The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Rodgers, Durant, Green

Episode Date: March 4, 2022

It's looking like Aaron Rodgers will stay with the PackersKevin Durant played well but the Nets still lost to a weaker Heat teamDraymond Green calls out Lakers fansGuest: Raja Bell Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart radio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two on a Friday. So much to talk about. March Madness right around the corner as well. Big weekend to call it to live in L.A. It's the herd, wherever you may be, however you may be listening.

Joy Taylor is joining me. We're going to our friend Raja Bell, who's great with the NBA in a couple of seconds. So two things, Joy. Jeff Howe at the athletic, Joy. Quote, widespread belief. Aaron Rogers going back to Green Bay. Feels that way. And Ian Rappaport, let me get this one.

Ian Rappaport says they're in a very good place with Rogers and the Packers. So my hunch has always been he's going to go back. Yeah. And that's what it looks like this morning. Now, four reasons why you can make an argument that makes sense. Number one, the obvious one, you know this. The NFC North stinks. He owns the division.

Stafford's now out of it, so it's weaker. Mike Zimmer, a great coach is out. You could argue it makes it weaker. So, I mean, to me, why make your life harder? Also, the NFC is eroding fast. Brady's gone, Bree's gone, Sean Peyton gone, Russell Wilson, not ideal personnel in Seattle. Why make your life harder?

That's the first reason that makes sense to stay. Second reason to make sense to stay, and you know this as well, 75-80 percent, 75-80 percent of these coordinators or assistance that you give head coaching jobs fail. We have no idea if Nathaniel Hackett can work. 75 percent of the guys who get jobs do not last. five years. Matt Lefleur is going to last five years. So the coaching thing, it's more stable. Number three is, and if Aaron was petty a little bit, if he signed a two-year deal, this basically

proves the Jordan Love Pick was really, really stupid. Yeah, that was a completely wasted pick. And number four, and this is a real thing, and I can speak from experience, moving's hard. Every time I move, I go, I get a therapist for a couple weeks, a couple months. Moving's hard. It's just new people, new assignments, new offense, new friends. It's hard. And, I mean, Brady, Tom Brady showed up at the wrong house. Tom Brady was practicing on a high school field, like moving. And that's why, by the way, 60% of Americans will never leave the area code they grew up in.

Moving's hard. You end relationships. You got to find a new house. You got to meet new friends. You got a new job. You know, that's why most people, they get a good job and they just stay in it. and they're content and they just want to end the job there and get a nice retirement and go play some golf. Like, it's hard to do the moving stuff.

It really is. It doesn't work like it did for Matt Stafford mostly. Now, he went from bad to really good, but usually there's a lot of speed bumps and a lot of obstacles. And it just, it's hard. So sometimes just getting a coordinator in the same place, it takes just second year to figure it out. And that's staying at a place. So NFC is not very good right now and it's getting worse. You don't know if any of these new coaches like Nathaniel Hackett are going to work.

It does kind of validate Aaron Rogers' eye roll when they drafted Jordan Love because if he stays for two years, the kid won't take a legitimate big time snap. And number four is moving hard. It's easier to stay. You know, it's, listen, Matt Stafford moved out of the division. That's one of those. I mean, if Josh Allen had moved out of the division the year before with Brady, you think Tom would have actually probably paused for a session?

second, wait a minute. I mean, it matters. Who's in your division? We keep saying this. Aaron doesn't want to go to Denver, Mahalms, Herbert, Derek Carr. Matters. Stuff matters like that. None of those in the NFC North.

Raja Bell, 12 years in the NBA. Co-host of the Ringer NBA show, the real ones with Logan Murdoch. Hey, let me ask you this. So occasionally, very occasionally, I'm right. Very occasionally. And I said with James Harden, I said, I don't trust, there's too many ifs. hands and butts and finger crossing with all the stuff in in in brooklyn i don't know if is simmons engaged can kevin stay healthy can kairie get along with people but hardened to philly to meet raja was

like good chemistry great big veteran coach just adding a hall of fame guard it's going to work it's going to work fast going to work by game too so did you think it would be this slick this early uh i did my only reservation about it was you know what james hardin were you going to get And my gut told me you were going to get a really motivated guy, the one to come out there and prove that that situation that just kind of took place in Brooklyn wasn't necessarily his fault. So I did think you'd get a good version of him. And I do agree that the pieces were already in place to plug in a player like James Hardin and kind of seamlessly transition into the team you wanted to be down the stretch. So much of that team is relying on Joel Embed having to create offense. And to his credit, I mean, he's as good a big and as dominant as a big as we've seen.

