The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - The Suns are in trouble

Episode Date: April 24, 2024

The Raiders are trying to move up in the NFL Draft NBA reporter Rachel Nichols joins the show in studio to explain why the Suns have been disappointing despite their trio of superstars including Kevin DurantSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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J-Mack tomorrow at this time, the draft will be percolating. Moves could be made. The chess pieces being altered. My guess is no trades before the draft. And during the first round, we're going to see like three or four. I think it's going to be chaos. One of the crazier drafts were trades in the first round. Hopefully you're not watching it.

Your men's league. You're dialed in. I don't have time for anything. I'll be on the couch. Feed up. Make myself some nachos. By the way, do you know Jordan Shultz loves me talking about the men's league? He wants to run with us.

Like, it's a thing now. Okay, people love it. Not more than the draft, of course. Yeah, of course. Or your weightlifting story. So the NFL draft, Raiders, this is interesting. And I appreciate this.

And I like their GM. They attempted to trade up to number two overall from 13. And so I have this theory on the Raiders that I grew up and in the 70s is what I became a sports fan. I collected NBA cards, baseball cards. I liked NBA cards. I was the only kid that liked NBA cards more than baseball cards. And the Warriors won a title in the 70s and the Raiders won a Super Bowl in the 70s, a couple in the 80s. but the 70s was a very romantic time in the Bay Area.

You had these passionate fan bases. They were winning Super Bowls or NBA finals. You had iconic players like Fred Bolitnikoff and Kenny Stabler and Rick Berry. And then mostly, you know, the last 25 years before Steph Curry, the Warriors were irrelevant pre-Stef Curry for about 30 years. Some Tim Hardaway years, but mostly irrelevant. And the Raiders have been irrelevant for like 22 years. They have the second worst record in the NFL in the last 20, 21 years, worse than Cleveland. And so my take is the Raiders need their Steph Curry.

They need their Steph Curry. And I believe to move from 13 to 2 or 3 can get you Jaden Daniels, who I think is Steph. Little thin, little small, but electric, dynamic, and a dominant. conference comes out and the smart people see the greatness. Brian Kelly, LSU coach, Jaden's coach last couple of years, talked about what he could be and what he was at LSU. His first year where he struggled at times, he was the same guy each and every week. He went to work.

He continued to lead. He worked on his craft. So, you know, this is a guy that, you know, he can handle the ups and downs of it. He is a flat-out playmaker. He will change. the look of your franchise, and I think that that's why I believe he's the best quarterback in

the draft. So to move from 13 to 2, I tell my daughter this, don't seek happiness. It's not in the couch. It's not in the dry cleaner. It's not in the laundry. Don't seek

happiness. Create it. Make it. You can sit at 13 and hope the fourth best quarterback falls to you. Or you can create winning, moving up. Everybody's seeking things. Stop it.

Create it. The Raiders have no inertia. They have no momentum as a franchise. This isn't San Francisco rolling the dice. That's a winning franchise. They took a swing and missed. This is a laughing stock for 20 years. They're not in the, let's see if greatness falls to us.

Kansas City was a winning franchise. They moved up. They moved up to get Mahomes. Green Bay was a winning franchise. And they moved up for Jordan Love. The Raiders are a laughing stock for 20 years. Don't seek happiness. Create happiness.

Create it. Make it happen. This is a franchise for 22 years. I didn't even look up. I was told they had the second worst. record, worse than Cleveland the last 20 years. I wouldn't be in the sit around and wait for somebody to fall to me.

You've got to make something happen. Because that waiting and having guys fall to you, it's not working at all. It's not working. So the Raiders are at 13. Three, you know, the Chargers. You know the Chargers want

to move down. I don't care if they're in your division. You've got to figure out you. Not worry about the Chargers, the Chiefs and the Broncos. So to me, the Raiders, you say, well, you'd have to give up a lot. Well, what would you be giving up? You have a one in 20 years. What are you giving up? San Francisco giving up picks is different.

