The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Next for the Warriors

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

How close is Men's US Soccer? Aaron Rodgers is back from his Egypt trip Now that Klay Thompson is gone, what's next for the Warriors?   Guest: Alexi LalasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Our number two on the herd. It's me, Jason McIntyre, in for Colin Cowherd. Yeah, he's still on vacation. He did check in with me yesterday. He's riding his bike and working out a lot. I don't know, Alex. Good for him. Good for him.

I love that. I feel like everyone's on vacation right now, too. Like, no traffic getting to work today. None. Like, all week, I'm like, oh, Fourth of July tomorrow. Everyone's on break the Fourth of July. Cowher did tell me he had a, I think, an NFL citing, Christian McCaffrey was like someone married. Oh, McCaffrey got married, I guess.

Yeah, they got married. Yeah. So that, that's, at some point, Calhurt saw him somewhere. And he was like, oh, look at you, hanging out with Kyler Murray, Jamal Murray, Christian McAfree. Yeah, Calhurt's a big deal. You know, and here we are just, you know, grinding away in the salt mines. Heck yeah. Alex. All right, listen, I got to be careful what I say here, because I get very fired up about USA soccer.

Unknown fact, maybe it's known. Soccer was my number one sport growing up. I was pretty damn good. And then, of course, everybody hit puberty, and I was like a late bloomer, and I was getting pushed off the ball. It's super frustrating. I still remember the end of my youth soccer career. We were on a club team, state tournament, and it went to PKs, and I missed my PKs. It wasn't the reason we lost. We lost in PKs. And it was just, dispiriting sitting there at been feeling. I was like, damn, is this it for me? You know, you can see the young guys coming up and it's just disappointing. But I love soccer. My dad's side of the family, where he's from in Dominica, his dad was like a soccer legend. He's been written about in books. His brother also was, so like soccer's in my butt. I love

soccer. You guys know I'm a minority owner and a soccer team in Mexico, Nicosa. Our season starts up here shortly. I'm a big soccer guy. So I push for Alexei Lollas to come on the show. He's going to be here shortly. Sturridge should be on tomorrow or Friday. Listen, I'm a soccer guy. I'm enjoying the Euros. I enjoyed Copa America so far. That being said, what a disappointment for the U.S. losing to Uruguay 1-0. I know the goal. Maybe he was off-sides, blah, blah, blah. I'm not going to get into the minutia of that. I think we have to look big picture at USA soccer. And I'll start here. Number one, we got knocked out by Netherlands in the knockout rounds in the World Cup in December of 2022.

we better now than we were then? It's a very easy, basic question. Are we better now than we were then? And unequivocally, the answer has to be, no, we're not. Okay? At the World Cup, we had an unfortunate draw with Wales. We should have beat him, gave up a late goal. We drew England, which was a great result. And then we beat Iran in a close tense game. Now we got beat by the Netherlands, which is a damn good team. It was a solid showing. Coming into Copa, we're supposed to build on that. We got our golden generation, which is what they call it. There's some debate over whether they're in the

golden or silver. I'm not going to get into that. But we were supposed to maybe make the semifinals of Copa. Certainly a better certainly better showing to getting knocked out early. And I think based on that alone, you have to say, given

the statement U.S. soccer put out, we're going to analyze what happened to Copa. The obvious read between the lines is, hey, we're going to kick the tires on some big name coaches, and if we can bring one in to replace Burrhalter, we will. If not, we're just going to ride with Burrhalter. That was my read of it. Okay? And I think that's a fair read. You could counter the Burrhalter defenders, Collins's been one of them. Hey, well, if Tim Wea doesn't get a red card against Panama, a dopey red card for shoving a guy in the head, again, it was real

stupid. We beat Panama. We're not losing that game, folks. Sorry, okay? We're not, we're not losing to them. We would beat Panama, and we'd advance, and this is mostly a non-story. But that's not what happened. We didn't rise to the occasion. You could question Burrhalter subs in the Panama game going defense late instead of pushing for a goal and we give up a goal, which was terrible. And then against Uruguay, you know, you're supposed to keep a cool head and intense moment. Okay. House is on fire. There's no point in panicking. You've got to slap someone in the face, wake up, we got to get out of here. What do we do? And I didn't see that from the U.S. against Uruguay.

I didn't see that urgency. I saw a team kind of sort of reeling and kind of sort of getting ticked off at the referee and, dare I say, losing their minds, including Christian Pulisic. Now, he had very valid reasons. But after the game, here's what Alexi Lollas had to say

about the U.S. losing to Uruguay and getting knocked out of Copa America. You talked about learning from losing, okay? I think what we have learned over these cycles is that this team is not. able to do anything better than is done in the past. And that, that hurts, that hurts to say. If this is as good as it gets, it's not good enough.

