The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - The best Thunder ever

Episode Date: June 3, 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is good but is he really the greatest Thunder ever? How will the Jaguars use Travis Hunter this season?   Guest: Jovan BuhaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jason McIntyre somehow still in for Colin Cowherd. I haven't been replaced yet. I don't know, Alex, maybe that's coming. People are very angry at me online. I love your like off the rails takes this week. Well, they haven't been that crazy, have they? I mean, you're going all in on a rookie group. quarterback, JJ, and the Vikings are forcing him actually play a single NFL snap.

So let's not talk about that one anyway. That's okay. It's okay. We got Yovon Bouha, who covers the Lakers coming up in five minutes. I had to ask him, are you pro-super teams or not? I'll tell you what he said when he drops by the set. But let's say, he probably liked my take earlier, give me super teams or give me death. All right, NBA finals are starting Thursday. Gosh, the weight is forever.

And I keep seeing this nonsense out there from these Yahoo's who were like, hey, SGA wins a title. He's the best player in Thunder history. And I'm like, we talked about this as a staff last week. And I said, no way. Just because he won the MVP in a championship, even if he wins finals MVP, I don't care. You think that automatically makes him the greatest player in franchise history?

I'm sorry. Kevin Durant, undeniably, this isn't even, this is like, a laughable discussion. I pushed this in the morning meeting on Monday. And they were like, yeah, that's obvious. And then I'm seeing all these clowns online saying, oh, yes, GA. Wow, he got a title.

Katie didn't get a title. Folks, we got the side-by-side comparison, okay? We forget what Kevin Durant did at OKC. Okay? Look at these numbers. It's staggering. It's not even close. He is by far.

I mean, SGA would probably need three championships in my mind to be the best player in front. franchise history. I need to have to stay there a lot longer. He has four playoff series wins. Can we pump the brakes? And this is an issue I have with the NBA. We just love to crown people instantly. Like SGA's crushing it in the midrange. Awesome. Wonderful. Congrats. But we can't stop there. We need to say he's the greatest player in Thunder franchise history. And he's brought the midrange back to save the NBA. He's basically like Kobe and MJ in the midrange. Like, do you see we're making quantum leaps

off a playoff run that's been, yeah, he's been great. I got it. In the first round, they took down Memphis. I mean, they haven't won Jack squat. John Moran got hurt when they were up 30 and otherwise, you know, SGA loses that game. Okay? And then who'd

they be in the second round? The Nuggets, okay? That was a tough series. Not many people had the Nuggets winning that series or going to the finals again. They have no bench. And then in the third round, they take down the Timberwolves. what do they want? Anthony Edwards, their stars 23. Let's not act like this is some kind of historic run.

I know the numbers say they're great, net rating, blah, blah, blah, and I'm not diminishing. I'm just putting things in context. OKC has been great. They've won, I believe, 82 games. A lot of basketball games this season. But can we just slow down crowning SGA as the greatest player in franchise history? That's false.

Can we stop with this? They're one of the greatest teams in NBA history according to some stats. That's not even close to true. Guys, let's be real. Last year's Celtics team would wipe the floor with these guys. Okay, I don't think it's particularly close. I mean, hell, that Nuggets team that won the title

when they actually had a bench and didn't have to rely on Peyton Watson and Jalen Pickett, that Nuggette seems probably better than these guys. This is a great team. Defensively, they're great. They're built awesome. But can we just, slow down. Even if they sweep the pacers, which could be in play, let's just provide some

context and reality. They're a really, really good basketball team and they've had an outstanding season and SGA is awesome. Can we leave it at that? Is that okay? All right, let's welcome in. Yovon Bouha covers the NBA and the Lakers for the athletic. All right, I just want to rant. You're laughing here. You saw this Oklahoma City team. You were in OKC when the Lakers smacked them by 75 or whatever. And then the next night, they're winning in the fourth. And Luca gets that dumb ejection or the Lakers beat them back to back. Come on.

Would have given them a better series than the Timberwolves. Thank you. But yeah, I mean, they're putting up historic numbers. So I want to give them their respect for the season that they're having. But I agree with you that if they win the championship, which I think they will. If you look at some of the recent title winners, I would pick the 2024 Celtics. ahead of them. I think the 2020 Lakers would give that real

Lakers. That would give them a real series. You forgot about them. Yeah. That team had KCP, Kuzma. I mean, LeBron and AD were arguably two of the top three or four players in the league. Weren't they the number one seed? They were the number one seed. They were on a 61 pace.