They're on the precipice of a Super Bowl. You're giving up stuff. You're giving up draft picks that could become starters on a great team. That can be tougher. It can be tougher to be a great team and say, ooh, we're going to give up two first-round picks. You may need those to beat the chiefs, the bills, the Ravens, the Niners, the Lion. You may need those.

That's not what the Raiders are. Raiders aren't competitive of the best team. Raiders are the third best, probably fourth best roster in our division. You've got to take swings. So I like the idea. They called Washington. They tried to move up. I'd keep calling.

I'd make them make a deal if I could. And with that, covering the NBA since 1993, she's created momentum. Rachel Nichols is joining us on the show again. Last time I had you on the show, I had more people. Stop me. My friend said, get Rachel on the show more. So that's what we do, Rachel. We listen to our audience.

I appreciate that, and the checks are in the mail, people. Everybody who contributed there, thank you. So I was not only wrong on Phoenix in the regular season. I said I'm going to end up in the Western Conference Finals, Big Whiff. I was wrong in the postseason. I picked him over Minnesota. And I watched this series, and I got to be honest, Rachel, I don't see a ton of energy.

Kevin Durant's scoring? Booker's cooked. Are you surprised? Are people in the league surprised by this? No, I'm not surprised at all. I was the opposite of you and got a ton of criticism from the people out in the world of why don't you believe in the suns? They've got some of the

best shooters in the league. They do. They just don't have the rest of the roster. And that is the problem. The way this roster is constructed, it's not fair to those stars because they don't have the rest of the team around them that say Minnesota has. Minnesota is a team. If you looked at Ant, he got a ton of defensive attention last night,

wasn't able to score in game two the way he did in game one. Carl Anthony Towns got in foul trouble, wasn't able to score the way he did in game one. Guess what? Jade McDaniel steps up. Mike Conley steps up. That's a team. Rudy Gober is there on defense, defensive player of the year. The sons don't have that.

The way this roster is constructed, it is so top-heavy. And even within that, there's no true point card. There's no ball handler. There's no one getting these guys the ball where they need it. to be. That is not a recipe for success. They're going to be limited going forward. And now we're going to face questions this off season. I mean, look, by the way, I think Phoenix can win a game or two in this series. I don't think they're winning four of the next five. Yeah, you could tell in game one, it's interesting because they beat the T-Wolves in three

matchups, regular season by double digits, but regular season is different. You play, I mean, I think we all know this. Defense has become much more important in the playoffs. They're calling it marginal contact. The whistles are drying up. These are defensive teams are flourishing. The Knicks are flourishings. Philly's better offense. Nicks are better defense. Cleveland's a good defensive team. Orlando is a good defensive team.

So, yeah, we've talked about Kevin Durant is, and I think a lot of it, international soccer in the NBA are very star-driven. And Ronaldo can move around, and you just go get the money, and we all say, that's fine. You go get yours. In the NFL, like if Mahomes left to the Jets, because he had a friend who played wide receiver. Right. we'd be much more disturbed by that.

What are you doing? Yeah. But in basketball, like, go get yours. I mean, a lot of mobility. But there is something about KD is that he left in the penthouse of the league for a remodel and a reboot, and neither has worked.

Does it affect his legacy? Look, I think the mistake, there's an argument that Kevin never should have left Golden State. I don't care what people outside noise were saying, right? It's a great team. It was one of the greatest teams of all time. let's see what you could do. Let's maximize that to its full potential. That was a disappointment. If you're just a true basketball fan, getting to see how far they could have gotten if they had stayed together.

Would have been really cool. I feel the same way about Jack and Kobe. I would have loved to have seen them stay together. If he was going to leave, why didn't he go to the Knicks, man? And I know everyone in New York, you're very happy now. I get it. But can you imagine Kevin Durant, if he went to Madison Square Garden and they were still able to build the quality of team around him that they have built now with that kind of good management, he'd be a hero. I mean, his entire legacy would be different. The way people thought of him would be different. You'd never buy another meal again in New York City or possibly around the country.