And there's plenty of excuses, but they don't matter. You know, you can talk about opportunities. Well, we have players that are playing all over the world. Talk about playing in Europe. Well, the entire team that you saw out there plays in Europe, so it's not MLS's fault. You can talk about, you know, the pathways and the resources that they have. have. No generation has been given more. And yet this generation hasn't lived up to that bargain.

Okay, very valid points. It's tough to refute any of that. I got two final points to make here. Number one, Morocco made the World Cup semifinals in 2022. Morocco, a country of, I think, 37-ish million people. They made the World Cup semifinals. They hadn't been out of the group stage since, Let me look it up. 1986. And they made the semifinals. Don't give me this. We can't make the semifinals of the World Cup in 2026.

I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear we can't compete with frigging Morocco, which has no history of soccer, can make the semifinals. So don't give me that. We can't make the semifinals. That's not a reasonable ask. Quarterfinals, come on. We can do this.

All right? And the second point is, again, a little big picture here. but I want to take you guys back to the beginning of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. They had a coach named Mark Jackson, and he was a former point guard for the Knicks. He's very good. And Mark Jackson, listen, he had this Splash Brothers thing rolling. They make the playoffs. I'm fairly certain they upset.

I think it was the Spurs. And they make the second round. Everybody's all excited. The next year, they lose in the first round in seven. I'm almost certain to the paper clips. And it was like, damn, this team's. close. This team is close to a breakthrough. So they move on for Mark Jackson.

They bring in Steve Kerr, who I'm fairly certain was doing TV at the time, had been in a front office. Steve Kerr comes on the bench for the Warriors. And in his first year, the starting center, David Lee, was hurt early, I think it was in preseason.

Hamstring issue. Steve Kerr makes one minor tweak. He inserts Draymond Green into the starting lineup. Oh my gosh. He unlawed. a beast and the warrior's death lineup was born. Igu Dahlia starts and oh my gosh, here's the dynasty. One small tweak.

Now it was fortuitous that Lee got hurt because Lee was like a two-time All-Star. But once he got injured, Kerr made one small tweak, puts in Draymond Green at center. And it unlocked everything. They changed the way the NBA was played with one move. Okay? Now look at USA soccer. I don't know that there is one small move to be made. made. But I can say this with some certainty. You got a damn well try because what you're doing

now is not working. It's just not. It was a disappointing showing anyway you slice it. And I came on here after the Bolivia 2-0-0-0-1. I said, guys, you know, I know the 2-0-1. Sure, great. Okay, we got the result. They didn't look amazing. And then it, you know, Panama, they give up a goal, and then the red card. And it's just like, and it gets Uruguay. I mean, we didn't score in the final, I don't know what, like 80 minute, sorry, it would be 90 minutes against Uruguay, no goals. And then we didn't score at least the final 70 minutes against Panama. And I know they had on power play, whatever you want to say, up a man. Where's the urgency?

There has to be one small move or two that can be made, whether it's a formation, a player, a personality, some dynamic in the locker room. We're close. I'm just, I firmly believe we are close. And you guys can laugh and scoff. and we had a smart producer stand up in the meeting and say, listen, I've been playing soccer, I've been following soccer, I've been hearing this, we're close nonsense forever, Jay.

And I get that. I've been hearing the same damn thing. I'm an optimist when it comes to soccer. I do believe they're on the cusp of something. Now, I did see during the commercial break, I went online, I saw Tim Howard wrote this big, remember that Tim Howard, the great goalie, wrote this amazing piece in the Daily Mail.

I would just go over and hire Yergen Klopp, you know, legendary soccer coach. I think I could deliver Yergen Klopp. And it's like, okay, wonderful. That would be a great get. And someone in the meeting said, we should have got the Canada coach, Jesse Marsh. He's like the real-life Ted Lassow. And Canada now advanced out of the group stage at Copa

after a terrible showing at the World Cup. And I know some of it is matchups and blah, blah, blah. I'm really into this guys, and I'm just telling you, I would try my best to move on from Burrhalter. If you remember, during the World Cup, there was the G.O. Raina Burrhalter thing. And I came on and I reported some stuff that I had heard and it became a big story. And it was largely accurate.

And I'm just telling you now, I went back to that same source. And he's saying he doesn't think Burrhalter's going anywhere, which is not great for me. All right. Coming up next year. Oh, no, wait. We have one more piece of sound I want to play you. Alexei Lalas, who's going to join the show in about five minutes. Here he is on Burrhalter status.