Huh. We forgot about the bubble Lakers. Yeah. What do you think of the goofballs who were like, that title doesn't really count? I mean, look, so I was covering the clippers at the time. So I was on the opposite end of one. watching a team who did not want to be there and who crumbled under the pressure of the bubble and being away from their families and obviously some real-world stuff going on at the time.

But, like, I mean, I think that was one of the tougher championships in NBA history. Undeniably. All right. So LeBron has his podcast. He's now partnering with Steve Nash and Luca Donchurch, which is on it. I'm assuming you've listened and all that fun stuff. Any takeaways, any tea leaves to read from their podcast together. So one thing I think is worth noting with this is this was filmed actually in Oklahoma City during that road trip.

So this is from early April. So they were sitting on this. They filmed several episodes of Mind the Game in Oklahoma City because the producer Jason lives out there. So this is like a couple months old. So I want to make note of that. That's why they're talking about the Oklahoma City road trip when they're talking. So that's why I don't think we're going to see anything about like Luca. and his extension or LeBron and his agency in like part two.

But I thought the interesting thing was just seeing how those two interacted because we haven't really seen them interact much just based on how post game goes. LeBron likes to talk at his locker. He goes a little bit earlier. Luca goes for treatment and then he goes to the podium. So sometimes like they're kind of passing by each other despite having their lockers next to each other. So we haven't really seen them interact for extended periods outside of like cracking jokes

in the locker or if there's a conversation one of them will pop into. So I think just seeing those two interact for about 30 minutes or so, what was interesting. But no real takeaways. Obviously, it was a lot of how they developed and a little bit about their tenure with the Lakers and kind of where things were out at that time. I'm curious. So LeBron partnered with Wade, who he was tight with, and then Kyrie, who there was like a mutual respect. And then AD he really wanted. This is the first one he didn't.

I don't think he asked for Luca. But Luca really respects him. How are we supposed to infer that? I think LeBron really respects Luca, though. He said multiple times that he's his favorite player in the league because really, Luca is LeBron minus the athleticism. And he's got some hard-in. It's like, you know, I think he's a hybrid of LeBron and Hardin

without the, like, the Paul Pierce athleticism, right? Or something like that. Or maybe a little bit more than Hart. I don't know. But he's, so I think there's a mutual admiration because of the size and because of the way that he sees the game, they are very similar in that regard. So I think LeBron respects him

and is someone that he's trying to take under his wing. So it's interesting. I'm sure you saw the video of Luca at like a Real Madrid game. He stood up in the front row. And of course, you know, the body language experts are like, he's skinny. Oh, my gosh, he's losing weight. I don't. Did you take away anything?

I couldn't really tell. He looked a little slimmer, but I wouldn't take away too much. From it, I mean, I think that is going to be his point of emphasis for this offseason is getting in better shape, as JJ Redick said, at his exit interview, championship shape. Yeah. And I think that was a comment pointed toward Luca and then a couple other players. Last time I was on here, we kind of talked about that. So I think that is going to be a point of emphasis for him.

But he is playing with Slovenia and Eurobasket, which I think is going to be good for him to keep him in game shape throughout the summer. So I think we might see a slimmer Luca going into training camp. But he did play last summer and then he got injured. Like, is there any concern like with that? I mean, with calf injuries, there is always some concern with just re-injury and those can nag a little bit. But if I just go back and look at, that was the most serious injury he's dealt with at the NBA level.

It was the longest injury absence he had of his career. Then he gets traded and he's clearly shell-shocked. There's an emotional element to it. And within the aftermath of all of that, I don't think he was ever quite himself physically. Despite that, he was still putting up 28, 8, 8, and 7. still, I mean, all the Lakers' big statement wins, Luca was the primary guy hitting big shots, making big plays on the fourth.

So I think he put his imprint on that team and their second half turnaround, but he still has way more to improve in terms of getting back to who he was before. I'm forgetting where the report came from, but yesterday Alex and I talked about Brani James there was a report he's going to be in the rotation next year. And I don't know if this is an overreaction

to seeing like Indiana and OKC having like big benches where they're playing, you know, T.J. McConnell, much better, obviously. But can Brony be a poor man's T.J. McConnell for 10 minutes a game next year? I think he can crack maybe like the fringes of the rotation. He showed a lot of growth. Like, I think if you go back and watch where he was in the G League in November compared to where he was in the G League in March, two totally different players.