in a long time. But bringing James Hardin over, taking some of the load offensively, ball handling responsibility away, some of the playmaking responsibility, and allowing Joel to kind of eat off of James Hardin was a natural fit for me. And they've got really good length and athleticism defensively. They're switchable. They've got other players that can create shots and finish. So I agree. And kudos to you for being right in this occasion. It's going to be a seamless transition. Yeah, it happens like twice a year. So I've really got to talk about it a lot when it happens. So, listen, I think Phoenix is the best team I've seen.

I think they're built like an 80s team. You got the classic big with the baby hooks who runs the floor. You got wing guys. You got Booker's a two. You got Chris Paul who's barking at people. Monty. It's a very 1985 construct. It really is an old school team.

Wing defenders. You got Jay Crowder, the veteran guy who can hit big shots. You got the toughness component. And then you take Chris Paul out and you're like, boy, they're not in late game situations. What is it about Chris Paul? Because I still love Phoenix, but I watched them the other night, and I'm like, latent possessions, late in games, and not quite the same. What is it with him?

Yeah, it's leadership. I mean, what you're describing, you saw it the other night with the heat in a game in Milwaukee. You know, they had that game in hand, and you were just missing Kyle Lowry, right? And I know we're talking about Chris Paul, but, you know, some of the turnovers and some of the, you know, disorganized possessions coming down to stretch. Those don't exist with good leaders, right? And so Chris Paul is as good as there is, or as good as there's been in a very long time at just being a leader, making sure that we're organized, making sure that guys know where they're supposed to be, making sure that we're getting into those sets, not just getting into them, but getting into them timely enough to where we got seven seconds left on the shot clock if our set doesn't produce and somebody's not hamstrung having to shoot a terrible shot. They're just, you know, making plays that don't make you burn a timeout where you're left with one in reserve in case they score and we need to burn one in advance the ball.

And so what you're talking about is just overall leadership experience. And in a lot of cases, that's not, you know, leadership and experience isn't enough. It's a personality trait. It's a characteristic that a lot of people are born with. And Chris Paul is one of those people. You know, in the NFL, if a guy's a bad fit, you can trade him, you can cut him. Or, let's be honest, there's like 55 players, half offense, half defense. They don't even practice together.

But in the NBA, about nine guys play on a nightly basis. bad fit can ruin a locker room. It's just like fast. So you played on six different teams. Two years ago, Lakers won the title. Last year, they were 19 and 8 when AD and LeBron were healthy and gave the son's fits. They were leading two to one, blew him out game three, and then AD got hurt. This year, they're awful. And this doesn't, it's not saying Westbrook's a bad guy, but he is a bad fit.

It doesn't work. And it just explained this, because you played on different teams. He's gifted. But did you ever have a situation where you're like either you or somebody else? You're like, it just doesn't work in the room. It doesn't work on the floor. Yeah, sure. I mean, look, when we started to reconstruct or the organization, Phoenix said it,

started to reconstruct that 24 seconds or less type of team or 17 seconds or less, sorry. We brought Shaq in. And we knew right away in all Shaq's brilliance and he still had tread left on the tire that we weren't going to work as currently constituted, right, at the time. So they had to start shuffling pieces, moving guys. I got moved out, Boris Diao got moved out to bring in more complimentary pieces to play a different style of basketball. They had similar structure, but it was different because you had Shaq in and the way we played before just it wasn't going to work with Shaq. The Lakers are in a spot like that.

I mean, you know, I love Wes. I'm a Russell Westbrook fan. I love the way he competes every night. I know what I'm going to get out of him in terms of that. And I think that's undervalued in the league. the Lakers and their personnel and what Russ does, it's just not a great fit. And what you had to give up some of the pieces around the fringe to compliment LeBron to get Russ, you know, didn't make sense at this point.