I'm willing to run out Burrhalter. Here's Lawless. This is not good enough from Greg Burrhalter. And you have to ask yourself with 2026 coming barreling down the pike, it's going to come real quick. Less than two years away, all right? We can't afford to waste it. We can't afford to be embarrassed. And we can't afford to arrive in the summer of 26 with a team that is not progressed, that is not evolved, and is not improved.

Now, I'm sure if Greg Burhalter was here, he would say, oh, but you don't see what's happening inside. I don't give a crap what is happening inside. I don't care about the dynamic. I don't care how much your players love you. I don't care how kumbaya it is. All I care about is I see a U.S. men's national. team that is better than before. And we haven't seen that.

And that's a problem going forward. All right. Well, coming up next, we will ask Lollas about this. Also, his take on, you know, some of the guys he played with, are they better than this alleged golden generation? All that's next year on 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 IHeard Radio app.

Back here on the herd, Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. Special guest joining us now to break down the USA struggles at Copa America. Let's welcome back, Alexi Lollas. American Soccer legend was on the great World Cup team in the 90s. Sorry, in the 90s. Alexi, how you doing, my man? I'm good. Yeah, that was back in the previous century, back in the 1900s.

So a lot has changed. Or maybe it hasn't. I don't know. Listen, everybody saw your passionate, I don't know if they're called Ramp. or just opinions after the U.S. loss to Uruguay. I don't know. I don't want to go overboard here, but are you of the belief that right now U.S. soccer is not so much doing a review of Copa America, and we all saw what happened,

but rather kicking the tires on potential coaches to see if they can actually land a big fish. Yeah, and I think if 2026, the World Cup in two years wasn't coming barreling down the pike, you know, as I said, it might be a different type of situation. but this is an incredible opportunity. And the necessity to harness 2026 cannot be overstated. And so you have to have all guns blazing come 2026, both on and off the field, in order to, like I said, maximize this opportunity. And so this is the last time this summer that we were going to see this group in a competitive

environment against elite teams. And that's just the reality of the next couple of years, unfortunately. And so this was where the rubber meets the road. this was where Greg Berhalter was going to be assessed and where this team was going to be assessed. And let's be honest, initially the conversation was you get out of the group and then we're going to face a Columbia or Brazil, and that's really where we're going to assess what this team and this coach is. We didn't even get that far. We didn't even get out of the group. So it was an unmitigated disaster and a failure in the moment, and especially as it relates to 2026,

because it does not fill me with confidence and hope and positivity, nor inspire me, that, the next couple of years is going to be this incredible, positive juggernaut towards something special in 2026. Are you of the belief that maybe, you know, first comes the struggle, then the success. And we had to have the dumb Timway afoul. We had to have that red. Maybe this is what we need so that the change comes. Otherwise, like you said, we advance to the knockouts.

Columbia. Didn't they spank us recently, 5-1 or something? Like, we get drubbed by Colombia or Brazil, and it's like, okay, we'll keep her halt or we got to the knockout. Maybe this is what had to happen for the change to happen. Yeah, maybe. And so, you know, I think there's a lot of people that look at it like that. You know, Greg Burrhalter's, and, you know, even leading up to this game, was talking about the lessons that this team has learned through losing. And that's absolutely the case in life and sports. I get that.

But the whole point of learning lessons through losing is that you stop losing or you lose less. And I think that's where the real problem is a win. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. forth. 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

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

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out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we picket 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, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

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on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now uh right now now if this ultimate failure is what changes everything and leads to a better situation going into 2026 by the way whether that's with or without but greg burholter then certainly maybe we can look back and say it was a step back in order to take two steps forward but we've done that a lot over the last couple of years and relative to gregg burholter you know for your viewers and listeners here just a reminder um Greg burhulter has been given multiple bites at the apple all right he has been given multiple cycles that even in itself

in international soccer uh is is unique and um we know what happened after the world cup in 2022 and the united states soccer federation went and reassessed and just said you know okay we're going to continue on and you know i don't believe in multiple cycles for any national team uh coach whether it's whether it's good or bad whether you're winning or losing i just think it's that it gets stale. But since, you know, because people have asked me now, well, you supported Greg Burrhalter. Well, what happened was after the World Cup in 2022, you know, it seemed that the United States Soccer Federation was going to rehire Greg Berhalter.