That was what's interesting. He not only left the Warriors, but he went to New York's second brand. And it's like, that's like going to the Mets over the Yankees and you have a choice. If you're Garrett Cole and they both offer you, you'd go to the Yankees. Yes.

Yes. And by the way, everyone in that fan base was starving for a big star. Remember, they couldn't get LeBron, they couldn't get so-and-so, they couldn't get so-and-so. If he came, the victory parade just from him signing would have been tremendous. And then what if he got them to a conference finals? What if he got them to an NBA finals? Forget a championship.

People would have been just ballistically happy. We were talking, Jay Mack and I, Rachel, talked about this the other day. There is something that is profound. I remember when I first fell in love with the NBA in the 70s and 80s, and part of the attraction, I'm a small town rural kid, was Diane Cannon, Jack Nicholson. That's where stars were at. never seen stars at sporting events. Right.

And you're like, oh, stars, they're among us. I'm watching the Knicks games. There is no question. They feel bigger. I got guys from the Sopranos. I got Ben Stiller. It's amazing. I got Justin Bateman.

Yes. It matters. It feels the league. It feels big. And that's what's interesting with Kevin. It's one thing to leave the great team. If Mahomes ever left, you know, he would go to a great coach. Hey, I want to go with Sean Payton.

I want to go with Sean McVeigh. Like Stafford's like, I'm going to go find the guy. It's a weird move and it has not worked out. So Milwaukee, Indiana, this could be problems from the beginning. Janus has hurt. Indiana is a tough matchup. Milwaukee's old. You kind of feel if Janus is there, the NBA swallowed the whistles.

They'll figure it out. But where are we inside that organization? So let's say Janus comes back. Is it game three, they think? First of all, nobody has projected when he's going to come back. The update was from Doc Rivers, he's closer. Well, closer could mean a lot of things, right? I mean, I'm closer to being 80 years old.

I'm not near it yet, though. So I just think we don't know. And I have to say, I'm not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. And I'm not inside the Bucks organization. I would be whatever is more conservative than conservative about bringing Janus back. We have seen calf strains precede Achilles. injuries more than once. Kevin Durant went through it. And when he did, he missed the entire next

year and the playoffs the following year. And by the way, yes, he has come back. He's not quite the player he was. He's pretty close, which is very, very impressive. But he is a totally different shooting style and body type than Janus Endicompo. He's a completely different player. Janus, at his size with the way he plays, if he had to recover from an Achilles tear, that's a very, very troubling scenario. And if I'm the Bucks, this first round series, as disappointing as it is, would not be worth it to me to rush him back in any way or even do the averages. I would be on the conservative side of conservative with him. And if that's the case, gosh, it looks like the Pacer's would win this series because the real key for the Bucks was going to be as efficient as possible.

Make your shots so that the pacer's who are younger and more athletic can't just start running around in transition, right? Because they're faster. And when you have Yannis Sedge de Kupo, who's two-time MVP with his skill set, not there. When you don't have him drawing double teams off Damian Lillard, when you don't have those easy buckets he can get inside, you're just given the Pacers transition opportunities. And they did a 23 to 4 run the other day in the fourth quarter? I mean, that's what's going to happen.

So there's always been this feeling that when LeBron came to your franchise, you sacrificed everything to win now. And that used to reward you with final appearances. It was a lock in sports. Nick Sabin would win the SEC. LeBron would get to the finals. Yes. Two locks and sports.

