like a guy that was a hit a bucket in a finals guy in Kyrie. SGA's got Chet Holndrin. So, J. Mack, your reaction to that. That's interesting to me.

I just don't see how you can put SGA on Luca's level. Well, as what? Like you said, Chet Holmrigan comes in and they improved by 15, 20 wins. Like, Kyrie Irving was there last year. They're better because Luca is a better defensive player this year. I think Chris would probably agree. Is SGA a good defense? Does defense matter by at all?

It does? Yes. I would say defense matters, you know, significantly. The Thunder, outside of rebounding, they're a near flawless team. SGA is a big reason for that. I watched a lot of Oklahoma's home of city games this year. SGA is often deployed on one of the better, if not the best wing player on an opposing team. It helps.

He's got Lou Dorth. There's a great defensive wing as well. But SGA oftentimes plays against top offensive players. He also gets the free throw line an absurd amount. It's clutch numbers are ridiculous. Look, this was the hardest MVP ballot I have filled out. in about, you know, 15, 20 years of doing it because all three guys you can make a compelling case for. But I think, Shay, again, being the two-way player and having a team that, even by virtue

of tiebreaker, was the number one team in the Western Conference, I think that means something. I think winning matters. And SGA's team won at a high level this year. Yeah, no, I think it's great. It's one of the better votes. A lot of international guys and a lot of great players. All of them certainly worthy of it. Chris Mannix is always good talking to him, man. You got it, Colin. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, I think it's just one of those inches, not feet, ears. Like that SGA, when you really think about it, it's like, I kind of had him third because it's like, is he as influential? But, I mean, their roster's interesting. It's just all kids. I've said this multiple times. North Carolina's average age was 22 and a half. I think O.K.C's average age is like just under 23.

It's all kids. And he's leading him to the number one seat in the significantly better conference. We acknowledge, it's the AFC to the NFC. My thing is, why are they 15 or whatever wins better? Why are they, did they move up from, you know, potential team to number one seat?

There's one big difference on that team, and that's Chet Holmgren is there. Who impacts play at both ends? You played in, I think, almost every game this season. Might have been every game. Like, there's just not that much different with Dallas except Luca's now defending. All you guys did was bag on Luca. He doesn't

defend. He couldn't defend. He couldn't defend Jason McIntyre in a rec league. Luca's come out and the numbers say he has been a very, very good defender. He's showing he's willing to adapt and become a guy who's not a turnstile on the defense event. Remember that picture of Luke at once?

We thought it was real where he was having a beer on a playoff day. A smoke and a beer. The internet. You know these European guys. You're a big traveler. You go to Europe. No, I don't. Hey, listen, when you're 15-16, you're having a glass of wine in Italy with your parents.

Yeah, you were knocking back. two or three, no? No. No, mom and dad, we had to sneak it. Milwaukee's best. Beast, yes. Oh, yeah. 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 super Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper 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. 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 kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jay. 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. 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.

Yeah, the average age of the staff just look it up. 23 years of age. 23.4. That's at that, by the way, NC State, Alabama, Purdue, Yukon, similarly, you're talking 21, 22-year-old teams. So the fact they're a number one seed is just crazy. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

So this Bill Belichick stuff swirling around today, very interesting. Oh, well, oh. Reports are now indicating Belichick has told people close to him. he has interest in coaching the Cowboys, Eagles, or Giants. All three teams' coaches could be on the hot seat by Thanksgiving. We don't know. Obviously, we don't know how the season is going to shake out. But Colin, it's interesting.

Belichick let the whole Apple series come out. He let everybody kick him when he was down, and now it feels like Belichick's kind of rising up and maybe telling his side of this story. Well, this story comes out on a day. Another story comes out. Yep. Where, you know, Atlanta, he wasn't one of the top three choices.

So this is Belichick getting his people to diffuse some of that negativity around him. On shows like this and others, get the word out that Bill is very interested. So what you're doing is instead of on this news cycle, being dominated by Belichick wasn't top three, Bill's side leaks this and it usurps it. Now we start talking about this. Okay. So we didn't get a chance to spar at all. over the earlier Belichick topic.

I'm going to ask you, do you believe that Kraft sabotaged Bill with the Atlanta Falcon? No, I think Bill sabotaged Bill. But I mean by, like, do you believe that Kraft said, eh, he can't be trusted and all this stuff that came out in the article?