And then all the craziness came out off the field. And I didn't think that, you know, he or by the way, anybody else should have been punished or penalized or denied that opportunity because of the vindictive actions of others that had nothing to do with soccer. came in from a principal perspective. And maybe that's my fault. Maybe I should have been much more ruthless and pragmatic relative to that assessment. But we find ourselves here. And there is an opportunity to make a change if the United States Soccer Federation feels that that is appropriate now. And they have to do everything and everything to make sure that they assure that we have

the best possible chance of success come the summer of 2026. All right. So tell me, what's it like to get that voice change in the locker room? You were on the U.S. team in the 90s. I think you guys went through Samson Militonevik. I hope I didn't butcher his name. Yeah, Borah, we went through a bunch of different coaches. How much does that voice change? Can there be a seismic shift in philosophy, formation? Can that be truncated into 20 months, Alexi, or is that too much to ask anyone? So first off, there's not a Landon Donovan or a Clint Dempsey coming through that door. The players are who they are. You might get a couple of different players here,

but not fundamentally changing the outlook of this team. So what you're trying to find if you are going to make a change is somebody that is going to do better with what you already have. You know, and this, I mean, you talk about sports all day. This applies to all different sports. You will get inevitably the new coach type of bounce if you make a change, but that only lasts so long. And keep in mind that this group has been adamant and very public about their support of Greg Burrhalter. As a matter of fact, when that whole coaching search happened after the World Cup, they obviously talk to players. players and by all accounts they were you know incredibly supportive and have been for

for a long time so you get that initial bounce but what I would be looking for if they are going to make a change like I said is somebody that's going to inspire me I don't want to be grouchy I don't want to be pessimistic I don't want to be cynical over the next two years because that's not what this was was build that nor that's not that that's not what it should be we should be excited this is the most important summer in American soccer history And we should be doing everything, like I said, to maximize it on and off the field. And so I want somebody that's a bigger-than-life personality.

I want somebody that is going to be, going to champion American soccer, champion this team leading up to the most important moment in the summer of 2026. I want somebody that's out there. I want somebody that's barnstorming. I want somebody that when I leave an interview or when I see that person on the sideline or obviously when I see that team playing on the field is inspiring and makes me believe that this team is worth my time, that this team is worth. worth my heart that this team is worth believing in.

I'll ask because, you know, I'm sure people are going to ask you, but we've seen Steve Kerr come from the booth to coach. We saw JJ Redick, was an announcer. He's now coaching the Lakers. We've seen John Gruden in the NFL on down the line of folks coming from media and going into head coaching. Alexi, if the U.S. came to you and said, Lallus, we want you as our guy. How do you respond?

You know what? We're in the political season right now, and I don't know if you're following it, but there's a lot of questions about VPs and stuff like that. And inevitably, politicians, when they get asked these questions, they go, oh, I'm just whatever's good for the party and I want what's good for the country and, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah. If the United States Soccer Federation came to me and asked me to coach this team, I would do it in a second out of a sense of responsibility. And, yeah, out of a sense of confidence, maybe even bordering on arrogance in terms of what I feel that we could do with this group here. So I'm not going to do the politician thing. Hell yeah. They should be so lucky to have someone like me leading this team.

Love it. All right, let's look macro for Copra America. Brazil has not looked incredible. I thought Columbia was very impressive yesterday. Who's your pick to come out of Copa America and win it all? I mean, look, your safe money right now is Argentina. And Argentina, with Messi, by the way, in his new backyard, defending his Copa America title.

And maybe a prelude to definitely. defending his World Cup championship and title in two years, again, in his backyard in 2026. So, you know, they have a really easy pathway to the final. And the other side, it gets a little bit more interesting and complicated with Colombia, Brazil, and Uruguay. A lot of people think that Uruguay is the cream of the crop, even better than Argentina right now. But, you know, it's Brazil, and they can be sneaky good coming through. But they're going to have to play, they're going to have to play Colombia, and that's going to be a really, really interesting matchup. And quickly on the Euros, which come back in a play Friday, amazing matchup, Spain, Germany,

England. And listen, the Jude Bellingham goal in what's 95th minute was incredible. One of those moments where you're at a restaurant, and you don't know who's watching soccer and all of a sudden this roar goes up from random people like, oh my gosh. Your thoughts on Spain, Germany, and then England. So, and I picked Germany as the host team. I think they're just arising to the occasion and there's something special about a hosting, especially a hosting that's like Germany. going to the final, so I got them, but like you said, just a scrumptious matchup, if you will. And talk about an easy path. If it's coming home, it's because of the easy path that England has right now, but never underestimate the ability for England to screw up a good thing.