And it's not just like a confidence thing. Like he tangibly improved his skill and is off the dribble, picking role play, passing, decision-making, all that stuff. improved. So I think he's shown some on the dribble or off the dribble on the ball chops that he didn't really show in Summer League or at USC that I think is encouraging. But I come back to the defensive end where for me, if he's going to get minutes, he has to be that 94 feet test, pressuring the ball, you know, the pit bull who you put on an opposing ball handler and he's going to be disruptive and making that player uncomfortable. So I would like to see a little bit more of that from him.

But I think going to the next season, could he be the 11th, then their 12th guy in the rotation, maybe, depending on how things shake out. They make a trade where they trade three guys for one and all of a sudden you have some depth issues, perhaps he cracks the back end of the rotation. But I don't think he's going to be top eight, top nine. I think that's probably premature. Okay. So you mentioned the word trade.

So obviously the buzz out there is this is going to be the busiest offseason since 2019. I don't, are the Lakers going to be involved in a lot of it? Because it seems like they're in a position where they can't do a ton. Was that fair? They are limited with their resources, both in free agency. They probably will only have the 5.7 million taxpayer exception unless LeBron takes a $15 to $20 million pay cut, which... That's not happening. So, like, probably $5.7 million, unless they can salary dump someone into a team with cap space

or with some cap flexibilities. However, well, maybe like a Maxi Klebo or Gabe Vincent because those guys are lower expiring figures. Okay. The problem is to do that, you typically have to attach an asset or two, right? And they only have one pick to trade. So when looking at their options, I think they have to make a trade to make any notable improvement. And that's likely going to come with some combination of Rui Hachamora, 2031 or 2032 for Sean Pick, Dalton Connect. And some combination of the maybe a Gabe Vincent, a Maxi Clee, but like it's hard to, you know, only trade out expiring contracts. that know, like, people don't want.

Like, Rui's a guy who can start or be a key bench piece for you, depending on your roster construction. He's your fourth best player. You're in good shape, right? Yeah. I would say probably fifth. I would want fifth or six. Because he was the Lakers' fourth best player, and they lost him the first round.

Well, yeah. I'm trying to think, like, the Knicks. Who was it? Yeah, I think he needs a certain infrastructure where, like, if you put him on Minnesota or OKC, like, take Chet out or take Julius Randall out, and you have a bunch of good defenders around him, and he's just more of, like, a spot up, and shoot guy around that, I think he fits.

But he was the Lakers' primary wingstopper sometimes, and it's like, that's not going to cut it. But Dorian Finney Smith is going to be back with the Lakers. I think so, yeah. He's got a great relationship with Luca, too, which you can't. He's back to Dallas, right? Yeah. All right, so let's re-talk about Austin Reeves again because for some reason people don't like the guy.

He's polarizing. He had a series against Anthony Edwards. What do you want? And I would even contend his series was not as bad as people are making it out to be. like his isolation defense against Ant, the numbers were actually good. If you look at there was certain, not to get too nerdy on you, but there were some isolation possessions where they're tracking points per possession for certain defenders in the first round.

He was, I think, top five against him individually against Ant. And he had the best defensive rating of any of the five starters by a wide margin. So you can't really point to like they were much worse defensively with him on the floor. And then even his numbers, like I went through for, recent podcast I did and looked at all 16 playoff teams, their number three score. He was right there with Aaron Gordon, Chet Holmgren, Evan Mowgli and that like 16, 17 point per game range. So it's like his

percentages were bad and there were some bad possessions where he switched on to Julius Randall, Ann Wands, or Jaden McDaniel scored on him, whatever. Yeah. But he wasn't, it wasn't DeAngel Russell from the Denver series. There was no zero points on zero for seven shooting performance, right? So Eddie, I think defensively he held up, like on guards, he's fine. It's when he has to guard bigger guys. That's where it's a mismatch. So it's weird.

I keep hearing, and again, I'm not blasting the finals. I'm just not that excited about him. That, oh, OKC set up for the next five years. Oh, they're going to be unstoppable. We heard this about Denver with Yokich and Murray. They're in their prime, and they have been able to get back to the finals. Boston last year. Oh, Boston set up.

They're perfect. Tatum's down done. They're going to be apparently holidays on the way out. Is this doing that over again? again, or is there, well, wait a minute, they're younger, they have more cap space, they got a bunch of draft picks. That's the big one for me. It's the draft picks.

So, I mean, they're the second youngest team to make the finals in NBA history by average age. So that, I think, is a factor in their favor. A lot of these guys are extension eligible. They're still on their rookie deals. So a lot of times, like, basically, whoever you got drafted by, like, they can control your contract with the way restricted free agency works for, like, seven to eight years. So a lot of these guys, if the Thunder are willing to go into the luxury tax, are going to be OKC Thunder for the foreseeable future.