Okay, and then LeBron now guarantees you're interesting, but he doesn't guarantee anything in the playoffs, especially in the much deeper West. And so when I suggested, I didn't think it was a hot take. I said, you know, they match up really well with O.K.C. And they're not built to win the championship anyway. My concern is when they lose to Denver again and for the repercussions of losing, he'll want Darwin Ham out, Dilo will be gone,

he'll have questions about Austin Reeves, that they're not constructed, to beat Denver. They're constructed to match up with them. Yeah. But LeBron has to literally play 40 minutes and play brilliant, and the team has to play perfect to win. And so now we are, a couple of weeks after that take,

right where we thought we would be. You're down, love two. You probably win a game, maybe. But what are the repercussions? LeBron's business is here. Yeah. But now his son could get drafted, could go elsewhere, little less loyalty.

Is there any possibility or discussion? By the way, a story leaked yesterday. Did you notice this story leaked? Darvin Ham will be back. That was the Lakers ensuring everybody knew. Don't blame the coach. We're not moving off the coach. Stuff gets out when people want it out.

Yes. Is this a border skirmish? If they get swept, how do you feel about that? Look, I'm with you. I think the Lakers win at least one game. Maybe they win two games. But they're not winning. again, four of the next five. They're not winning this series. And they really were never set up to win the series, to your point. And it's funny, we used to call in the East when LeBron made it to eight finals in a row. I used to say, oh, it's the LeBron James Invitational. It's not the NBA Finals. The LeBron James Invitational. That brick wall that LeBron put up in the Eastern Conference for all those years, that is what Nicolioch is starting to build in the West. And it is possible that no other team while he is in his prime. And that Denver team is constructed the way it is. And he in the partnership that he has,

as with Jamal Murray and the chemistry they have toward the end of games with the entire team. It's possible no one's going to break through the brick wall that they're starting to build there, but they're definitely not doing it with this roster. I don't think it's just LeBron that's having some questions about the way the organization runs.

Anthony Davis came out after the game and said there are times we don't know what we're doing on both ends of the floor. I heard that. You're around the what, 90th game of the season between the season and the play-in and the in-season tournament and whatever. you got to know what you're doing on both ends at the floor.

And by the way, you're playing a team in Denver that knows exactly what they're doing at every moment they're on the court. And that is a coaching thing. And it's not the first time that AD has said something like that, which seems like a side swipe at Darvinham. I don't blame Darvinham as much as Laker Nation does. Laker Nation is never happy with the coach. But I do think that you have to listen to the signals

you're getting from the locker room, and you're getting some pretty loud signals from Anthony Davis. And they immediately leak a story that Darvonham is safe. So it feels like there's tension building the series is only two games old. The New York story is fascinating. Love it. It's just great. And I know a lot of people watch this show.

You guys talk about the big markets, but it should be noted. The NFL is run by a team in Kansas City. Yes. We love stores, Connecticut and Yukon. There's plenty of small market, smaller market success stories. The NBA is better when New York is good. It's just big. I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago during the game.

I'm like, I don't even remember a series like this. New York has one star. He's not playing well. Right. The other star is missing. You're playing a team with two stars, one who's considered a superstar. The other is an emerging star. And New York's clearly late in games, the better team.

It's contagious. You become a Knicks fan watching. The question being, if we don't view them as a championship team, they're not Boston or Denver. They're not. They don't have those scoring options. They don't feel like they're there yet. That's right. You can see they're overachieving at this point.

You know the organization. They've been really rarely patient in 20 years, but they have been for two years. Like really about Tibbs, Jalen, growth, like really well-run. The Knicks are a well-run franchise. They're going to make a move. Yeah, no question. You look at what they're going to do. do, and by the way, they already kind of made a move

by bringing in Ogen, Anobie. Yes. And he's not guaranteed to stay there, but his agent is the son of Leon Rose. So Liam Rose or Tips? It's Liam Rose, I think, is his son. And he would be a great three to me. He's a great three in a potential championship team. And by the way, Jalen Brunson

is the son, right, of former Nick. So he had the inside track on that, and Leon, I believe, is his godfather. So the idea that they knew the pieces to plug in, Leon is so connected, right, and that the team has been so well run since he came in, since he brought Tibbs in. How long has he been there?