So we'll see if that happens over there on that other side. But yeah, I'm picking Germany all the way through to the final and winning the final in German. And Cristiano Ronaldo missed the penalty kick. I'm sure you did a little victory lap giving your take. I mean, there's no crying in baseball, but there's also, there's no crying. in soccer in the middle of the game. I mean, look, as the kids say, or maybe they used to say, I stand for Cristiano Ronaldo.

As a matter of fact, I will defend him relative to Messi. But come on, my man, he started crying on the field in the middle of the game. All right, maybe at the end of the game or something like that. But come on, you're like a superhero. I don't want my superhero crying. That's ridiculous. I can't disagree with anything. Alexi Lollas, Fox Sports.

You'll see him all over our soccer coverage. Great stuff as usual, Alexi. and hey, keep your phone nearby in case U.S. soccer calls you. They should be so lucky. It's always a pleasure to talk to you. Onward and upward, my friend, this two shall pass. Alexi Lala's great stuff, as always. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news.

No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, J-Mack, let's start in the NBA, because Clay Thompson chose to leave the Warriors in free agency and join the Mavericks on a three-year $50 million deal. It's the end of an era in global. Golden State, but it seems like Clayhead made peace with the reality that he was on his way out. He reportedly told Steph Curry not to use his organizational pull to pressure the Warriors

into keeping him this off season. Now, we also heard Draymond Green share on his podcast that he had called him the week before, and they were just kind of reminiscing on all the good times that they had together. And Draymond said he just kind of was listening and felt that he had kind of come to peace with this decision that he was on his way out and it looks like Clay is still trying to go for championships and he believes that the Mavs was the best opportunity in place for him to do that.

They were just in the finals. It's just, there were a lot of reasons and good storylines pulling Clay Thompson to the Lakers. Obviously his dad being a big one, winning a bunch of championships with the Lakers, He always, I guess his dad shared that he told him that if he wasn't a warrior, that he always saw himself as a Lakers player too. So that says a lot right there that he believes that Mavs are a win now team, obviously over the Lakers, but just end of an era. And it was, you know, the warriors and fans handled it as classy as they could, just remembering the good old days, the dynasty.

I mean, he was a huge part of that. as a South Bay person, I'm sure you're happy to see that. And this has to hurt the Lakers. The Mavs came into enemy territory. Hermosa Beach, because we know Clay's living there all summer, and essentially sold him at a restaurant.

I'm sure you've been there bottling. Well, you know, Cuban has a place. Yeah. Cuban has a place here. He's in the South Bay. I mean, it's like the Mavs came into Laker territory. I mean, Hermosa is what, like six miles from El Segundo? Yeah.

The Lakers training facility, and they stole Clay. Like, that was kind of a gangster move. I haven't given the Mavs props for that, but that was impressive. Yeah. There's a lot of new with the Lakers. Obviously, JJ Redick, first time coach, very close to LeBron. LeBron James, still a great player. Towards the end, part of his career, obviously, gets his son on the team.

And then your other option is, what, a team that was just in the finals? It's tough. Lakers haven't been there. Since the bubble, the bubble championship, 2020 was their last great. Conference finals two years ago, but, you know, you're right. It's tough. It's tough to hammer clay for that. I'll just say, I've got something in the holster for Draymond Green.

Who's out of here, oh, we were reminiscing. Listen, Draymond is the one who started the beginning of this end of dynasty when he punched out Jordan Poole after winning the championship. That's the reason they are where they are right now. And I've got it all written out. All the numbers. Draymond Green, you can say whatever you want on your pod, and I know you're tight with Colin.

Just saying, man, that punch to Jordan Pool really ended the dynasty. It's been all, Alex, all downhill from there. One bad decision after another. Public drama, right? You don't want to air out what's happening in the locker room as we were just talking with the Cowboys and Micah. It's just keep it behind closed doors once it gets out

or if it's like a publicly seen event, like the punch. And it gets caught on camera. Then, yeah, that's everyone knows. And then everyone's going to talk about it, and the tensions are going to get high. But it was really fun while it lasted. It was a good one. It was fun, yeah. Okay, let's move to the NFL.

The start of Jordan Love's first full season as the Packers. Starter was a little rocky, but he turned things around in the second half with a playoff berth and a huge win over the Cowboys. Now, once again, Green Bay seems to have found their quarterback in the future. And new Packers, Josh Jacobs, said he thinks that Love is on track to be a superstar. To me, I mean, just from what I see, he has all the traits and all the players. of tools to be a superstar in his league. I think that, you know, as he keeps, continue to play and get experience and, you know, grow confidence and become more confident in his abilities and what he can do, he's going to be the next superstar in his league. So, I mean, we even saw that

in his first full year last year. What he started off three and five in his first eight games and then went seven and four in his last 11. His pass a rating went from an 81.9 in those first eight games to a 107.8 in his last 11. And the thing is, like, he is in line to get that next big quarterback deal. And the thing with teams, if you found your franchise guy, you are going to have to pay a franchise quarterback eventually. So if you believe he is your guy and the future in Green Bay, pay him sooner than later because the price tag's only going to keep going up.