And then I look at the draft picks of they got, I think, something like 20-something first-round picks over the next six, seven years. So even if they lose, it's high. It's a big, now they're not all good, they're not all good picks. But if they want to get into the Janus sweepstakes, let's say they lose or somehow Indiana pushes them to like seven and it's a concerning series. series, they can go get Janice. They can go get, they can bring KD back.

And he could add to his resume as a thunder. Yes. You like that take. Yes. So like they, or let's say like Kason Wallace is someone I really like off their bench. I think he's a guy who can start for a lot of teams moving forward. If he grows into that caliber player and they lose him in for agency or they have to trade him because of his contract, well, they can go draft another version of him, a younger, cheaper version. So like, they're really set up. We haven't seen a team be this set up. Because like even going back to Denver, for example, right?

Like they made several trades and gave up all their first round picks or a lot of them. And they did a poor job drafting. They did a poor job signing minimum guys and stuff. Like OKC has nailed the draft. They've replenished their cupboard and they're well set up. So I think this can be an exception here where like we haven't really seen a team have this much draft equity, have this much young talent. And right now a wide open league.

So the Pacers are kind of in that. I saw a number. that said something like they haven't paid the luxury tax since 2004 yeah that's insanity and somehow they've always been like decent too they've never really tanked that they don't like they're always like 30 plus wins let me ask just macro zoom out yeah is this finals good for the league i think so uh i i mean i i think we're in this new era of parody seemingly and while i as you teased am pro super team and pro big market

you know get give the I don't mind if they if the stars combine in a big in a small market sure sure I just need stars together but I'm super team you know pro big market but I think this is good for the league and showing you can

build in different ways and I think it is sort of like a palette cleanse for the league after having there's been a concentration of the California teams the Texas teams and I think we're having a little bit of a reset but I think these are two rabid fan bases, two of the better fan bases in the league that have not had titles,

Indiana, and then OKC now, obviously, more recently. So one of these two teams is going to have their first title. And I think it's, that part's awesome. You got young talent. A lot of people doubting both teams, frankly, like OKC talking to players, we talked about it before, like players were not afraid of the thunder. I don't know if they are still afraid of the thunder or not. But Indiana, we had the poll at the athletic.

We talked to players anonymously. They voted him the most over-rate player in the league. That was your outlet. Oh, gosh. So it's like, you know, I think both of these teams have had to overcome some doubt. I just, I keep coming back to like, you have a bunch of buddies, I'm assuming, who aren't hardcore NBA fans. Are they fired up about this? No.

Exactly. They're not. That's the problem. That's kind of an issue. Like, there's nobody polarizing in this series. I mean, maybe SGA started. Halliburton's a little, I think Halliburton's a little polarized. I mean, if you're a Knicks fit.

Is your wife know who Halliburton is? No. Yeah. Does she know who SGA is? Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, but I covered him with the Clippers, so. Oh, yeah. So it's a little different, but yeah.

Yeah, like Halliburton, I mean, my mom has no clue who that guy is. Yeah. You know, and like, I think if you get Kyrie and LeBron, Curry and KD, you know, even like Kobe and Gasol, like everybody knows those guys. And I know the argument could be, well, these guys will be back here. Maybe Denver hasn't been back. Milwaukee hasn't been back.

I think O'CC will be back. Indiana. We'll see. I mean, maybe. OKC is pretty, again, well set up. I'm a little doubt on O'KC. We'll see. If you couldn't tell.

All right. So we'll get a couple of quick ones. Big Picture League. There's a report coming out last, I guess in the last hour about Kevin Durant and Phoenix and Houston are perhaps working on something. But is that because maybe Milwaukee asked for Amin Thompson in any Yonah's deal? hoping that Amen Thompson could be their SGA, maybe? Well, that same report said that there's some uncertainty with how available Yonis is,

because I think any team going for Kevin Durant should be trying to go for Yonis, because it's like, why not get the younger, currently better superstar player, right? He's about, what, five, six years younger than KD, so why not get that guy who can be set up for the next half decade or so? So I think if I'm Houston, my priority number one has to be throwing the kitchen sink to try to get Yon You would trade Amman Thompson? That's the one guy I would try to keep. He looked like a potential major.