If Andy Reid retired tomorrow, you couldn't do what you did to Bill because he gets along with people. He's collaborative. He's fun. He's joyful. Bill's issues are Bill. But according to Bill, according to Bill, according to sources in that story, Bill told the Falcons, I'll be collaborative.

I'll work with the GM. I'll work with the front office. People didn't believe it because he's never done that in his career. I mean, it's like if somebody told you, hey, new me, I'll be at the gym every day. And they're 50 and they've never been to a gym. A new lifestyle. Every day I'm going to be on a treadmill. You'd be a little bit of a cynic. This is different.

Bill Belichick was run out of New England. It's you've got to change. If you're not going to change, you're not getting a job. Are you going to change? and it sounds like he told the Falcons he was. I would say this. If you set the ground rules with Bill, Bill, don't give me this parcels.

I'm making the food. I got to chew. You are not drafting the players. I'm not interested in that. You coach them. We have a GM and a scouting department. Your opinion will not sway us at all. If I feel it, I'll run you out of the building.

I would put it in the contract. If you're not collaborative, I don't want your draft. Bill's last seven drafts when he got power are awful. We know, yes. That's a fact. That's correct. Oh, that's kind of the league to get. And by the way, you say he's interested in the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles.

Giants don't have their quarterback yet. They may draft one. They could be the worst team in the league and have a top of the big thing. No, no worst team in the league. Well, you're right. Not my bad. It could be bad. Give me their skill position players.

Come on, they got nobody. First of all, if Bill sending out that he's interested in coaching these, is Bill considering the Cowboys Giants and Eagles have had coaches? Well, okay. Let me just wrap the It's not great form, by the way. Let's go back to that Falcons because you said he didn't finish in the top three.

Well, that's what the reports are. Yeah. Why would the owner invite him and be hot to be the first one to talk to him and then not even have him finish in the top three? Something clearly went down. Well, the owner invited him because Bill was on the market.

Nobody knew if he was going to get a job or not. So Arthur Blank's like, get down here. Let's fly him in on my private jet. And then after Bill leaves, you make calls and around the league. Well, is it around the league or is it Kraft? Because sources for that story are indicating Kraft put the kibosh. Well, the story indicates that they didn't kill it, but they didn't do him any favors.

And they were candid when asked about his nature of ruling with a thumb. That they felt like in, I mean, every book I've read, you could go to Jeff Benedict's, Ian O'Connor, Seth Wickersham. Every book you read on the Patriots is Bill was difficult with Kraft. And I've said this on the show for years. When you read those books, you can tell that Kraft and Belichick there's animosity. I mean, Bill was much more fun-loving in his first five or six years. He could be funny with the media, whether it's SpyGate, whatever it is. Bill got grumpy.

Bill ruled with an iron fist. He wasn't as collaborative at the end. I mean, like he just shooed off the scouting department in January. I was told by two people who had worked around that organization. So I'm not anti-Bill. I mean, I put Edelman on the show. Brady will be on the show. I was considered a Patriot Homer forever.

But when I see old guys start ruling with an iron fist and it doesn't end well, look in the mirror. Stop blaming people. So I'll wrap up with two questions. Who's coaching the Cowboys in 2025, Belichick or Dionne Sanders? Neither. McCarthy State? There'll be an offensive coach. Houston's offensive coordinator.

Bobby Slow. He'll get a look. We take him over Dionne. Ben Johnson. I think Jerry will hire somebody that excites him, and he's giving a break to. Coaching the Cowboys, the biggest friend. Jerry likes to feel important with the own. Mike McCarthy was on the beach.

Jason Garrett was like his son. Who would have else would have hired Jason Garrett? So Bill, right? The only two times Jerry's had success with coaches, Jimmy and Bill, they didn't need him. Okay? So Jason Garrett kind of needed him. McCarthy kind of needed him. The recent history is Chan Galey,

Wade Phillips, kind of those kind of guys that, you know, Jerry, he hires people like he's saving them or giving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Jerry needs that. So it'll be somebody like a Bobby Slowick. Yeah, Bobby Sloan. It doesn't know a damn thing about developing a culture.

Meanwhile, Belichick does and Dion does. That would be a great mistake. Finally, I don't know if I can use you as a reference going forward. The way you're taking craft side here. I don't think I can put you down. Well, once you get non-collaborative, then you got to work well with Ryan on those hockey scores. Yeah, what's hockey? All right, next subject.