A few years, as you point out. And by the way, I thought there was really interesting that the athletic put out a survey, a player survey, right? And for the third year in a row, Tibbs was voted the coach you'd least like to play for. And I'm sure that's a reference to all the minutes he plays guys, right? In the perception, he runs guys into the ground. Guess what? The guys on that New York team play for Tibbs in a way that you don't see in a lot of franchises

around the NBA. And Rachel, it is a fairly young team. He's not asking a lot of old, now there's a, you know, Jalen is not an old player, but it's got kind of a Villanova feel. And these are young legs. Yeah, I mean, it is literal Villanova feel

because some of the guys came from there. And the idea that, yes, they built a team with young legs on purpose. He knows who his coaches. He knows his coach is going to run those guys ragged, and he's built a team that can withstand that. And they play aggressively,

they play with heart, they play for each other. that's what you're seeing at the end of these games in New York, and the crowd feeds into it. I do expect things to be a little bit different in Philadelphia, but I also expect this series to somewhat go as Joelle Ambikos. There was a point in the fourth quarter where he's running up the court, and he actually hopped on one leg because he just couldn't put weight on his other knee

in the way that he wanted to. He doesn't have lift on a lot of his jump shots, and I think that when you see that, even though you heard him after the game say, we're the better team, we're still going to win this series. It is hard to envision him being back to 100% while this series is still going on. Yeah. There are teams.

It really is funny. We say this all the time. I feel bad for sports fans who have bad owners. Washington for years. You're trapped as a commander fan. Absolutely. Now you have new ownership. Al Davis at the end.

You felt trapped. And there's not much to get out of that in the NFL except if you hit a transcendent quarterback. And the Knicks for years. I mean, James Dolan still owns it, but the front office was impatient, there was pressure. There is no question. If you watch the next, the last two to three years,

you're like, oh, this is a well-run franchise. Dolan finally got to the point where he did what he said he was going to do for the 10 years prior, which was let the basketball people do the basketball things. Is that part of that because he was building the severe in his world got very big? I mean, he told the New York Times, I don't even like owning a basketball team that much.

I mean, it was pretty amazing. But maybe it was the right combination of him having failed enough times to finally learn his lesson and Leon coming around and being available and being someone who wanted to run the team and having just such great authority with his former life as an agent and having such great player relationships and understanding how the game works. But it's all come together. And as you said, they still have room. They still have the assets to add someone. And that's what's going to be really fun. And by the way, the Lakers are going to have the assets to add someone this summer too. So I think we'll see another shift.

but with the Knicks, as long as it goes, the fact that they're facing an injured, beat-up Sixers team with Joelle and Bede-Hurt, Tyrus Maxie Sick, et cetera. And then if they advance, and Philadelphia still something to say about that. Right. But if New York advances,

they're facing either a young, not-that-experienced Pacers team or a Milwaukee team with a possibly shaky Janus. So it's an interesting path. You can certainly see a path for it's possible to get to New York to the Eastern Conference Finals,

which is not what you would have expected with Julius Randall out. And over the next five years with sort of low juice, Denver, OKC, Minnesota, many of the very good teams, Orlando, or smaller markets, it feels like the Knicks are really big.

The league needs the NICs. You'll have the Celtics. But Denver's kind of the San Antonio Spurs. Low wattage in terms of high profile. Great construct. Love watching them. Totally respect them. But it feels like there's this opening for the NICs.

And I've just, they're impossible. to watch and not like. And also it's time. I know if you're a small market fan, I understand that feeling of, man, the Lakers get everyone every year, that kind of thing.

The Knicks have had nothing good happen in so long. You can't feel like, man, the Knicks always get everything. No, the Knicks are scrappy. They haven't gotten everything for a very long time. It's fun to see this run. It was so perfect that the game-winning play was a loose ball on the floor.