And the interesting thing is, like, if you ask the casual fan, they would probably say, like, Alperin Shangoon or Jail and Green. Like, Jailen Green, I think, is, that's kind of my test for, like, your perception of basketball is how you feel about Jail and Green. It's a G-Lung. I don't think many people know. But, you know, so I think Amman Thompson is the guy that I would try to keep it from Houston. Everybody else is on the table.

And then so what does this, Janus may not be available stuff? He hasn't formally asked out technically, but I mean, I think he's going to get traded this summer. Yeah, there's no point in case. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Yeah.

And I will ask, is there a world where he gets shipped to a small market team? I know, San Antonio, I mean, San Antonio is maybe the exception depending on what they're willing to put on the table. Would you put Castle in a deal?

I would. So then what do you mean, to me, Janice is a top three player in the league. So it's like, who are your other two guys? I would say Shea and Yokic. Shea over here. No, no, no, no, yeah, yeah. I came on here and broke my MVP pick. So Yokic to me is, and look, I mean, especially if O KC disposes of Indiana in a four or five game series,

that's going to make the Yokic as the best player in the league case even stronger. Because the fact that he took was five and a half guys and he took OKC to seven games. That's a good point. Yeah. And, like, they just ran out of gas. Like, game four, game five, they could have won either of those games in the fourth. They double-digit leads. Like, I think that makes the Yokic is the best player in the league case stronger.

But, yeah, I would say, Yon, like, with Castle, right, you're hoping he can become a top three player. I don't think he's going to become a top three player. So, like, why not get the guy who's still in his prime? Yeah, I just don't know if you have enough around Wemby and Janus. Is that enough to? Fox. Fox, Fox, too. You keep, I think that's a pretty good big. I like him, but as your third best player.

The playoff series wins for Deer and Fox. Zero. But as your third best player, you could do worse. Yeah. All right. So this is unfair, but just listening to the way you put SGA third. I would put him third. Do you think SGA is a better player than Luca right now?

I think right now, yes. Wow. But I think it's cool. I mean, we're talking, but I think, I think Luca's ceiling is higher. So like if we go back to like 2024, Luca, I think that player is better than this current version. I just don't think he was at that level. So like, I think his, like, there's a. a little bit more variance with Luca, but

just because of the conditioning and the injury and... People listening and watching, I'll be like, oh, Luca doesn't play defense. SGA's surrounded by great defenders. He's their worst defender in the starting group. He's not a bad defense. He's still an above like, he's an above average to good defender, but he's the guy that if you're going to target someone

in their starting group, you have... Now, it's no shade at him, because again, you're not going to target Lou Dort. You're not going to target Chet. Luca might. Luca might. Luka will target anybody. Anybody, yeah. I would say right now, I would say Shays better. But I think if I was going to next season, depending on how things play out the rest of the series,

and maybe if we get some Luca update pictures going to next year, if I was doing like a 20, 25, 26 ranking, I might put Luca ahead. All right. So I'll end with a hot take. I kind of pitched it to the staff. I don't know if we're going to do it this week. I think SGA is basically James Harden 2.0. I don't want to hear any of this Kobe nonsense and all this stuff. Like he's James Hardin, a really good player who has kind of an unstoppable run here, getting to the basket, drawing fouls. Now, he's not the three-point shooter, but he's traded that for the mid-range.

I mean, some of the stats about him in the half-court, drives to the basket, dribbles, whatever they are. They're similar to what Hardin was doing. Is that a ding on SGA? I think it is. Just because of the playoff track record, at this point, we've seen with Hardin, when you look at some of his notable playoff performance,

especially in games five to seven, game six performances, game seven performances, like he shrinks from the moment. And so I think with Shea already, I mean, Hardin's been to the finals, but he was in the finals as a sixth man. He hasn't been to the finals as the guy. He hasn't gotten over that hump yet. So I know it's a bit reductive and I don't,

but like we have the track record, right? Like people have written and gone through the history. I guess the counterweight O.K.C.'s been favored in every series. Yeah. Hardin usually when he was the guy in. Houston was the dog and he did push the except for the one year they won his MVP year that that was the year

uh what 2019 65 wins I mean Denver's the Warriors was like KD and Curry Chris Paul goes down Chris Paul went down that's uh and they're up three they're up three two in that series and Chris Paul goes down and then so Shimmie and Steph Curry but still it's like I mean

at some point you think he would have broken through and I don't know I mean in Brooklyn and in Philly like it's just his track record is at this point, like he is who he is. So I think Shay's negative to call SGA Hardin. I think Shay has a ways to go to catch him as a regular season player. Like Hardin's legacy is largely carried by his regular season performance.