And, you know, I've said this before. I'll say it on air here. LeBron is still brilliant, but LeBron doesn't play the same way he played four or five years ago. So the recipe around LeBron, while he thinks he knows what it is to win championships, I don't think that LeBron's actually factoring in that he plays a different style of ball now. So I think they got the recipe wrong, and it wasn't just the organization. I think LeBron kind of has to figure out what pieces were with him the way he kind of plays now. What he's evolved into now isn't the same player that he was in Miami or Cleveland for that matter.

Let's talk about that because that's fascinating. I said the other day is he can pass Kareem in the all-time scoring list, and I would have no problem, especially on a team that's struggling, if he said, I'm going to get my points. But there has been an evolution of LeBron, his first seven to eight years in the league, he would chase people down and do these blocks off the backboard. And then LeBron's like, all right, I got a lot of, I got some wear on these tires. I'm not going to do that as much.

He started evolving into a more perimeter player. It's like, hey, the game is changing. So what you're saying now is LeBron is playing a different game. Describe to me what you mean by that. So what LeBron offensively in the past has been a rim force, which means like what he was doing was commanding and demand. getting so much attention as he applied pressure to the rim that it basically just allowed him to play with a bunch of shooters around him, right? Because he was so drive-oriented, so attack the basket.

He could get his shoulders by his defender whenever he wanted to. And once your shoulders are by and you're 6-8-2-60, I mean, it's money in the bank. So defenders were forced to suck in and have to help off of that almost all game long. It was your game plan. And so then, boom, we can play with a bunch of older, smart jump shooters. But now LeBron is perimeter based for the most part. He can still get downhill. Don't get me wrong.

And he'll still dunk on you given the opportunity. But he shoots a lot more jump shots. You see a lot of grades, Kobe, you know, turned into a back-to-the-basket kind of jump shooter, M.J. transition into that. You know, LeBron is more perimeter-oriented now. Doesn't cause as much pressure on your defense. So it doesn't spring as many of those just shooters for wide-open shot. So he needs to play with more playmakers at this point in his career.

And then to do that, you got to get off the ball a little bit more. So he's going to have to make that transition as his game continues to evolve into understanding what pieces make sense to have around. Boy, you're smart. That's really interesting. Rajabelle joining us. So here's why I don't buy into the Brooklyn thing. I believe there are certain coaches can you can change people. You know, you can a quarterback. I can refine your throwing motion.

Wide receiver. I'm going to make you a better route runner. Like that's what coaching entails, right? There's one thing you cannot change. and it's indifference. You either love this stuff or you do not. And I can't get over Ben Simmons' apathy and indifference. He didn't compete in college in big spots.

He doesn't. I mean, if I was Ben Simmons, not only am I going to play against the Sixers, I am going to watch tape all day. I want to, you know Kobe and Michael and Bird. I can't get past that. Raja, I can't get past that indifference. Am I being too hyperbolic here? you make of it? Yeah. So I don't know Ben Simmons, but I agree with you. And when I heard the Nets

come out and say, you know, we're going to kind of take it slow with him. He doesn't look like he's in great shape. Well, I sat in those meetings as someone in a front office trying to make those decisions. If Ben Simmons had come bursting through the door and said, no, no, no, no, I'm playing, I'm fine. I want this. Guess what we all do in that room? We say, hey, that's what we wanted to hear, bud, let's go. And the fact that you're not getting out of them does bring into questions some the things you're talking about. And so, you know, not knowing and it's hard for me to say, Steve Nash is a good buddy of mine. The last I spoke to him and we had dinner together, Ben hadn't been in the building yet. He had just got traded. They were super excited to get him.

They thought the fit was going to be kind of seamless with Kyrie, Kevin Durant's skill set and what Ben did. But you got to have him on the court. And it's getting really late in the game for those three. I mean, you still don't have Kyrie for home games. Ben Simmons isn't on the court. and Kevin Durant, as great as he is, and I think he's the best player in the planet right now. I mean, that's just too much to ask him to have to do in a, what, 19, game, 20 game, you know, sample size to get everybody on the same page and kind of drag that team to playoff success.

I don't imagine it happens this year. Well, he was undrafted out of Florida International University and has done pretty well for himself. What did you, because you're a defensive guy. Let me guess your average in college. I'm going to guess this right now. Okay, because Bruce Bowen was a defensive player. at Fullerton, but he could score too.