I love this. So Josh Jacobs was with the Raiders last year, right? He's been with the Packers for like seven minutes. And he already sees that Jordan Love's going to be a sewer. I just love this from, oh, by the way, I had to look this up. Jordan Love faced the Raiders last year. He was awful. One of his worst games of the season.

Was it in the first eight games? I'm not sure, but it was a night game. He was terrible. So Josh Jacobs has seen Jordan Love. He was across the field watching him. And, oh, by the way, now I've seen him in Kim. He's going to be a superstar. It's just, it's silly season.

Well, he kind of had the tale of two seasons. And we had the graphic up just a second. ago. He really struggled and was rocky out of the gates in his first five, first eight games. So which is the real Jordan love? I would say last 11, once you start getting comfortable, it's your first full season in the NFL, there's going to be

some growing change. He sat behind Aaron Rogers for years. I like how you're positive. He was on the team for three years. Yeah. They knew what they had. After three years of preparation, but you sat behind Aaron Rogers. And basically poops his pants for eight games. He did nothing.

It takes a moment to get. Get ready. I'm being negative. He's been a Cowboys in the wildcard game. That was huge. And Cowboys were coming off, Daff was coming off a MVP caliber season. Cowboys kind of beat themselves.

They were awful. But listen, love delivered. I know I'm a hater. I'm not a hater. I like Joe and love. I just don't love him as much as Alex and Colin. I'm just saying. If you believe he is your guy,

you're eventually going to have to pay him. And the market, as we're just talking about, across all sports right now, just going up. How many years? like it again too like Jordan probably like do you want to like retest the market again maybe get a shorter length deal? I don't think Packers was it. Yeah.

I mean, I don't know if he's better than Tua. Like Tua has a larger sample size of being good. I know he's had the injuries. I just, I think it's, is it okay to say I don't know? Yes. I don't know if Jordan Love's going to be great. Yeah. Superstar, I can tell you, I definitely don't know that.

I don't know if anyone knows that. yet, but there is a hope and a belief. Maybe that's why contract hasn't been done yet. That's fair. Yeah. Okay. Well, let's switch to the Giants who committed to Daniel Jones with a huge contract extension last year.

But they're still waiting for that deal to pay off on Hard Knocks off season last night. Giants GM, Joe Shane said that the plan all along was to give Jones a couple of years. But now this year for Daniel, this is the year for him. They need to decide if he is the Giants future or if they have to pivot and find someone else. Now, they made that decision last year when you chose to pay him over Saquan Barclay, and then you lost your best player in Saquan Barclay. The thing is, we already really, like, we know who Daniel Jones is. Two years ago, he played great.

Went nine and six. That's when they won their first playoff game since their Super Bowl win in 2011. But before he got injured last year, he went one in five. He played in six games, only had two passing touchdowns with six interceptions, and a pass a rating of 70.5 in those six games. Like, we just, I think they jumped the gun a little bit. Maybe his contract was a reaction to the season two years ago and just so happy that they'd won a playoff game again.

But, no, last year was also a prove-a-year. Okay, you saw Moneyball, obviously, right? Yes. Okay, so there was a scene where the guy who ended up playing, he was into Jurassic Park movies. He's like kind of a hunky dude. What's his name? I'm spacing on it.

Chris Pratt. So Chris Pratt's playing Scott Haddeburg who cannot feel ground balls. Unkey guys. And he's in the kitchen. I can't remember if I said, monkey. And David Justice, or the actor playing Justice,

comes over. He's like, oh, what's your biggest fear? He's like, a ball being hit directly at me. And he's like, uh, okay. That's what this feels like. This is the year. Daniel, you got this, Daniel Jones. Come on, buddy.

You got this. This is your year, pal. And he knows Daniel Jones. He looks spooked in the pocket. He's terrified. He's a fumble machine, horrible reads. Go watch that Seattle game. Wait. I mean, he just...