The consistency, the longevity, like he's put up some monster seasons. The playoff track record, I think if Shay wins the title already, best player. Maybe I'm being too negative. Yeah. I mean, I think you could argue some of those Houston teams were just as like similar talent. profile to these Thunder teams, right? Like, Thunder or deeper? Like Trevor Arisa?

It's like their third best player. Eric Gordon. I mean... I mean, that's fair. Clincapella. Who? Clincapella? Is he going to be a Laker? Maybe. I think that the 5.7 might be a little low for him,

but depending on how the market plays out. Can they get Nikiel Alexander Walker for 5.7? No. No shot. He's getting at least the full taxpayer, M.L.E. There's like 14 million. So, yeah, we're fine. Go out on one name.

Give me one fun name for the later. The guy I really like... It hasn't been out there or a lot. Well, the guy I really like is Nick Claxton. I think that's the guy that checks all the boxes. I know he's slight, right? And that's like the one knock on him, I guess, would be... But, like, they had the league's best defense with Jackson Hayes as their starting center.

For a quarter of the season, you get me that guy. He can switch. He's good rim protector, really good finisher, lob threat. Like, that's a guy. He's 26, I want it, 25, 26. They did have the best defense with Jackson Hayes? For a 24, that 24 games stretch. They went 20 and 4 league's best defense.

Jackson Hayes was the primary center. It feels like Jackson Hayes is probably playing in China next year, right? I think he'll get a contract, but he cost himself a lot of money over the final month of that season. If you can't work with LeBron and Luca, like anyways. All right, Yovon Buha, senior NBA reporter at the Athletic, knows everything. He has a podcast. Dude, you've worked everywhere. He's on the rise.

What are you, like 30? 32, yeah. Jeez, what a lucky guy. All right, man. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about... what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey Jonas, and then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are

trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me.

And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world. right now and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving well good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Back here on the herd, great stuff. Yovan Buha. You see I can talk to Lakers like literally all day. It's fun. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. And we're actually going to start in baseball because this kind of came up at the series you were at this weekend, the World Series Rematch, Yankee Shortstop, Anthony Volpe, and Dodger's Shortstop, Miguel Rojas, were asked to name their all-time batting orders starting from the 2000s. Obviously, both Aaron Judge and Shohe Otani, we're both on the list, but take a look at the rest here. Okay? Do we have them on here? Okay, so for the Dodgers, you got Shohei Otani, Movedeveth, Freddie Freeman, Matt Kemp, Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Will Smith, Keeke Hernandez, Miguel Rojaschuk, and then for the Yankees, and the Yankeeshae, and for the Yankees, and for the Yankees, so who, which one are you taken here?

A lot of those Dodgers players are like on the current team. Yeah, but they've also won. They've also won two recent World Series. So, like, that's... I was living in New York during the Derek Jeter run. It was just... It was insane. In the fall.

Yeah, it was insane. Unbelievable. I mean... This is a tough one. It's a tough one. I'm going to L.A. Yankees, right? With, given that...

Like, those are historical players. Those are historical players. Okay, Derek Jeter. Hall of fate. Yeah. Bernie William. Hall of fate, right? But again, you have a lot of...

Judge is going. A-rod's in. I mean, Cheshire up should be Hall of Fame. Yeah. That's a stacked Yankees line, but a lot of these guys are still young on the Dodgers. Matt Kemp is the only guy who's not really that recent, right? What do you mean? Yeah.

Most of these Dodgers are. Cody still, yeah, still in the league on your team. Yeah, I would lean Yankees. Sorry. What about you? What do you got? That's fine. I mean, I bleep blue.

so I'm going Dodgers. Duff. And we saw this weekend, obviously, Dodgers still just light years ahead of the Yankees right now. But again, these are two teams that, like, money talks. When you have the money, you're going to get the top players. And historically, it was always the Yankees going out and paying, like, paying to get their All-Stars. And they have the World Series show for it. Obviously, nothing sense.

the Jeter era. They got close last year, but... I mean, honestly, I can watch... Game 5 fifth inning, five runs! O'Tani highlights all day. Yeah, it's also hard to bet against Shohei Otani right now. Like, if you're on any lineup. Honestly, he's...

He's, like, kind of goat level already. Like, it feels like... They're calling him the young goats. So Friday night I was at the game, the Yankees are rolling, five two. You saw Judge, like, had a home run. O'Tonnie homered in the first. It was like back-to-back dingers.