So I think you scored more in college. I bet you average 21 and a half a game. I average 18 a game. I played with Carlos Arroyo, who was another NBA player. We had an NBA back court, so we had to share some of that. I would have liked to have averaged 21 a game, but I had 18 again. You can score. You can put it on the deck a little bit.

Great seeing you, man. Yeah, thanks for having me, guys. Raja Bell. He's terrific. Ringer Show, The Real Ones, NBA Show. Can't get Simmons on the show ever. You know, it doesn't return my calls, but whatever. I'm not going to be petty about that.

Be nice. People return a text occasionally. Oh, sorry. Talk to myself there. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeard 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 between. 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. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from. 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. podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok

podcast network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontans 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-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMA? 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 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 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 yeah, yeah. No, we don't have plenty. But just so y'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 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. Tomorrow, Charlotte FC. makes its MLS home debut against the LA Galaxy. All the action kicks off at 730 Eastern on Fox. By the way, David Tepper, who owns the Panthers, owns this team. They expect 75,000. What has been really remarkable to me on the MLS, really shocking. The popularity in southern cities, Atlanta and now Charlotte,

is they create these. It's really a fascinating thing going on with the MLS. The crowds are super young. 30 years ago, that was what it felt like baseball, crowds. They have chosen the MLS. NBA tickets are too expensive. NFL, there's no seats available. A lot of young people, 17 to 35 are just, they have chosen this, Austin, too. Austin, Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte. And so these young kids, 17 to like 32 years old, NBA is brutally expensive, a baseball, you know, the activity or lack thereof, they just attack. I mean, they just go all in on these friends.

franchises. It's fascinating. Well, there's urgency. There's big stars. It's more affordable. It's an intimate setting. The experience for fans is really fun. It's a big community. There's a sense that, you know, we're a part of this. We can influence the game. If anybody's paying attention to this stuff, like, there's a little bit of a cultural movement with the MLS. They have grabbed baseball fans 30 years ago, the young set of people. Also, you know, soccer has grown in popularity in the United States tremendously over the past 20, 30 years. Yeah, if we could make the World Cup here.

We will. With the women. I believe that we will win. Okay. Must the McKinney's a little injured right now. Not in a good space for that. We have to make the world. Not in a good space for that.

I want to talk about it right now. Joy with the News. No. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. What? What happened? I'm just waving off that energy.

What happened? That not making the World Cup energy. We got to get rid of that. Bad. Now I will say in qualifying, it's been encouraging. Maybe one time in America will appreciate our coach. You ever notice that? Every time we lose, fire the coach.

Never the players, always the coach. Well, yeah, that's always the easy thing to do. So the Cowboys are likely moving off of one of their top receivers. They are reportedly likely to release Amari Cooper by the start of the new league year. He's due to make $20 million next season. That becomes guaranteed on March 20th. If the Cowboys release him, they will save $7. 16 million in cap space.

They will take on 6 million in dead money by releasing them before June 1st, and they are projected to be $13.4 million over the cap with the fifth fewest amount of cap space in the NFL. So I'm with you. I don't really like this move fundamentally, football-wise, but you have to make decisions when it comes to certain positions when you're in a cap situation like the Cowboys are. Increasingly, you are able to find

talent, high level talent in the draft at the wide receiver position because it's just a position like quarterback that's developing more quickly, they're getting more reps, they're more ready to play right away, I don't know how this is actually going to play out this season.

But he's just extremely expensive and sometimes you have to make choices when it comes to your high-end expensive players. Also, you know, I don't know how much it matters now, but, you know, there was an issue during the season with Amari. He did not get vaxed. Jerry Jones was very vocal about how he felt about that.

By the way, ask yourself this. Indianapolis wants to move off Carson Wentz, Amari Cooper, folks, those owners, those owners want you vaxed. And this is not the NBA or baseball with guaranteed long-term contracts. If you're not going to do that... Well, I don't think it matters moving forward

because it seems like the NFL is going to move. of all those protocols. But if you don't think billionaires hold occasional grudges? Yeah, I mean, of course they do. Of course they do. So it's like... I don't think that that's a factor in this here, but...

No, we don't know. Everything is something. Nothing is everything, everything is something. He is very expensive. I think he is... I agree with you. Dak is a completely different player when he's not out there. You need a number one receiver.

