The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - NBA playoffs, adapt

Episode Date: April 12, 2022

Colin gives his NBA playoff predictions  Coaches who refuse to adapt to change in the league Guest: B. J. ArmstrongSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Want to thank again KJR in Seattle, 9.50 a.m. listening, my hometown. It's our NBA stretch here as the playoffs start tonight. Then we go into the NFL draft, then it's NBA playoffs, and the NFL takes over. I got a couple interesting stories later today. One of the Broncos, one of the Packers. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy Howard Things. Everything is great.

I'm really looking forward to this postseason. in the NBA. So am I. I think there's a lot more parody this year. Well, March Madness had the best ratings it's had in half a decade. And there was a ton of parody in that tournament. Masters, by the way, was highest rated in a long time. So the legalized sports gambling is keeping people around longer to watch the games.

And so I'm going to do my NBA playoff predictions. I'm not going to do the finals. So I'm just going to tell you right now, I think Cleveland and Brooklyn win the play-in games. I'm not going to waste a lot of time on that. Cleveland, they're not as good without Jared Allen, but they'll get in, so will Brooklyn. And I'm going to take the Clippers and San Antonio to win their playing games. So with that premise, that's our foundation as we start, let's go first to the Eastern Conference. I'm going to take the heat over the calves.

Again, if Jared Allen was playing, I think you have a seven-game series. He's not, and in the 18 games without him, they've only won seven. Also, the depth of talent, the experience. on Miami is better. They have the best bench scoring in the league. I'm going to take Miami. Sixers. Sixers, Raptors is a tough one for me. I think I'm going to take the Sixers. And the reason being is that who's the Raptors go-to score? Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Seacum. I got two guys. The team with the two best closers against the team with no great closer, I'm taking the Sixers.

Milwaukee, Chicago, Milwaukee played them four times, won all four games. Chicago can't beat the good teams. Lonzo balls out. Won't be a close series. Boston and the Brooklyn Nets. I'm going to take the Nets over the Celtics. When Kady and Karee played this year, the Nets for 11 and 6, Ben Simmons is going to play defensively.

Remember, the Celtics also lost their best defender, Robert Williams, to an injury major. So the Nets will be better defensively because of Ben Simmons. The Celtics will be worse without defensive stalwart Robert Williams. I'm going to take the Nets. So let's go. There we go. Now it's going to be Miami against Philadelphia.

I would, and this is close, but again, I'm going to take the Sixers over the heat. Remember, Miami's a better bench team, but bench is shrinking the playoffs. Secondly, I get the two best closers in the series are both on the Sixers. James Hardin and Joe L.M. beat. Jimmy Butler is not a great closer. He's a great athlete. Same with Bam out of Bayou. So their bench advantage won't be a big advantage.

I'll take the Sixers. Milwaukee Nets will be an excellent series. I think this is where the lack of chemistry, it's so good with Milwaukee and so uneven with Brooklyn, this is where I think Brooklyn meets their ceiling. Also, of the three best closers in the series, Milwaukee has one of them. And Chris Middleton's the fourth best closer,

but he was pretty good in the postseason. last year. So I take Milwaukee and the 76ers to advance. From there, I'm going to take Milwaukee. I think when Brooke Lopez came back, they're the much better defensive team here. Hardin hasn't played well lately. They have big game experience here. Again, we kind of threw the Sixers together. I think Maxie and Hardin and MB, they're all kind of trying to figure each other out. Milwaukee knows exactly what they are. They've been in multiple big games, including the conference finals and the finals last year. Milwaukee goes on to win.

Let's go to the West. All right, Sons and Spurs. I don't think it's close. They played four times. Suns won all four. Also, the Spurs are just not built to beat the good teams. They were two and 14 against the top four teams in the West. So there's a reason they're in the playing game.

In terms of Dallas and the Jazz. So this is the hardest series to predict because Luca has got his issue. So the Mavs, the last couple times they played, the Mavs won, and I think the Mavs are better. But, and they defend, I think they're a better defensive team right now. I'm going to go with the Mavs and say, Luca misses one game, not any more than that. Golden State, Denver, I'm going to go with the Warriors over the Nuggets. First of all, I think Golden State has playoff experience, playoff wins, and they're a better defensive team.