Otani hit two homers. So I think it's five, two Yankees. Oh, yeah, they came back. Who was their pitcher that night? I forget, he's their best player. He was seven and O'O. He was the guy was unrolling. And Otani Tomahawks won out of the yard.

And it's like, oh boy, and the Dodgers woke up. Beal off four runs. Yeah. And then the Yankees bullpen just imploded. Yeah, you got to go Dodgers. Well, and then it just exploded. What was it? Was it 18?

182 on Saturday. Yeah, just a beat down. It was wild. This is good. I like the historical. context. It's fun, right? Okay, let's head back to the NFL. Offensive rookie of the year betting market is getting a ton of action as reports from OTAs across the league come in. And they must like what Cleveland beat reporters are saying because Shador Sanders has received the most

tickets and biggest handle of all rookies despite being a long shot to win the award at plus 2000. That's dumb money. That's wild. You know what? I hope he goes out. and proves everybody wrong. That is dumb money. Do it on the field instead of talking about it on social media. And he's had a great attitude. He has had a great attitude since getting drafted by Cleveland, despite everything.

And the way it went down, obviously you've talked a lot about his dad, Dion, and him kind of being a big reason. I think that he got a lot of negativity and got a lot of hate. But you also have to remember, Tom Brady is one of Shador Sanders' mentors. He was the one who called him

after he got drafted and he obviously dropped in the draft and Tom Brady told Shador, it doesn't matter where you're drafted because all that matters is day one at camp because that's where you're going to fight for your spot on the field. And if anybody can attest to that, it's Tom Brady who went in the

sixth round, 199 pick. He is the goat. He has more ratings than any individual franchise. So he has good people in his ear. And he has good people on his team, besides his dad, giving him some good advice. I don't believe he's going to start the season. I think Blacko's probably going to start the season, but I think Shador, if he has, I think should, if Shador has a good camp, I think he can, he can be a starter midseason for the Browns. So first of all, if your thought is, hey, I can't

wait to bet into that market, rookie of the year. Yeah. Offense. I don't think. I don't think he's going to have enough games. Let me go bet on the guy who's in a quarterback battle with three other dudes. I don't think he's going to have enough games under his belt, but I do think he's going to start eventually for the Browns. This is why casinos exist in the desert.

Dumb money, people lighting it on fire betting Shedur-Sanders. It's a lot. I mean, I try to help these people. I try to talk gambling. You also got to make the roster. They don't want to improve. You got to make the roster. There is a lot of guys competing for this. I do think again, I will say it again, I do think he has a good chance to start mid-season.

They don't think he's going to start the season for the Browns. They're going to go with Flacco. Give me a number. How many games will Shador start this year, Alex? Can we get their schedule up? Do we have their schedule? I don't even think you need it. No.

It's like, come on. Okay. So they have a week nine by halfway through the season. Okay. Right? You're not bringing them out against the Jets or Ravens. Those two have great defenses. Raiders?

On the road? Yeah. Niners? I don't think so. If he's in, he's in. One, two, three, four, five, six. So, like, maybe he starts six, seven games. Wow.

Okay. Vegas needs a line. Back end of the season. All right. Give me the under. I will smash that under. No way does he start seven games. And again, I like, just for context, I liked him coming out.

I would have taken him second. But I'm going with what the Browns have shown. Don't tell me, show me. He's getting the fewest amount of reps in OTAs. They're going to put in Flacco to start the season, maybe give Pickett a shot. I think Shador, I think Shador finds his way in there. Dylan Gabriel. No.

Oregon's finest. You heard Breer. You heard Breer. He crushed the drafts. Yeah. All right. Well, let's talk about the Steelers and T.J. Watt. They are, he wants a new contract.

And Pittsburgh doesn't want to offer more than they already have. reports from Pittsburgh say that the offer is pretty significant, but still doesn't match what wants, of course. Complicating this is the fact that the Steelers having gotten and may never get Aaron Rogers in camp. Yeah, he's not even on the team, so I don't even know why we keep talking about Rogers with the Steelers yet. But TJ is your guy.

He's the top edge rusher on a great defensive team with one of the greatest defensive coaches who has never had a losing season in his 18-year-old. coaching career and T.J. has been first in every defensive stats since his rookie year. So you're going to have to give the guy what he wants. Give the guy who he wants. But they have bigger problems right now in this season. Like they need a quarterback. Wait, give the guy what he wants. He's like 30, 31 years old. Isn't that risky? A lot of tread on those tires? No, he's still performing. For how long? Still first. So ranked first in the NFL.