And I don't think Jerry, and that organization was happy one bit. Jerry, literally on multiple occasions, talked about the value of getting back. being available. Yep. So Cliff Kingsbury just got an extension with the Cardinals. He's not leaving Arizona anytime soon, but if he was looking for a new job,

he would not go back to college coaching. Now, we talk about this a lot, just how the landscape of college football has changed, what it means to be a college football head coach, the comparison of coaching in college to the NFL. Well, he was on the Pat McAfee show, and he talked about how nice it is to not have to recruit players anymore.

He said, I would do anything before I went back to that. I would do any job. time now with social media. There's this constant anxiety because if you're not doing it, the university down the street is. Here, when you're done with football, you're done. You can live your life. College, it just never goes away. Well, here's the thing. He's right at the school he was at. Now, if you're at Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State, if you're one of the eight, nine big college football brands, the schools does a little bit of that for you. A lot of kids grow up in Michigan, they're Wolverine fans. Or in Texas.

they're Longhorn or Sooner fans. So he is right. But if you, like Lincoln Riley literally went to USC and in 48 hours flipped three five-star LA kids. Well, I mean, also, you know, Lincoln Riley had a much more successful college coaching career. If you can go to a big brand, then it, the recruiting, not that it's easier, but when you get it rolling, like a lot of those kids in LA over the next five years, they've made their

mind up. They want to get offered by USC. Yeah, the school does some recruiting for you. I do think if you are at a staff like that, or you have a staff like that, you can sort of delegate some of the recruiting, especially at certain positions to, depending on the staff that you hired to some of those coaches as well. But to his point, it's just a different, it's a different world. And now, because of the transfer portal, you got to re-recruit your own players.

You got to make sure that your own players that are there want to stay there and are getting NIL deals and are set up for the future. So there, it is, I would say it's, I think it's more. It's more on your plate as a college football coach. Oh, God, yes. But in comparison to the NFL, where you don't maybe have as much to do because you do have coordinators that handle whole sections of your team and you have an owner and you have a front office staff

and you're not having to do everything and have your hand in everything, you're probably going to get fired much more quickly. I mean, that's how it works. There's much, there's way less patience in the NFL for head coaches. there's a lot more turnover than there is in college. College, you can sign a 10-year deal. If you're not at one of those top schools where there's the expectation of winning a championship

every single year, you can stay there for a long time. So you have more stability, I think, at the college football level than you do at the NFL, but you're just going to have to have your hands in more things. Also, in college football level, in the NFL, assistant coaches and coordinators make huge pensions. So in college football, the only way to make big money

is to be a head coach. See, the staff turnover at college is. I mean, how many offensive coordinators has Saban lost? Oh, yeah. Seven? Like, in the NFL, if you get a really, really, really great defensive line coach, and he's making half a million a year with the NFL pension, he's not going anywhere. You're going to stick around there.

If he's not a head coach guy, he'll stick around there for years. Yeah, and also, you can even be a head coach guy and not want to take some of these jobs because of the turnover. Again, you're going to up your family, give up a good coordinating job where you are competing for championship. to go to a team that needs a new head coach and then you fired from there and you have to go back somewhere else. So the turnover at the NFL level

is much higher than a college, but you're just going to have to have your hands and more things. So the Lakers are on a four-game losing streak and barely hanging on to a spot in the playing game sitting at 9th in the West. They're not going to make the playoffs. I've made the decision last night.

You made the call? Nope. They're done. They're not going to be a playoff team. Well, fans are pretty frustrated. They started booing the players, and Jemond Green was stunned to see that from the Lakers home crowd. I thought that was pathetic. I thought it was extremely pathetic.

And like I said, I thought it was very distasteful from a fan base of an organization that has the most championships in the NBA. Like, let's not be so, like, spoiled brats. Like, it's okay to be spoiled. Like, yeah, you can 100% be spoiled. We all get spoiled by things at times at one point in our life or another.

But let's not be brats. And that was about, braddy as something that I've seen, considering that this team just won a championship, not even a full of two years ago. I've been very gentle with Lakers fans all season long. Yes, you have. Been very delicate. Yeah.

I know it's sensitive. They watch our show. They watch our show. They listen to our show. I talk to a Lakers fan at least three times a day. Anywhere around Los Angeles, they always want to talk about what's going on with the Lakers. so I'm very gentle with that. But Draymond Green is not wrong.