And Jamal Murray and Michael Porter are still out for the Nuggets, so they don't have a full compliment of players. I think it's an interesting series. Golden State at times, you know, Kvon Looney's your center. They're not terribly big. They can get pounded a little bit, but I'm going to take the experience, Steph making big plays. And in the end, Jordan Poole's an emerging star. Many of you who don't watch the NBA in the regular season will be introduced to Jordan Poole, one of the emerging stars in the NBA. And then we have the Clippers and the Grizzlies, and I think Memphis is too young to win this series. This is an upset.

The Clippers have the most top wing defenders in the league. The Clippers have been in more big games. They're the best three-point shooting team since the All-Star break. Then you get into Sons and Mavs, and the Sons went three and O against the Mavs. I still don't think we know what's up with Luca. I think the Sons are easily the best team in the league, and I think they dispose of the Mavs pretty quickly. Golden State Clippers, I'm going to call for an upset.

Clippers over the Warriors. Again, they've got a lot of depth and a lot of bodies. Kauai Leonard may play. My gut feeling he is. And the Warriors since the All-Star break are like a 500 team. So, you know, they're not quite sure what to do with Cumminga. Can they rely on Jordan Poole? He'll be good.

You know, what are we going to get from Clay? Steph's been beat up saying with Draymon. I'm going to take the Clippers for the upset. And then the Sun's over the Clippers. Listen, the Clippers are an eight seed. The sons were easily the best team in the league. At some point, you meet your ceiling. and that would be the even with Kauai.

I don't think you'd have the chemistry yet. But I said this the other day. I think Clippers' Sons is going to be an interesting series. I think they're the one team that has enough length, enough experience, a great coach. They'll go in with house money, an eight seed. They'll play incredibly loose. I think the Clippers would give the Sons some headaches. And, you know, Chris Paul's health, you know, it goes kind of cross your fingers.

So then it's the Sons bucks in the finals, and I have the right. not to make a prediction on that. I do, yet. By the way, you guys didn't have a problem in the Lakers Celtics met every year in the finals. What's wrong with that? They're the best constructed teams in the league with the best chemistry, good coaches, good GMs, great rosters. I mean, that's what's been happening in the NBA since forever. Yeah.

The Warriors and whatever team LeBron was on. If you didn't have a problem with the Lakers meeting the Celtics in the heyday of the NBA, then what's wrong with that? They're not going anywhere. BJ Armstrong, three-time champ, an all-star NBA agent now joining us. All right, you watched my, let's start with the Eastern Conference, BJ. Okay, Colin. Let's start with the Eastern Conference here.

What didn't you like? Well, where do you want to start here? I mean, where do you want to start? I got to let you start. You were all over. You know, you had the Clippers. I was stuck on the Clippers getting to the final. So you got to take me through where you ought to start here.

Okay, let's start with this. Okay, let's start with this. So in the East, I don't buy the heat. And here's my argument. They've got a great bench. Benches get, they shrink in the playoffs. It becomes about two or three closers. Miami's got great athletes, Jimmy Butler Bamada Bayou.

Who's their closer? Whereas like the Sixers have multiple closers. So let's start with this premise that teams like Boston, teams like Miami. good bench, play hard, good defense. Between the two teams, I got one guy I trust closing. I don't buy those teams in the East despite great regular seasons. Do you buy that premise? Well, what I like about the Miami team is their depth, and they have a collection of players that on any given night, any of those players can become a closer depending on the matchup.

So whether it's Bam, it's Jimmy Butler, Tyler Hero, Kyle Lari. I like the fact that they have experience. They're battle tested. Many of these players, Kyle Lari and these guys, PJ Tucker, these guys are all NBA champions. And they are ready and they will not, you know, they can easily be down in a series by one game or two games and figure out how to play because they have playoff experience. So even though they don't have that one player that, you know, a Kevin Durant player or a Janus that you say you can just put the backpack and he'll carry us to the Promise land. On any given night, Calaari is very capable of making big plays. Jimmy Butler, Bam, out of bio, and they will have an advantage at some matchup during the course of the game.