That was so Nix. That, in a nutshell, is the Nix. It wasn't a glamorous three. It was just balls on the floor. Scrum, rugby, go get it. Nix came out of it. Even Genzo 2-3s hits the second. Great seeing you as always, Rachel Nichols.

Springtime's perfect to get a fresh look on your home security. Simply Safe, home security will offer 20% off. If you sign up for their fast protect monitoring plan, go to Simplysafconin.com. There's no safe like SimpliSafe. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHard Radio app.

Search Herd to listen live or on demand when whatever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

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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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back. By the way, Mercedes-Benz from the EQB, versatile EQB to the sublime EQS. Mercedes-Bens makes electric extraordinary. Check them out at MBUSA.com slash EQ. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. We're contractually obligated to talk Cowboys every show. So Mike McCarthy, Colin, entering a final year of his deal with the Cowboys. And it doesn't have any assurances from Jerry Jones that he'll be back. There's been some off-season chatter about the roster. It's not looking good. In preparation for McCarthy's final year, this is interesting. He made a notable move.

He hired a new agent. His new agent is Don Yee, who you probably know. A very Tom Brady's agent, Harbaugh's agent. And Sean Payton's agent. Hmm. I think McCarthy is, McCarthy sees the writing on the wall. Like, the roster's not what it was. Dack doesn't have a deal.

How about if Mike McCarthy upgrades from the Cowboys? You all think he's getting fired. How about if McCarthy upgrades? Where's he going? To a better quarterback. Okay, who? Where? Fine.

Find me the... I'm not saying Dak is the end, all, but find me all. but find me where he's going to upgrade. Who's dumping their coach to get McCarthy? That's the problem, Mike. Okay, let's say Jets is open. We'll talk Jets soon. Bills is open.

How about a rekindling? Aaron Rogers with a defensive coach, losing record, being mocked. Aaron says... Yeah, Aaron and McCarthy, the way things ended with them. Well, a lot of things end poorly. You ever heard of Facebook?

You go back and rekindle that love from high school and college. Mike McCarthy and Aaron. Rodgers fall in love again. That would be a shocker. I just I think McCarthy ends up. I'll say this. He's doing TV next year at this time. I don't think he'd be bad at that. I don't, here's my thing with McCarthy. He's a solid coat. You can't win 12

games a year. You're in a Super Bowl. You're better than solid. Come on. Yeah. No, I'm not knocking him. I think he's been a little bit of a BS sometimes. Aren't we all? He's been caught in it. Well, that's a good point, aren't we all? I mean, me, than you, but...

Aren't we all selling ourselves a little more than... Yes, yes, that's... Out there throwing... You know, other than Ryan, who just head down hockey scores, most of us are out there promoting and selling ourselves a little more than we should. Dump in our chests, right? A little more, yeah. A little more, yeah.

Luca yelling at everybody. That's a good point. Listen, I think it's going to be a fun season in Dallas. I have already pushed my chips in the Dion Sanders camp next year in Dallas. That's my... Well, Shadour Sanders will be the number one quarterback taken, potentially? Dallas would have to trade up for him, but you get that reset, quarterback on the rookie deal. I still think Dallas and the Jets should both draft quarterbacks in the second round.

Well, Jets don't have a second. But I can see the Jets. If the Jets moved down out of this space and got like a second. Spencer Rattler? No, no, I'm not. No, I like the kid from Tulane, Pratt. Sam Hartman, just too pretty for Dallas, huh? You hate what I bring up.

Sam Hartman's a backup. So they said about Brock Purdy. Okay, moving on to the Jets. How about it? Colin, this is not a great report. Okay? According to a recent report from Rich Simini. Ooh, he's very connected.

He's been covering the Jets forever. If things don't go well in New York this season, the team could be looking at an organizational reset. That shouldn't surprise anything. Okay, so let's ask yourself, Rich is very connected. You know him, I don't. I mean, I don't know personally. I've been following him forever.