Patrick Mahomes, Colin. His fame continues to rise, obviously, three Super Bowl MVP's. He's just collecting accolades left and right. Now, he has been named one of the most influential people in the world, according to Time magazine. And he says he's not. ready to be anywhere near the goat status in Brady's the goat. He is the most talented quarterback I've seen. He's not the goat. A lot of people are talented. It takes time.

You've got to win things. I mean, Michael Jordan walked into the NBA and was dropping points on everybody. He couldn't get past the... Michael Jordan didn't just get talented. Wasn't just great when he beat the Celtics and the pistons. He was great the minute he walked in the league. Also, don't forget, Mahomes lost a Super Bowl, so he can't be ahead of Joe Montana. That's, I'm making fun of the Michael Jordan fans in the little box. Well, right now I would say Brady's the goat.

Montana is probably, along with Mahomes and that cat, well, I mean, Joe Montana's four for four. MVP's. What do you mean so? It's a team sport. Come on. So's basketball. How was Jordan Free Pippin? Joe Montana was an amazing quarterback in his time.

He played in the 80s. He didn't play in the 50s, not Y-A Tiddle. In his time. He was really awesome. He had a stacked deck with the Niners. When was Montana playing for the Niners? Was it early 90s, late 80s? It was 80s.

Well, yeah, but football was a lot of the same things back then. We're not talking Jerry West back in the early 70s. He was great. When the NBA finals were on tape delay after the 11 o'clock news. He's an all-time great quarterback. It's not a slight to say he's third all-time behind. Well, he's four for four. How many's Mahomes him?

He's three for... Three out of four. He lost one to the bus. Don't be that. He just edged the head. Bill Russell, one 11. Again, that's the 60s when there were four teams. You know, now we're, I'm saying there's lines.

Like, to me, what did Montana play? By the way, the 80s is closer to the 60s than today is to the 80s. You know that, right? But I look at 80s sports as the real thing. The 70s is different. Well, good. Okay, glad we were. Guys were barely using weights in baseball.

Guys are smoking cigarettes at halftime in the NFL. Oh, I mean, Len Dawson was out there knocking down Pepsi's and, you know, rockets at halftime. So Montana played 79 to 90 as great years mid-80s on. That feels like a current player. Troy Aitman's a current player. Bart Star, I don't count 60s. The only old school quarterback that I think could play today and would be great was Roger Staubach. He was unbelievable.

He was 20 years before his time. My parents weren't even in this country, I don't think, at that time. Anyways, so the whole Montana thing, he's like a Magic Johnson. He comes in against Bill Walsh, and then Jerry Rice and John Taylor and Roger. He's awesome. Dwight Clark. They had ridiculous teams. Montana was totally stacked. Andy Reed, Travis Kelsey, Tyree Kill, Chris Jones, Steve Spagnola, the Hunt family.

Oh, Spagnola Fire. Smartest young GM in the sport. I didn't have any support there. The 49ers were like the glamour team of the. NFL in the 80s. Well, who do you think the glamour team right now in the NFL is? They're because, that's because of Patrick Mahomes. Come on. You're not really doing this. Are you just

joking around? You don't think Andy Reed is in the argument for the greatest coach in league history. He 100% is. Because of Patrick Mahomes. He got run out of Philly. Come on. Belichick got run out of Cleveland before he got braided. After three years. Reed was in Philly for over a decade. And got to Super Bowls and 5 NFC

championships. Didn't win a damn thing. Anyways, final story. Gosh, that was oddly heated. Clippers are playing the Maverick Sunday in a series that I can't wait for. Kauai has missed the last eight games due to knee inflammation. Status for Game Boyd is unclear. Tailu has been cryptic about it.

But then, Colin, out of the blue yesterday, Kauai Leonard's taking the last USA basketball roster spot. What? This I was shocked by. I like your suggestion. Zion. Who would you rather watch? I'd rather watch Zion in the Olympics?

We don't know if Kauai Lerner's going to help you. Get a load of this. We don't know if Kauai's going to be healthy in a week, a month. Who knows? Now, Zion obviously a little. I mean, Zion has had injury issues, too, but I love his game. Kauai is good, but I'm over it. He's box office. He's not Caitlin Clark, but he, people are going to tune in for Zion.