So I like this team defensively. I love what they do because they are a tough group. They have depth. They can play slow. They can play fast. They can play physical. So I like their chances. And most importantly, I like their toughness and what they do and they're well coach. So I think this is going to be a team that's going to be a tough out. However, you know, As you look in the playoffs, you still have to get past Janice. You know, KD will have something to say about that. Maybe the Celtics. So I think there's a lot of parity in the Eastern Conference, but I like this Miami team.

Okay, so you like them. Now, let's take a team that I like more than everybody else. I know Brooklyn is easy to root against, and they don't have a bench, and they're not always, they don't have the size, and they haven't played together a lot. I have the two best closers, arguably in the East. Ben Simmons, if he plays seven, eight minutes a half, doesn't even have to shoot. his length, his defense, his distribution. I think they can get to the Eastern Conference finals.

The chemistry, the amount of games together, the defense. Do you like Brooklyn as much as I do? Well, you know, as a fan, I am really, they've piqued my interest because of the following. And most of the series, they will have, without question, the best player in the series, and that's Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant is just an elite offensive player. And you can't stop him. you just can only hope to contain him at any given moment.

He can just score. He can take on the double teams. He's playing the game at an exceptional rate and playing the game like never before. So I think in most series, he will have the advantage. And because he will have the advantage, it will give them an opportunity to win throughout the playoffs. Let's go to the West. The Clippers are my dark horse. Lot of wing defenders.

I love their coach, Ty Lou. Paul George will be the first or second best player on the floor in many games. He's been in playoff games. I think Kauai could play. I like their versatility. I think they can throw a lot of lineups. They can go big. They can go small.

It's a tough team. Tailu's a tough coach. They're playing with house money potentially. So that's my dark horse, the Clippers. Do you like them or not? I do not like the Clippers as a dark horse. And here's why. you know, Paul George hasn't played, you know, for a length of time in the season. And I think

that's going to kind of throw their rhythm off as they get to the playoffs because a lot of these guys, in particular like Reggie Jackson, these guys, they've been the go-to guys throughout the playoffs, I mean, throughout the regular season. And then once the playoffs begin, they'll have to go back into what they probably initially were brought there for is to be a role player. Now, Paul George is going to come back. He's probably going to play and be that go-to guy. I think it's going to be very difficult for them to play this way, play through Paul George in the playoffs, because they just haven't had enough time to play and really develop that level of chemistry. I understand what you're saying. To think that they can get to the conference finals minus Kauai Leonard to me is like, wow, how good is this team?

But now that you said that, I know who you're picking to win the NBA championship next year. So I'm putting the pressure on you right now. All right. So you didn't, I don't buy it. Here's the team I just don't think I buy into Golden State. So Clay Thompson's not right. I also think Jordan Pools an emerging star, and Clay sort of gets in his way. You know, you don't know, they're not very big.

Sometimes they just don't have the manpower. And if you look at the NBA right now, between Janice and Embed and Durant and D'Andre Ait, there's a lot of bigs. They're small. They can't try, you know, they don't know what they get with Wiseman. Jonathan Cumming is a great defender, but he's a kid. I don't really buy the war. And I love everything about the Warriors. I don't buy into them, do you?

You know what? I buy into this when you talk about the Warriors. What they did over a five-year period speaks for themselves. You know, they were three-time champion. They have great players. In particular, you're talking about Clay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry. Now, however, this is a different group with a different team. So this is what I think is going to make the playoffs interesting, in particular with this series.

There are a couple of players in the NBA that you can't play small ball against. One of those players being Yokic, the other out there in the Eastern Conference in Joyal NB. So when they do go small or what they consider their death lineup with Draymond Green at the center position, in the playoffs, you play to your matchups. That will be a matchup that will, I think, be an advantage for the Denver Nuggets. Now you talked about Jordan Poole. Jordan Poole, Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Wiggins, and Draymond Green. That's a very small group.

They're going to have to double, okay? They're going to have to double Yokit to some ability. His best ability is his ability to pass. So I think this is going to be a problem because of the matchups. You're going to have to keep big players on the floor. And the Warriors don't have a lot of big players right now. So I think this is an advantage for Yokic. It's going to be interesting to see the rotation.

that Steve Kerr is going to use because Jonathan Kaminga is a player to me that has shown that he deserves minutes. You got Dravon, you got Kvon, Looney. So I think it's going to be a very interesting series. It's going to be a battle of the wheels. And I think it's going to be determined by how they're going to try to contain Yokers, because he has an advantage over the centers for the Golden State Warriors. All right. I want to listen, Frank Vogels out.