I was like, is this the trip? Are we showing his trip? Oh, yeah, that was embarrassing. But like, he's just, he's not a good quarterback. It's okay to say that. It's okay. He looks terrified. He's shown you. He's shown you who he is. He looks like when he drops back. He's like, I don't want to make a mistake. I don't want to make a mistake. I'm afraid of him. And then he makes a mistake. Because when you're thinking like that, yeah. Yeah. This is going to be interesting. But I definitely feel like they might have jumped the gun a little bit on that contract with him. All right, Alex Furry with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. All right. So the Warriors, Big Three is done. It might have been done a couple years ago. But I can tell you for sure one guy is to blame for this demise. I'll tell you about that next year on The Herd.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the fifth hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name the fifth hour. I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit

overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture if you will a world when we chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only

legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever, you get your podcast. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, 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? 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 hard way and listen now tomorrow the summer of stars shine bright in a copa america quarterfinals battle as messy in argentina take on ecuador coverage begins tomorrow 8 p.m. Eastern on fox jason mccentire back here on the herd in for colin and colin obviously has a relationship with draon green so i've got to be a little delicate here um with how i phrase this but let's start with

the positives okay the golden state warriors with the splash brothers and and Draymond Green reshaped the way basketball's played in this country. They totally shifted the entire philosophy of the NBA into shooting threes. That is thanks to Steve Kerr, Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, and yes, Draymond Green. It was a phenomenal era for Golden State, and now it's over. It's weird because in 2022, they won the championship, which really cemented this Golden State team's place. Steph Curry, all-time great. We knew he was an all-time great, but to win.

before they got Kevin Durant, with Kevin Durant, and then after, oh my gosh, these guys are legends. Steph Curry, for my money, is a top 12 player in the history of the sport. If I really got granular, I could probably get him in the top 10. Maybe we'll do that one day. But I just look at what's happened with this team, and I'm trying to pinpoint when exactly it became an unmitigated disaster. And I have to go back to 2022.

They win the chip in 2022 June. It was incredible. Andrew Wiggins might have been their second best player in the finals. Jordan Poole had some moments that season in those playoffs. Steph Curry obviously was transcendent against the Celtics. I think he had a 43-point game. Just unbelievable stuff. And then October comes around and you have the punch.

Draymond Green punches out. It was a sucker punch. Sorry, guys. Nobody expects to get punched by their teammate at practice. Draymond Green sucker punches Jordan Poole. Now, Poole had been talking a lot of trash. to him about some of it had to do with a contract. Draymond Green had been wanting a contract.

He didn't get it. Everybody knew Andrew Wiggins was going to get paid. Jordan Poole was needling him and taking some shots. Draymond punches him out. It's been all downhill from there. And I've charted this out. It's super depressing. But in October of 2022, Draymond punches out Poole.

Later that month, the Warriors decide, hey, we're going to go ahead and extend Andrew Wiggins for four years. It was like, oh, that's eye-opening. Wiggins, okay in Minnesota, not really a number one pick. And he was very good in Golden State, but again, it was short-lived. We don't know how, I mean, Wiggins was great for a season, but is it four-year deal? Okay, all right, got it. And after the punch, the team was just not the same.

They were a train wreck in 2023. And that's when it was like, oh, is this the end of the Warriors? Does the dynasty hold up. Bob Myers made a big decision. instead of tearing this thing down to the studs and rebuilding, I'm out. Bob Myers, largely the architect of those warriors said, I'd rather go to TV than be the guy who ends up trading Draymond or Clay,

and Curry's very attached to those guys. Myers said, I don't want to do it. He ends up on TV at ESPN, like talking about the NBA. He did not want to tear it down. They all know what happens when you tear down the dynasty, and we'll get to that in a second. So after the season, they end up shipping Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul. I said at the time, terrible deal.

You had to kind of move on from Poole. It wasn't working with Drayvon, but they got like nothing in Chris Paul. He was, he's old, he's always injured. Guess what? He was injured with the Warriors. And now they lose him for nothing. It essentially, according to Warriors beat writers, that trade of Jordan Poole, he was a salary dump. Jordan Poole, a guy who.

who look like a, I don't know if a foundational piece, but a key cog in those Warriors teams as a transition out of Curry and Clay into the next generation. Now, you can also toss in a big, huge whiff on James Wiseman there at the top of the lottery. Just an absolute disaster. Weisman, been a bounce around the league guy already.

So everything's kind of going sideways, and then they extended Dremont. They gave Dremond a four-year deal. And it's like, at that point, it's like, what are we doing? Dremont's stats? I mean, technical foul? disruptions.

And, I mean, it's just continued to snowball. Then you get to Clay, and Clay's like, well, you gave Wiggins four, you gave Draman four, four, I need four years. Which is a reasonable ask for Clay, who, I mean, he was part of the Splash Brothers. He could get a statue in front of the Chase Center. He helped build that thing. He helped line the pockets of Joe Lacob and the owners of the Warriors. And the new GM, Mike Dunleavy, was a former Warriors player.