Oh, is Zion at the Olympics? Yeah, I'd watch that. Dusseldorf will have no game plan to stop him. None. Yeah, no, I'm, by the way, that, we've got some good, what is today Tuesday? What is today's? What, don't we have another story on a guy? the NBA getting whacked?

Yeah, that's coming up. We're waiting. Some more details are trickling out. A guy did get not whacked, like mom whacked, but he got a lifetime ban. We'll talk about it later. It's not fully done.

The story. Well, his career is fully done. His career is toast. But we're waiting on one important detail. I think it's so funny that you literally look at Joe Montana and go, I mean, look at Bill Walsh, Jerry Rice.

Yeah, and he had to go through a cowboy dynasty. What cowboy dynasty was that? Do you see who San Francisco beat in these great Super Bowls and these great NFC championships? They were facing great teams. In the 80s? Yeah, I guess I got to do my... I thought the Cowboys were a juggernaut in the 90s. Well, they were in the 90s, but I'm saying...

Do it with Danny White in the... Yeah, I know some 80s. I know some 80s. I'm not a 70s guy. But those Cowboys teams were nothing compared to the 90s Cowboys team. Come on. All right. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping. The herd line news. I mean, nobody does it on an island. So you can argue that the chiefs have a top three owner, a top three GM, a top one coach, the best tight end ever, the best defensive coordinator, arguably in the league, for a time they had the fastest football player on the planet. I mean, don't tell me they haven't had. Chris Jones is, isn't he now that Aaron Donald's out? Name a defensive lineman you take over.

over Chris Jones. Quentin Williams. Huh? Quinnon Williams of the New York Jets. They may disband that thing after Aaron's podcast. It may be better off to shipping them the UFL. All I'm saying is you're saying they don't have best head coach, best top coordinator, best GM, great ownership, not a lot of support.

That's a good place to play too. You also got the wacky raiders and mostly the goofy charters. and mostly the goofy chargers for most of my life in those divisions. I mean, seriously, the chargers have been talented forever, but we keep waiting for the chargers. Harby, I think,'s going to be the guy that's like, can you guys finally overachieve? And then the Raiders have been, you know, for 20 years have been kind of a grease fire.

So, I mean, there's been some benefit. And I love Mahomes, but you can't marginalize. I mean, Joe Montana was a golden boy from Notre Dame. Patrick Mahomes, did he even win a bowl game at Texas? tech putting up indoor football numbers? Come on. They don't play. It's a pillow fight in the big 12th. Exactly. Montana played against great Ohio State, Michigan defenses. Your guys out there have pillow fight and Lubbock.

Yeah, Montana was like the chosen one, you know, like that. He went in the third round. Yeah, he was chosen in the third round. I know. Oh, geez. You're trying to marginalize Joe Montana. I'm not doing that at all. I'm just saying I don't think that you can accurately compare the two because what Mahomes has done has been more impressive that Joe Montana having a loaded Niners team throughout the age. You have Montana and Jeff Hostetler. It coin flip. It would go either way.

Ken O'Brien. I like him too. From the versatile EQB to the sublime EQS sedan, Mercedes-Benz makes electric extraordinary. The vehicles are all electric. The feelings all Mercedes. The choice all yours. Learn more at MbUSA.com slash EQ. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA grapevine. All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein. On the IHeart 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. 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. 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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. 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 all day, but just so you 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 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. Saturday on FS1, two iconic teams go head to head as the Mets take on Muki Betts, Shohay Otani, and the Dodgers. Coverage begins Saturday at 3 Eastern on FS1. Speaking of Otani, people are talking here.

He's starting to hit really well now. He just had an eight-game hitting streak. Four home runs. He's on fire. And people are saying he's unflappable. This guy, considering the controversy and the gambling saga around him, he's unflappable. And I would say, don't confuse unflappable with innocent. Is that there's not a lot of mobsters that live to be 100.

Now, maybe it's the sausage diet and the weaponry. But I would say that when you're hiding secrets, it wears on you. clean living is a better life that endures. And you can compartmentalize secrets and bad actions, but it shows up in stress and performance. And I think O'Tani's a victim. I don't think he's

carrying any weight or hiding anything. I think if anything, it's embarrassing. And the moral of the story is with money, trust, but verify. But, I mean, I said from the very beginning, you're talking about somebody from overseas, got eight bank accounts,

had an interpreter, thought he was his friend, I've seen Billy Joel, Robert De Niro, Kevin Garnett, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan. Countless pro athletes get jobbed by people with proximity, including agents. And here was the Dodgers manager talking about Otani during this saga. He's very stoic. You know, he just don't know his emotions. He just kind of comes in every day the same.