Lakers, as you know, as an agent in the NFL, You can get out of bad contracts quickly. You can cut people. You can trade people. In the NBA, it's quicksand. You just can't get out of it. And I've said this. My theory on this, I'm going to throw a theory at you because I think it hurts.

I think it hurts the NBA. Is that what makes the NFL great is that a rebuilding process can last like two years. I mean, Belichick took a one and 15 dolphin over and just hired a new coach, changed the bottom of the roster in the middle. they were 11 and 5 the next year. The Rams had Jeff Fisher. They hire Sean McVeigh. A year later, they go from 4 wins to 11 or 12. They didn't even get a new quarterback.

In the NBA, it hurts them. When you're bad, the rebuild can be six or seven years. And here's my theory on it. So the NBA's always been paralyzed by competitive balance and tanking. But that was when Ewing and Tim Duncan would enter the league. They could all. the course of league history. They were All-Stars Day 1.

The kids entering the league now are 19. Hell, they're not altering the team. Forget the league. And so the NBA should be much more willing to let people trade who they want to trade. The teams that want to tanker tanking. The kids coming in aren't altering the league. Draft picks don't have nearly the power they had in the Ewing days,

the Tim Duncan days, the Jordan days. They just don't, the Akeem Olajuwon days. So the Lakers are in quick sand. So first of all, as an agent, let's start with that theory. The league needs to be more hopeful and optimistic for fans. Lighten up the trade restrictions. Your thoughts? Well, you know, when you had the collective bargaining agreement, first of all,

I think you've made some very valid points. And one, I definitely want to touch on for just a second, is the impact of these young players that are coming in. At one point, you had impactful players that impacted the bottom line, which is winning and losing in this league, whether it was an Akeem Olajuwon or Patrick Ewing and those caliber of players, Tim Duncan, for instance. And now you're seeing player development really come to the forefront of this league. So you're absolutely right. I think what you're saying is there is a talent here that's really kind of taking a backseat in the NBA. And that's called roster construction.

And what you're seeing here, Colin, is that if you're going to build a team, if you're going to build a team that has any sustainability in the NBA, you're going to have to draft well. And that means you're going to have to draft at a very high caliber, you know, sort of like what the Warriors were able to do when they drafted Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green, and those level of players. So drafting right now is a premium, but it doesn't guarantee that you're going to get there as quickly as you once. could because you're not drafting those level of impact players at the top of the draft. You may get a yokeage, for instance, in the second round. You may get a Yannis outside of the lottery. So what has become in this league is you have to draft and identify these star players. But because of their age, Colin, you just don't know.

These one and duns make it very, very difficult. It's already difficult to scout and evaluate players, but it's very difficult to do now to evaluate scout these players and say which one of these guys are going to be. become a star. When you see a Kevin Durant, for instance, you say, I feel pretty good about that. What you're hoping is you're not drafting a player at that level, and then that player just becomes a role player. And that's what you're seeing more and more in the NBA. It's very hard to identify the star players, especially at the top, because you may get that same caliber of player in the second round. So one more question. Lakers are a mess. My theory is I'd keep LeBron. I would put

everything else on the table, including moving Anthony Davis, if somebody gave you an offer, if you ran that team, is there a quick solution on the Westbrook AD, old roster, old bench, any quick solution here in a minute? I don't think there's a quick solution. I think, you know, the Lakers are going to have to really say the following. What is the, what are you going to do with your two players in particular? LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Okay. And, that all starts with whether or not LeBron James and the Lakers organization, where they're going to do with his extension or his ability to have an extension. I think you start there and then everything else to me will fall into place, whether they're

going to build a team, whether they feel those two guys still have the ability to compete at the highest level and win a championship. Because, Colin, when you look at what they have in order to build the rest of the team, which we talk about roster construction, how are you going to put together a group with this team if you don't have the pieces or the resources or the assets, however you want to call it, to build a team as it's currently constructed. So they got a lot of questions here. You know, LeBron James had a great individual season, but you have to say the following. He only played in, what, 50-something games? And then what is that going to translate moving forward