So, okay, so here's the question. So he's not saying that out of the blue. He's got, so somebody told him that. So my take is, as my, somebody that I had great regard for, Nick Conn once told me, companies make decisions six months before they get rid of you, they're getting rid of you. So the question becomes, when do they decide organizational reset? So in an AFC, where Miami and Buffalo are going to be good teams, you can't fall behind. I believe the Jets, for Aaron's personality and demeanor, for Sala's reassurance.

I think the Jets have to start fast. I think they have to start like four and one, three, and two. I believe that they start one and three, two and five. Aaron's going to turn. He'll start finger pointing. Sala's going to be very protective, not as Aaron friendly. I think this thing could go sideways by week six. Like there are some teams in this league that need to win early.

Chicago. They've got to be competitive early or Eber Flus. in big trouble. You can't go... That's tougher because they have a rookie quarter. True, but you've got to win early. The Jets have to win early. Well, listen, if they make the playoffs, let's just go there. I think they win the division. If they make the playoffs, is Sala and Roger. Do they both return? Yes. God, yes. God, yes. You can't go from a story about organizational reset to, I think they're going to make the playoffs. Okay, okay. So what is making the playoffs of 40, what is he,

Aaron and Roger? Forty-eight years old now? I mean, I, you know, he? When he got here, it was like, definitely one year, maybe a second. Now we're like... So what, you know what organizational reset says to me? We're getting rid of Aaron. Good. Get him out. So organizational reset isn't...

We're drafting a corner. Organizational reset is we're two and five. We make a decision upstairs. We're moving things. Ask yourself this. The problem is they don't happen. How about this? How about this? Does Aaron have a no trade clause?

Alex, do we know that? How about that? Let me throw this at you. You think it's crazy. Wait a minute. You're trading Aaron Rodney? No, no. You start two and five. You go into week eight, and a team like Detroit loses golf, or a good team loses a quarterback. And somebody says, we'll take Aaron for nine weeks.

We have a Super Bowl roster. And the Jets say, clean break, start over, number two pick in the draft, boom. Oh, Aaron has a no trade clause. Well, but I'll tell you what, Aaron, if it goes two and five, Detroit looks pretty good. You would probably go to Detroit, rubbed Green Bay's face in it. Absolutely. But again, so many things have to happen for that. All right.

Here's my question. Do you want to draft a quarterback if you're the Jets? It's like fourth round, third round. Do you trust Joe Douglas after whiffing on Zach? Yes. He drafted Zach Wilson. Well, so what? He also drafted the defense.

Anybody could draft defense. Come on. You know how hard it is to draft a quarterback? Well, I'm not saying it's the Packers are the only team that have done at three. straight times, but I would say this. For 30 years. If you look at first round picks in the last 20 drafts, it's harder to draft a receiver and tied in than a quarter.

Okay, how about this? This is crazy. Jets are on the clock at 10. Nobody's traded up for McCarthy. Do the Jets say, get McCarthy in redshirt? Well, I can see Minnesota at 11. Well, no. Do the Jets say? I can see the Raiders at 13 if nobody has McCarthy. I can see the Raiders moving up like three spots.

I'm not giving up the pick. We need a quarterback of the future. No, they're not going to. No, Aaron's too prickly. You've got to go all in with Aaron now. You can't do that with Aaron. First of all, Brady got insecure with Jimmy Garoppolo. So these quarterbacks...

And Rogers hated it when they took a lot. Yeah, so you can't do that to Aaron. But Rogers ended up winning the MVP award. Well, yeah, but the Jets aren't doing that. They're going to get a tackler or a receiver or a tight end. They're not doing that. But I'm the Jets, and I have 10, and I get a call from a car. like the Raiders, and the Raiders are like

it's too rich for us to go to two or three or four. I would, but they may be... That's where it gets interesting for the Jets. Because the difference between the 10th player and the 13th, negligible, if there's no difference. The good war rooms are discussing stuff like that. I know it sounds crazy and I prefaced it with saying this crazy.