And you never know if things are good or things are bad or stuff on his mind. He's a pro. He just wants to play baseball. Okay, a couple of NBA things. Zion Williamson, who walked off the court, not hobbled last night, is out for Friday's playing an elimination game against Sacramento. So I don't know if there's ever been a guy drafted that was exactly what we thought, like Zion Williamson. I can remember when he got drafted, I was told, I worry about his weight by NBA insiders. Weight and injuries will be an issue.

But when he's in there, he'll be a freight train and really hard to stop. And that's exactly what he's been. He's been everything people thought he would be. Weight struggles, injured a lot. But man, if you watched that game last night, there was no stopping him. He got 40 points, then left the court. Nobody knows exactly why. But here it's kind of a hamstring thing, left hamstring, so he leaves.

In terms of the Warriors whose season ends again, third time in five years, they get eliminated from the playoffs, a couple of times in playing games. let's start let's start with step on clay thompson's uh the loss in clay's future can never see myself you know not with those two guys it's i understand this league changes and there's so many things that go into it and we're not going to play forever but you know we've uh experienced so much together and at the day like again i know they want to win

I know I want to win and that's all I worry that's all I'm worried about Yeah Players coach Want him back Charles Barkley on TNT About Clay's future

With the Dubs They're gonna have to make a hard decision on Clay Clay's not going to get younger Do you sign him For three or four more years Which he won't He's not going to get better He's going to make less money

But he ain't going to get no better The older people don't get The sports ain't for old people that for young people. There's no disrespect. Play's a Hall of Famer. But he's lowered his number, but he ain't,

just because he lowered his number, don't mean he's going to play better as he ages. That's a great way to put it. Sports is for young people. It's not for old people. So what would you do, Jay Mack, would you sign him or not? If he was willing to come off the bench

and take the best number available, he would take less than the market bears, because somebody may overpay him. So let's say Orlando offers him 25 a year. And he says, I'll take 20. From the Warriors? Yeah. So hold on.

Let's just recap. The Warriors had the most expensive payroll in NBA history and did not get out of the play in, Colin. They were the 10 seed. Why are you bringing him back? I think you've got to break up the band. I know it's tough. Well, I think so, too. Just remember, the best time to do a rebuild is last year.

That's the best time to do. Do not say, oh, give it one more chance. I know Curry wants that, but you know what? like, sorry, bud. And I'm the biggest curry guy ever. Like, I'm a huge fan. I just, I don't think you can do it. And now Wiggins, what can you get for Wiggins?

Like, I'm not sure you can get much for him. He was coming off an awful season. Yeah, I think that's done. But I think the Chris Paul stuff's easy. The Wiggins stuff is easy. You know, I think everybody is movable except Steph, and I wouldn't want to move Dreyvon because I think Dremond is a very unique catalyst offensively.

He's a unique piece. He had a great last several months. Just remind me, why is LeBron or Janus coming to play with that, whatever carcasses is of the old warriors? Carcasses, that's too. I mean, I just don't get it. Well, Yonis is on the oldest roster in the league, and LeBron could be sitting there thinking, Dilo is what he is. Austin Reeves is a four, and AD's been healthy for a year and a half, and that's not going to last. And I'm not sure I like Darvin Ham.

Or I can get Steve Kerr, Steph Curry, and Draymond. LeBron loves all those guys? I'd absolutely consider it. You know who loved all the? Kevin Durant loved Kyrie Irving. How'd that work out? I don't know. LeBron's not leaving L.A. Let's just be real.

He ain't going nowhere. It's a 48-minute flight or something. He's not. He's not. Are you sure? He's a family. A positive. His son gets drafted and goes to Orlando.

Orlando's not taking Brony. They're not. They're very interested. Orlando is lovely this time of year. It is. In about three weeks, it's not lovely. They just don't know the NBA playoffs because they're never there. But they are, yeah, this year. I'm, yeah. I don't think it's crazy to suggest LeBron James has always been a capitalist and an opportunist. If they get doused for the second year in a row by Denver and four or five.

At least they got to face Denver. Oh, gosh. What a Christmas present that is. Hour three coming up next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 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 Cliford Show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you at 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 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.