with this organization? So I think they have a lot of questions. They have two, you know, well, three excellent players individually. But right now, Colin, they collectively, they're not playing well as a group. And those are concerns that the Lakers organization are going to have to answer and they're going to have to answer over the summer. Yeah, B.J. Armstrong, great seeing you again, man. Thank you. Hey, thank you. And good luck with your Clippers. Thanks. I like the Clippers much more than BJ. He likes the heat much more than I do. So here we go. I think we both think Brooklyn's interesting. And, uh, but there you go. So he likes Miami. I have real questions. You know, they have a collection of guys who have played a big

games. That does help Miami. Interesting thoughts from somebody who's covered the Packers a long time in their quarterback situation. 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. 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,

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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 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 just so you 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 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness, in this month. I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in

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

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. The USFL is coming Saturday and kicks off with a historic inaugural game as the New Jersey Generals take on the Birmingham Stallions in primetime on Fox and NBC. All right, here's the story, Joey.

Tom Silverstein is a longtime Green Bay Packer reporter. We had him on about a month ago. He's been covering this team for like 30 years. And he said, interesting story on Jordan Love. He said, what is clear inside the organization? is that when Rogers returned for training camp, some in the organization said that Jordan Love, who they drafted in the first round,

seemed to defer to Aaron, didn't show the kind of leadership and command he had when he was number one on the depth chart during the offseason. There's no indication the Packers are actively shopping, Jordan Love, but they would listen. This guy's tied in. the Packers would want a second round pick. The bottom line, there isn't a better time for the Packers to trade him,

given the poor quarterback draft class this year and the outstanding one next year. So what he's basically saying is the Packers aren't sure. So this is one of these things that cracks me up. You got three years of Utah State tape and two years of Green Bay practice tape. And you don't know, you know. you date somebody eight years you're not sure you know right like it doesn't take forever so my takeaway is trade him now the less you put him out there the better Mitch Trubisky got more valuable when you didn't see him play when you have an average quarterback prospect or an average quarterback

this league is so desperate to win not playing him marcos mariotta raises his value we have a seen Marcus Marioi. He's like the locknest monster. I haven't seen him. He's a starting quarterback now. Mitch Trubesky disappeared. Where'd he go? Steelers went and got him. When your quarterback's great, get him out there for the market to see him. When he's average or less than that, hide him. And people just, oh, yeah, I saw his tape. You know, he wasn't terrible against Kansas City. He had a 70 passer array. That's a tough team to play. It was on the road. I wouldn't play him. I would move him before the preseason. I think the more you see of him, I think he's average, the more you see of him, the less enthralled people will be. The other thing is, well, what if, what if Aaron Rogers

gets hurt? Well, you're screwed anyway. If Aaron gets hurt, you know, good God, you're, you got no shot anyway. So to me, it was a pick, it was a bad pick. It happens. Seattle, Seahawks, I've had seven years of them. Like, it's a bad pick. Get a third round pick, move on. My same theory with the 49ers. You got Jimmy Garoppolo for a second round pick. He got you to a Super Bowl. Move on. Save the 25 million.

Get Trey Lance help. So, but if Tom Silverstein is saying this that they would listen, they know. He's not as good as they thought. I mean, they're not even into his leadership stuff. So you and I know watching him, we're not into his playing stuff. They're telling you in the building, some people don't think he's a leader. That's like the Anthony Davis stuff, although Anthony's obviously much better. Anthony, we know he's not a leader.

But if he can't stay healthy on the court and you don't think he's big off the court in the room elevating, what's the point? So this story to me is, it may not say a lot, but it says everything. They're taking phone calls. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, there have been numerous reports this offseason about a rift between Tom Brady and Bruce Ariens.

Yes, multiple stories. Arians kept denying it. Brady's been pretty silent about it. But a recent report might shed a little light onto why he might have been unhappy. Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel reported yesterday, Brady, as in New England, showed up each Tuesday morning with a game plan for the following Sunday. The source said he expected coaches to do the same. Arion's busy with other work, wasn't ready at that early point in a work. week to complete a full game plan. It became representative of smallish, but significant problems between them. According to Hyde, this was a factor for Brady wanting to leave the bucks. Now, this is not particularly surprising because this was one of the reasons why, to me, Tampa was always a long shot to get Brady because it wasn't a cultural fit. Right. I mean, we talked about

this when we were discussing where Brady was going to end up. Tampa is like, that's a lot of it. by Tampa. Cocktails at three? Like, that's not Brady's style. No, we thought San Francisco with the kind of intensity of Kyle Shanahan. Correct. And they didn't love Garoppolo. Like, we thought that was the fit.