Yeah, it is. Since entering the league. He's had a great career. but I'm given the contract looking forward. I said I would have traded. Leader on this defense. Yeah, that's the problem. On a team that has been like one of the top defensive teams with the best defensive coach and has never had a losing season, that's going to shake everything up.

Yeah. I mean, they haven't had a playoff win with T.J. Watt. And it's like, what are we paying for? They don't have a losing season. I would trade, I would have a losing season. I would bottom out. I would trade Watt. not sign Rogers, win four or five games, and then take the quarterback in the top ten.

Try to tank? I mean, I don't know what else you're going to do. Every year they're reaching. Too much pride. Too much pride for Tomlin. That's not going to happen. Absolutely not. It won't, but it should it?

No. No. Because he's never, I do think this might be Mike Tomlin's first losing season in his career, but they're not going to tank. I don't think it's going to be that bad where they're going to be a top two draft pick. What if Arch Manning's here, Alice? I mean, that would be. big.

Yeah. But again, you can trade. You can trade up for that. You don't tank. They're a franchise that feels more like you trade for that. You don't tank for that. Yeah. They're a blue broad.

They're too proud. Yes. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in 18 years. Who had the song, Ain't Too Proud to Begg? Is that TLC? I don't know. Ain't too proud to tank. That should be their theme?

I don't know. I don't know. That is Alex. with news. Coming up next. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News.

Do the Jags have an issue with Travis Hunter? Liam Cohen, their new head coach, spoke and not great in Jacksonville. We all want to feel completely safe after locking up at night and heading to bed. That's the peace of mind, Simply Safe provides. Get 50% off your new Simply Safe system with professional monitoring and your first month free at SimpleSafe. There's no safe, like simply safe. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino.

And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world. of sports and pop culture.

Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth.

Be sure to check out Covino Enrich live on Fox Sports Radio in the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Reef. Rich, wherever you get your podcast, and of course, on social media. That's Kavino and Rich. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, news, huge news?

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts around there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call. call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the

internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete

themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context,

and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis.

And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lerabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, Good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

In America on Fox, another chapter in America's greatest rivalry unfold as the Red Sox take on Aaron Judge and the Yankees. Or the Pogres battle to Brewer, check local listings for the game in your area Saturday at 7.30 Eastern on Fox. Boy, I made the mistake, Alex, checking my mentions during the commercial break. Jay Mack, we talk about this. You were not allowed to check your mentions during the show.

So I went to go get some candy. No. Mike and Ike and Ike and I'm back on those. And I check my mentions. And people are angry about my NBA finals take. I was like, oh. Well, that's the thing. It kind of goes both ways.

It's like, are you a 50-50 fan? Are you a hardcore fan? Hardcore fans are going to love this finals. 50-50 fans are like, again, there's no name recognition for like these, superstars and super teams that we've had in the past. So it's, you can kind of go both ways. So maybe you'll like this one better.

So Travis Hunter is the new Jacksonville superstar. They traded up for him. And his coach talked about a little issue they're having with the defense, wanting Travis Hunter to practice, but the offense needing Travis Hunter. Here's Liam Cohen. Just the movement skills and some of the man coverages, the feel and zone, you can definitely see how natural it is for them. Still learning, still growing, still trying to learn the calls as much as possible.

But when you see them just in the actual seven-on and team setting, he doesn't look out of place by any means. Huh. So the defense needs Hunter. Obviously the secondary was an abomination last year. But Trevor Lawrence, your superstar quarterback, definitely needs Travis Hunter. You gave up a lot of draft equity to get him. Folks, this has disaster written all over it.

So rookie coach, Liam Cunner's, uh, Liam Cohen's never been a head coach. You got a rookie front office. You've got a quarterback who's coming off another down year. Uh, you do have a star wide receiver, Brian Thomas, who carried me in fantasy last year to a championship. Thank you, Brian Thomas. But you need somebody opposite him, and that should be Hunter.

Hunter, by the way, also got married over the weekend. I'm sure you guys saw that stuff on social media. I'm not going to chime in on that. I know a lot of guys have chimed in, but I'll stand down. I'll just say, we all want Trevor Lawrence to succeed in Jacksonville. It's just not happening. And I don't know if this is the year for it. They're clearly not as good as Houston.

The Colts, if they can figure out quarterback with Anthony Richardson, probably third. But then you got Cam Ward lurking with the Titans. I mean, is it possible that Jacksonville ends up fourth in the division again? Final hour coming up. Okay, C, Indiana. Where are the Super Teeks? Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers.

I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know. Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. 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, Podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in.

I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Genschen, she's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.