You might want to hear it from Draymond, but he's not wrong. There is some level of, you act like you've been there before. And the Lakers have been there before many times. You have to have some perspective on what's happening with your team. Yeah.

This is not a good situation. Don't you want to move on from Russell Westbrook next season? Yeah. making it seem like this is a chaotic disaster is not helping move him out of Los Angeles. Not saying that the fans affect that, but he's right. You just won a championship less than two years ago. Now it's fire Frank Vogel and it's move off of Polinka and, you know,

trade LeBron and trade AD and it's Westbrook's Fall and it's like... Well, by the way, you know who else is like this? Yankee fans. Ohio State football fans. I think sometimes like Buckeye fans lose a game and we've got to fire all the assistant coaches we lost to Michigan. You're going to lose to Michigan once every four or five years. You've got to get over that. I think when you have great success, you get used to always winning these big games. And it's like, yeah, it should be noted before Saban got there.

Alabama stunk for several years. Right. And I think, and so did the Lakers before LeBron got there. Right. Like everyone's freaking out about LeBron. What were you before LeBron came here? Let's just keep some perspective on the situation. Yes, you've won lots of championships. And yes, the standard should be championships. There's a difference between standard and realistic expectations. You should always be working and building towards winning championships. And I believe that the Lakers do that. That's why I can't, in good faith, say that LeBron can't win another championship here.

The Lakers win championships. This is a championship organization. But also have some perspective on what the situation is. And again, I've been saying this all season long. So it feels like I have no other perspective on the Lakers. But it's just the truth. Anthony Davis isn't healthy. You're not winning a championship without Anthony Davis healthy on the floor.

So you can blame Westbrook for how he's playing and messing up the chemistry. You can blame LeBron for bringing him in. You can blame Polinka for this roster. Blame whoever you want. But at the end of the day, Anthony Davis is not healthy on the floor. We're talking about the future. That's just what it is. He's your second star and he's not available.

Yeah. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. This is interesting. My friend, Mike Silver is very tied in. He's been very critical of Kyler Murray.

And Mike tends to be pro player more than pro-management. but he's been very critical of Kyler Murray for a year now. He was telling us a year ago. There's a lot of troubling signs with his personality. So Mike Silver said today, Kyler Murray's timing is bad with the contract dispute. Quote, the best time to apply pressure on a team in theory is right before the season.

It's too late for a team to come up with a legitimate plan B. As of Tuesday, not a single team had reached out to Steve Kime to inquire, about Kyler Murray. Now, granted, they would probably be told not interested. But it seems strange that nobody has at least asked the question. I can't imagine there won't be overtures in the coming weeks. So this Kyler-Marie situation, when DAC didn't get a contract, it was not disruptive. It was not disruptive.

When Mahomes were going to give him a contract, it was not disruptive. Lamar Jackson hasn't got a contract. It is not disruptive. Okay. The Arizona Cardinals are telling you, we just gave our coach and our GM an extension and made it public. We're not budging on the contract. And now it's public. Nobody's calling us.

They're digging their feet in. And what it's telling you is this thing's uglier than you think. And I will say this. Everybody's personality is different and nobody's saying they all have to be the same. Aaron Rogers, much more passive-aggressive. Tom Brady, much more aggressive. Kyler Murray, there are some troubling things here. He's an odd personality, sometimes immature, scrubbing social media.

He is not somebody that's, you know, terribly collaborative in the off-season with teammates. None of his teammates are coming to his defense. None of them. I mean, Miles Garrett, a week ago, is like, I'm a Baker Mayfield guy. That helps. That's value. That's good.

You want to see that. I'm a Baker Mayfield guy. When Jared Goff left the Rams, and when we're a lot of people, I mean, he didn't ingratiate himself with enough people. Like, these are signs. When Dax's contract was hanging in the balance, how many times did cowboy fans like,

cowboy players? Like, you got to pay him. Dax's our guy. Nobody's coming to Kyler's defense. Nobody. the owner Extension GM Extension coach

Now nobody's calling us This is And I think the Aaron Rogers drama GM's owners coaches They don't want to be held hostage This thing to me is I think a holdout is possible

You know I never felt that with Dak I don't feel that with Baker I don't feel that with Lamar I don't feel the holdout thing This one coin flip It's coin flip

I'd be concerned if I was Arizona. And they, to their credit, they're putting stuff out there now. They want to see how Kyler reacts. They want to see how his agent reacts. They're putting pressure on Kyler and his people right now. That's why they're putting all this stuff out there. How does he react to this? Let's figure this thing out quick.