Academically, intensity. And even the Chargers is out west. NFC, get him away from Boston. Like, that was the fit. It just, it never made any sense to me from that regard. Now, which is why the success that they've had is not taking anything away from Brady's greatness or Hooper's Syrian. But it does, it is a little surprising that they were able to meet in the middle with their two very different styles and win a championship so quickly.

That is actually a very big surprising part of what, like now that we're seeing how frustrating, how frustrated Brady was. He showed up there and instantly won with two completely colliding styles of player preparation. Yeah. Which shows you how, at least in the first year, both of them were clearly very flexible. because if this was a problem and this was a style that he wasn't used to, Brady and after 20 years of doing it a certain way, he was able to be flexible and make it work

in a new system and new situation and new players in a pandemic year. Well, and here's the other thing too. Is Belichick wasn't terribly flexible with Brady? He left. Pete Carroll wasn't terribly flexible with Russell. He left. The Packers have struggled to be flexible with Aaron.

He soaked him in negotiations. And Ariens isn't terribly flexible with the way he does things. he's now upstairs. This has changed now. Like the NFL, Phil Sims was told what to do by Bill Parcells or would sit. No,

I mean, when it comes to star quarterbacks, you have to be accommodating. They're now making $45. They're making $50 million a year. They used to make a highly compensated one made 12. It wasn't long ago. No,

if you run into a particular personality that isn't, I don't think Patrick Mahomes is someone that really forces his way. No, that's not. Now you have an Andy Reid there, so it's probably easier to, you know, have those conversations because those are, those are personalities that you can have conversations with. Pete Carroll's old, Belichick old, Ariens old. You're talking about old school guys. There are, there are defensive coaches and younger, like Sean McDermott is much more flexible with Josh Allen, John Harbaugh's younger. But when you have older coaches with Super Bowl rings, I mean, Andy Reid is older as well. But I think, but I think that's why I'm saying you can sometimes get lucky with

the style. Because Andy Reed is. notoriously a teacher. He's notoriously very flexible. He's a mentor. Very flexible. He's very accessible. And Patrick Mahomes doesn't seem like he has that type of personality to demand certain things. He sort of trusts the organization. Now, when you are with an organization that you can trust, that makes things easier as well. But I'm with you. The days of just doing whatever when it comes to your star quarterback and telling them what to do and forcing things like those are done. And it's very similar to the NBA. And by the way, that's not a bad thing. We always go it's bad, bad, bad. I do want, I mean, I think Kevin Durant made a really bad decision going from Steph Curry to Kyrie Irving.

But, you know, Magic Johnson when he played, had a sense of this guy works with me, this guy doesn't. I like a strong leader. Like Kobe Bryant demanded the Lakers. I'll go to Chicago if you don't get me another star and they generate, engineer a deal for Powell Gasol. Like, I do like strong star players because generally they hold people accountable. You can't waste time. I do think that this, this, you know, kind of balance has forced organizations to be more aggressive. It has forced them to be more accountable.

And, you know, that can benefit teams and fan bases overall. Now, that also being said, when stars do force their power into situations and it fails, I think you have a right as an organization to say, we did it your way. And this is the result. So we're not going to do that moving forward. Like, we gave you that space. when it comes to forcing for players or certain personnel or certain coaches, if it doesn't work,

then I think you have a right to take that ownership back as an organization as well. But again, this is only reserved for the top 1% of the 1% of people in the league. Like, this is not going to be a thing that trickles down to every single position. You've got like four guys on earth that can do this. So just relax. So Tua said he is getting support this offseason, the staff that has been put in place and the support he's getting is unparalleled. at a recent charity event, he praised them for showing up to something that was so personally important to him.