He's like, can't go to four. And then you start looking, where's that coming from? Oh, Dunleavey's got to be the hatchet guy for the owner. And here's a fun stat that I was able to dig up. So in the last four years, you guys know, the Warriors and the Clippers paid heavy luxury taxes. Now you've got both teams regressing. You've got the second apron being extremely more punitive. And would you look at that?

Suddenly, the Warriors and the Clippers are not in the luxury tax heading into next season. Isn't it interesting how that happens? Hey, we're going to pay a lot. We're going to go all in and, oh, shoot, we're a playing team? We ain't paying the luxury tax. Sorry about your luck, Clay. I'm just telling you guys, you go back to that Draymond punch. It has all been downhill.

Bad decision after bad decision. And I know we all want to get romantic about the past. And how can you break up the Splash Brothers? One of the best quotes, I wish I could remember who it's attributed to. It might be Bill Parcells. It could be somebody in the NFL, maybe NBA. But the best time to rebuild is last year. And the Warriors had many, many chances of doing this.

And they kept compounding it with Wiggins' up this winner title. We got to pay him. Jordan Poole. Oh, man, he was talking trashed. Drain Bond got punched, awkward. We got to get Poole out of here. Now, Poole, to be fair, has been a disaster with the Wizards. But he was very good for a time with the Warriors.

He was very good at integral. Remember, Clay went down, and Poole was starting with Curry and they were like 18 and 2. Jordan Poole worked with Curry. He didn't really work with Dremont Green. And then you extend Dremont, and I don't know what Dreybond's giving you statistically. Here's Dremont talking about him talking to Clay within the last week.

Clay told us last week. I don't know who all you told, but I know he talked to me. Pretty sure he taught to staff last week. And the conversation just kind of starts small talking like, you kind of just prepping yourself like, man get me there like I know it's coming I was just able to listen you know and it wasn't like a yo we could finish like this or like you should rethink this it was just like wow like all right like congrats bro like I'm happy for you that's dope interesting shirt color there for draymond

very green money I got mine clay didn't get his nothing that was obviously on accident um I'll wrap up with this. It is really tough to keep the dynasty going in the NBA. Okay? And look no further than the Chicago Bulls, okay? With Jordan in the 90s. Three titles, Jordan quits, comes

back, three more titles, and then it's over. And Pippin went his way. Jerry Krause is the one who everybody's pinning on whoa. He broke up the dynasty. He ended things. Phil Jackson moves on.

And you remember the last dance was obviously about the Bulls final run to the title. It was great. It was fun to just talk about during COVID. And it almost feels like the Warriors' last dance was 2022. And here's the scary thing if you're a Golden State fan.

Since the last dance in 98 for the Bulls, they've been to one conference final in 25 years. 25. One. They thought they had it in Derek Rose, and he got them to the conference finals. Remember, they get one game won against LeBron and the Heatles. And then LeBron's like, I got this, folks.

I got D. Rose. And then the Heat win four in a row. But that's it. One conference final trip in 25 years after taking down the dynasty. And they've had bites at the Apple. I think they had the number one pick out in Brand. They had Jay Williams, unlucky with the motorcycle accident. You had Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler. They had a lot of bites at the Apple. And you can have a great, amazing run. The Chicago Bulls have been irrelevant in the NBA for 25 years outside of a Derek Rose brief awesomeness in Chicago. That's how it could be for Golden State going forward. I don't have them in the top eight. Folks, they were a playing team last year and lost two of their top seven guys in Clay and Chris Paul. So Golden State fans, I know you got Curry and you can hold

on to that. I mean, listen, we're going to be headed down a dark path in Golden State where pretty soon they're going to be hit with, well, shucks, we're not getting good, we're not contending. Do we have to at some point trade Steph Curry? We don't want to do that, but do we want Curry winning 35 games? You know the league doesn't want that they would love him in the playoffs. I just don't know where we're going if you're a Golden State Warriors fan. And listen, you guys were largely irrelevant before Curry and the Splash Brothers showed up. I know they won a title way back when.

But I'm sure there was the Baron Davis romance and a couple of OK teams and the run TMC, which was fun, a flash in the pan. It's tough. The Warriors had a great run, and now, folks, it could be over. All right, coming up next final hour, what does it mean for Clay Thompson? Spurning the Lakers and PG to Philly.

Is that the last big three we'll ever see? That's next year on the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journalism. or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at a 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. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host kids. games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human