It's really the smart thing to do for an organization. All right, we're going to give our GM and our coach an extension. Put it out. See how he reacts. We're going to put it out there. We're not getting calls. See how he reacts. That's what they're trying to figure out because they're worried.

We can't be, we can't in August not know what's going on. They're putting heat on Kyler and his people. See how he reacts. Because I feel like they're worried about a holdout. Peter Schreger was on earlier this week and talked about, you know, the position, the contract extension, what to do if you're Arizona. They should sign Kyler, but why does it have to be on March 1st on his timeline? I think that's the big question here.

Lamar Jackson won an MVP and was drafted a year before Kyler Murray and he still hasn't gotten his contract. Patrick Mahomes won a Super Bowl MVP and I already won an MVP and got one in July of what is the equivalent of Kyler's year right now. He's 24 years old. It's March 1st, and they sure aren't going to be put in a corner and be told when they've got to sign a long-term deal for Kyler Murray. I think the crickets on the other end of the statement made by the agent Eric Burkart yesterday speaks wonders. It's not only from the team who hasn't quivered and said, oh my God, Leato, okay. It's also from the rest of the Cardinals players. Yeah, very interesting.

Put it out there, see how he reacts. But I don't think they're budging in Arizona. 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. 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. So imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

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

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars 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 problem. Podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me. Not. just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. Last night, Kevin Durant was amazing and Brooklyn lost to a Miami Heat team that wasn't even with some of their best players. Kevin Durant, back-to-back MVP finals, had worked all those years childhood college pro. He was firmly entrenched as the number two player in the world. LeBron won. Durant won A. Many thought Durant, because he was beating LeBron, was one, and LeBron was two. I didn't, but many did. Then he made an awful decision to team up with Kyrie Irving over Steph Curry and leave not only a great teammate, not only a dynasty, but one of the highest functioning professional sports franchises in America. And today, Kevin Durant is a really talented guy in the middle of a mess that has to now inherit Ben Simmons, who doesn't love the game, and Kyrie Irving, who's willing to sacrifice games and team because of a stance.

that is at least based on like epidemiologists wrong on the vaccination. That's what he is. And because he had to shoot last year in the playoffs, 26 shots a game, be a defensive enforcer and play 43 minutes a game against Milwaukee. The wear and tear on his body is substantial. He got hurt again this year. And he was hurt last year because they don't have a great bench. And now he's left without Hardin.

and with Ben Simmons and Kuki Karee. And it classifies perhaps as the worst superstar decision of all time. And I think Kevin's great. And maybe he doesn't care, but I think he does. That's why he had a burner Twitter account. He does care what people think. It is unbelievable. And nobody's ever just said, what are you doing?

Nobody ever stepped in. What are you doing? It would be akin to Patrick Mahomes. who like Kevin's one or two best player in the world, all that work, leave the Hunt family, Andy Reed, Brett Veach, Travis Kelsey, Tyree Kill, and go to the second most popular team in New York, the Jets, because a friend is playing there. And we would go, what the hell are you doing?

What are you doing? Legacy matters. What are you doing? Winning matters. I still don't get it. And I look at Kevin Durant today and I go, last night he comes back once again is brilliant and you can't be to Miami team missing several starters. The goal in life is to work smarter, not harder, and look at that mess he's with.

Look at that mess he's with right now. I don't think it's going to work. Congrats getting the second best Curry brother and Andre Drummond. I don't expect anything from Ben Simmons. But it is amazing. I am surprised. We have just sort of said, I just made a decision. Wow.

I don't get it. By the way, the Draymond Green thing is interesting. So Draymond Green was on the volume. It's a very, very good podcast company. And I want to play the Draymond Green bite again. So Draymond Green is very upset with Laker fans for barking at LeBron James and barking at Russell Westbrook. So here's the bite again from Draymond Green.