To be able to have our OC, my quarterbacks coach, our head coach here in support of this, to me, I, you know, I've never, never witnessed that. So we have all three of those guys here. And to have my teammates here, we hang out at my house all the time. So I'll probably see them at the after party. There's another pretty great clip from this to a event where Dammer Marino walks in and he like just turns into all of us when we see Dan Marino. Which is like when Dan walks in the room, everyone's like, oh my God, it's Dan Marino and everything

else has just stopped. But look, I think this is good. I think this is what I've always wanted for Tua, for the, for the dolphins in this situation, which is to just lean into him. You saw what we were just talking about Jordan Love, why that pick was such a waste. This is why I always think that young players should play right away. You're wasting years. You're wasting development.

And as an organization, you're wasting time to see if they are really the the guy. Yeah. Like, we have no answers onto it, and that's totally the Dolphins fault. Yeah. Like, what did you do? You waste the time talking about to Sean Watson. You never got him.

You had Ryan Fitzpatrick out there, accomplished nothing. You just took development time away from Tua and didn't put the pieces around him to be successful. Well, I mean, and the guys that are really good. I mean, DAC, day one, you were like, okay, that works. Russell Wilson, day one. Oh, it works. Joe Burrow, day one, it works. Justin Herbert, day one.

Right. Like, the truth of the matter is talent pops. I always use the show American Idol. Now, I have no musical background, but I watched that show for 10 years. You could tell within a lyric, you're 12 seconds in, you're like, hack, lounge singer, potential star. Like, it doesn't, and I've told a story years ago, when I was living in Hartford, I went to an AAU basketball tournament. My daughter was in. There was like 12 courts.

And there was a bunch of coaches there. And I walked in. And like within three minutes, I'm like, who's that girl in the far court? and they're like, yeah, she's the best player here. And she was like a ninth grader. Like, talent emerges quick. I don't think two is it. And I think he'll play well this year.

But like, if the Packers say they don't know about Jordan Love, you know. If you don't know at this point, then you know. That's what the Trey Lance stuff is interesting in San Francisco. Like, if you don't, if you're still asking questions for all those picks you gave up, you got a problem on your hands. A big problem. You still have Jimmy G there talking about like, whoa, we're just want to keep. keep a winning quarterback on the roster. That tells me there's massive doubt. I'm with you.

I think it's a huge, it's a huge sign. So Russell Westbrook has received a ton of criticism throughout the season and he feels that it all started internally at the beginning. So when I first got here, I just felt that I never was given a fair chance

just to be who I needed to be to be able to help this team. LeBron and Amy were very clear with that Rustwick, West. Like we heard that a lot. Yeah, but that wasn't true. That's what I was going to say. I mean,

so let's be honest. Do you ever feel like yourself this season on the court? Ah, very rarely. Not like, you know, there were times and spurts, but I was just trying to find my way, honestly. He was also asked about his first relationship

with Frank Vogel, which he responded. I'm not sure what his issue was with me. Oh, boy. Okay. All right. All right. I don't know. I'm with you.

I find this conversation to be exhausting. I've been a huge, defender of Russell Westbrook for years. It's the fourth team he's played for in three seasons. He's likely going to get traded this year. Fifth team in five years. At some point, maybe it's you. And I feel like the lack of accountability from the entire organization,

from there being no leadership accountability throughout the season when things were going bad, it was always the injuries. It was always, you know, some drama. There's no one ever stepped up and said, we're not good. and we got to be better. And, you know, I don't want to hear about one tweet from LeBron throughout the season. Like, this was a total utter collapse, terrible legacy year for the Lakers, terrible legacy year for LeBron and for Russell Westbrook.

And it's just like everyone just keeps passing the buck. And it's almost like, who are you fooling here? It's Frank Vogel's fault, but LeBron said it was the injuries. So it's not the injuries fault. So bad. If you're being criticized, it's probably because you're not playing. well. Fans and media don't tend to criticize guys who are

playing well. Brokich is a sixth seed and is probably going to win the MVP. Yeah. So if you play well, you generally don't get criticized. You can't have all the drama and issues that you had all season long and it's always someone else's fault. It just falls

to me. It's giving zero self-awareness. If you had five jobs in five years, you'd been released or moved, would you go, maybe I'm the issue? Maybe it's me. Maybe it's not the companies. I mean, where is the conspiracy here? Listen, we have a nation of conspiracy theories.