I thought that was pathetic. I thought it was extremely pathetic. And like I said, I thought it was very distasteful. from a fan base of an organization that has the most championships in the NBA. Like, let's not be so, like, spoiled brats. Like, it's okay to be spoiled. Like, yeah, you can 100% be spoiled. We all get spoiled by things at times at one point in our life or another.

But let's not be brats. And that was about as brady as something that I've seen. Considering that this team just won a championship, not even a four or two years ago. So let me say this in regards to defend the NBA fans on this, not just Laker fans, NBA fans. So the NFL, you're further away from the players, and the players have helmets on.

So there's not really a relationship. Baseball, you're miles away. Some places like Oakland, you're acres away, right? Hockey, there's a glass barrier. Soccer, the players are in common. constant motion. They don't sit around for you to pick on them. But in the NBA and college basketball, the fans are right on top of you and there's constant stoppages of play. So you're sitting around. You're five feet from fans. So you get more of this in the NBA. Secondly, fans are younger in the

NBA. It's very, it's like soccer. It's a very young demographic. You put a few beers in frat boys. They get stupid fast. A lot of this is frat boys, a couple beers in, think they're big shots. Mommy and Daddy bought him nice tickets. We know what this is. This is not defending Laker fans, but proximity, play stoppages, lack of barriers. The NBA is also a trash talking league. It always has been. I mean, guys brag about it. It's funny. I ask players all the time, who is he a trash talker? I don't ask that in baseball. I don't really ask that in football. Not that I put hockey guys on, but I never asked that to a soccer player. But an NBA guy, oh, is he a trash talker? Larry Bird, big trash talkers.

You know? Kobe Bryant, a little trash talk. Yesterday we had Chandler Parsons on talking trash talk. The greatest players, Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, often the biggest trash talkers, Larry Bird. Duncan didn't, but, you know, Shaq probably did. So I'm not defending Laker fans, but then you add in the component that is very real and that is Yankees, Ohio State football, Alabama football, Lakers, Red Sox fans.

fans, you do get spoiled. You just have high expectations. I like, I really do like fans holding teams accountable. I really do. I mean, if I was a Lions fan, you know, I'd be calling my sports talk radio show all the time because owners listen to that stuff. But I will say there's a lot of components here for the NBA. And listen, Vernon Maxwell back in the mid-90s, was running into a crowd in Portland.

I mean, like the malice in the palace. That's never really happened in football. Like basketball's got a lot of things working here that this stuff happens. And I'm not going to blame the league. I'm not going to blame the fans. I'm not going to blame the players. I've literally gone to multiple NBA games and had conversations with players during the game. They'll come up the floor.

They'll say something. They'll go down. They'll come up the floor. They just talk. And so it is harder in basketball to get your arms around it. You don't have a hockey barrier. You don't have the constant motion of soccer. You don't have the helmets like football.

You don't have the distance like Major League Baseball. It is harder. I'm not making excuses. It's just a chatty sport. Like when you go to NBA games, like those first three or four rows, you feel like you're kind of in a conversation with players. You know the player can hear you. Like if you're in the upper deck, you're not yelling at Tom Brady.

If you're four rows back in a Laker game and LeBron just worked, he just worked, Malik Bridges for a couple of baskets for Phoenix. Hey, Malik, you get worked. It's funny. The player will look at you sometimes. Players like it. They trash talk back. So, Laker fans, I'm trying to be nice here.

Laker fans are not. Like, I remember the first time I went to a Yankee game. I can remember exactly where I went. It was the old Yankee Stadium. And it smelled like urine. Maybe it was an old stadium. And I'm going to remember fans. And I had decent seats.

Fans almost getting into it. It was just a combative environment. Why? It's the Yankees. They're season ticket. holders, there's an expectation. They're screaming at the, and it was like, I sat around and I'm like, God, this is,

I'm a Seattle kid. This is not how fans, and that was just my first time going to Yankee Stadium and all those banners and all those titles and all those championships. There's an expectation and those seats are more expensive. And the drive home is longer. And people don't want to waste their nights.

So I just, I, I don't know. Fans get, I'm not saying fans don't get bratty. Let me a little bratty. But, you know, I get it. NBA is just a different environment totally. And that's, by the way, it's why it's fun to go to NBA games. It's a party.

It's a cocktail party. You can literally good seats talk to players. Hour three coming up. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an Acapella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for 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'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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators,

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

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what went.

down and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.