I see it every day on social media. Not to mention, he's owed $47 million. You miss the playoffs. Yeah, it's bad. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News.

It's the Herd. 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. I'm George Reister, host of the Reister or Wrong podcast. This is the intersection where sports, business, society, and pop culture meet the truth. Absolute fire on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Facts only. Make sure you check your feelings at the door because no BS is allowed.

We keep it 100. This is where real conversations happen. Listen to the Rights or Wrong podcast on the IHeart Radio Apple, 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 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,

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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 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 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan, Ryan, Coltain. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth.

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and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know, I was thinking about this. I saw this story, Nathaniel Hackett's, the coach of Denver, the Broncos. And, you know,

you don't know if these coordinators ever make good coaches. But the truth is, a lot of the assistants that get head coaching jobs, the offensive guys are working a lot. McVeigh worked, Shanahan worked, Matt LaFleure worked, feels like they're working, right? The defensive coaches, even when they're smart, Brandon's Daly Chargers, couldn't get Justin Herbert into the playoffs. So, you know, Nathaniel Hackett's an offensive guy. He just got a great quarterback.

I think they'll work. How great they'll be? don't know. But, you know, my takeaway is the every single NFC team last year that made the playoffs had an offensive coach. The best quarterback won every division. The game's getting very offensive. And I think it's very hard for older defensive coaches to adjust. So Nathaniel Hackett had a quote about Russell Wilson. And he said, this is just the opposite of Pete Carroll. He said, just so important to make sure he's comfortable, everything he does, cadence to the way you call a play. in front of 80,000 people screaming.

You want it to be natural. We do so much of the same stuff. It's just about getting that language to be able to cross over. Pete Carroll, defensive coach, older, struggled with Russell Wilson. Bill Belichick, defensive coach, older, struggled at the end with Brady. Mike Zimmer, defensive coach, older, struggled to the end with Kirk Cousins. Brian Flores, not older, but defensive coach, struggled with offensive coordinators. and Tua and Vic Fangio struggled with offense.

I feel bad because a lot of people don't like change. 40% of America never leaves the area code they were born in. People don't like change. Most don't. So they double down on what they know. But when you see Nathaniel Hackett, is it going to be okay? Is it going to work? Yeah.

Matt Stafford McVeigh, they'll figure it out fast. And Russell Wilson, Nathaniel Hackett, they'll figure it out this is the way the game is now. The defensive coach is getting hired, like Robert Sala with a Jets last year, defensive coach, disaster. Brian Flores, we thought it was good, ended up behind the scenes, disaster. So that's why Lovie Smith getting hired in Houston, I'm like, okay, it's an old defensive coach. That's not the way the league's going. I give Denver and the Miami Dolphins a lot of credit. They both realized very quickly, the game.

is changing, we're going to go young, offensive coach, and spend a lot of money on offense. The Broncos and the Dolphins, and I may trust Denver more than I trust Miami, but I'll give Miami credit. They figured it out. And sometime, you know, there's two things to do when you have massive and swift changes. Adapt and pivot. Most people aren't good at that. Or just double down. That's what most people do. So when I see the Nathaniel Hackett, a lot of people are going, how will they do? I said it with the Raiders, Josh McDaniels, bombed his first job, but he is an offensive coach. People can learn from their mistakes. Pete Carroll got fired a couple of times before the Super Bowl in Seattle, but what you're watching here, if you're asking me, is the coach

going to work? I said Robert Sala, defensive coach with a rookie quarterback. I predicted it. I said, that's not going to work. That's not going to work in New York. It was a disaster last year. My guess is Josh McDaniels with the Raiders and Nathaniel Hackett with Denver. You can be pretty good teams, pretty fast, pretty quick. That's what makes me nervous for Justin Fields. I've got concerns about Justin. So young quarterback defensive coach. Don't be shocked if it looks a lot like the Jets.

I mean just week to week, you have no idea what you're getting. It doesn't mean Robert Solic can't coach. It doesn't mean, you know, Iberfluse, the kid in Chicago can't coach. But the game's changed. It's harder to think those defensive principles are taking you to the promise land unless you have a Josh Allen in Buffalo. 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 podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I 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.

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 hear, 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfilts of course. conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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