You have to at least consider that stuff, Colin. You've got to think, cover all bases. Anyways, final story is Indiana Pacers. Got the first road dub of the NBA playoffs, teams had been 12 at 0. Pacer's route the Bucks. And I mean, this was a Pascal Seacom special. They had to double team him late in the game. Pacer's look, man, Pacers look really good, and there's some troubling news for the Bucks. The report is, Janus is getting closer to a return,

but there's no official timeline. Okay, so they're going to go to Indiana, lose that game, be down to one, and Yannis comes back for game four. And that's the season. And Yonis trying to save the day on a bum cap. Well, no, I mean, but I think if you're them, you won the first game. So you made a decision at that point at the earliest he's coming back. After you won the first game, you could say to yourself, let's get the game four. Even if we lose the next two, we won the first game. So I can think Milwaukee, after that happens, that yonis, game four is what we're targeting.

You want to win game two and three, but that got you to game four. I know a lot of buzz on the Damien Lillard first half in game one. Colin? Damien Lillard has not scored a point in the fourth quarter and he hasn't made a three-pointer in the second half of the series. He is going all in in the first half, spending all his energy. Remember, he's a little older. And the supporting cast is real weak.

They've been boat race since that first half of Game one. This is it. Buck's team in trouble. I'm liking my Pacers wager. Jay McHill News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays, and noonie. 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LeVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life.

experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space. For honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, good stuff. Draft tomorrow.

Nothing can set an NFL franchise back. than a blown draft and nothing can turn it around faster than nailing a draft Houston Texans. I've got a very simple evaluation for all you GMs out there on the eve of the draft and here it is. GMs listen up because the next 90 seconds might just save your job. Everybody knows the draft is an in exact science, talents everywhere, but finding it often requires more luck than skill. Even with the number one overall pick, it's a glorified game of craps. Sometimes you roll a Joe Burrow, and sometimes your role of Jamarcus Russell. With all that unpredictability, GMs are constantly looking for a hack, a cheat code.

And their new favorite cheat code is speed! But here's the thing. Speed's everywhere. Running backs, corners, linebackers, even quarterbacks. The man upstairs gives it out like candy. You can find it in the first round or the seventh. If you're simply looking for speed, folks, there was a whole sport advantage just for you. It's called track and feel.

But there is one position where all the great players come off the board early. Offensive tackle. If your quarterback is worth his weight in gold, left tackle is the enormous safe you protect him with. Because unlike speed, the man upstairs does not grant size to a lot of humans. Great left tackles who are 6-6-310 minimum with great feet? The planet usually gives us about one a year. That's it. You can make the argument that the 15 best left tackles ever were all first-rounders.

As George Young, the late great GM of the New York Giants, used to say, when in doubt, draft big. In what is possibly the best tackle draft ever, GMs don't overthink it. want to keep your job, we're here to help. Take heed. Size over speed. And Daniel Jeremiah

just tweeted this, former multiple team scout. To summarize my last five phone calls, everybody is moving up for an offensive tackle. To my piece,

it is the singular position in the history of this league. Almost all the great ones. first round. And this is the best first round for offensive tackle talent in forever. Get a tackle. Speed, receivers, with few exceptions, are everywhere.

So the Phoenix Suns have been a great disappointment to me because I had them in the Western Conference finals. And then stubbornly, I doubled down and said, I like him to beat Minnesota. Because I thought they played really well at the end of the year. And then I thought Bradley Beale had found his groove. Charles Barkley last nut on TNT after another son's loss. They never addressed the point guard situation,

which they definitely needed as a point, and they needed another big body. That's one of the things we talk about is the trade deadline. They need to have those three guys finishing instead of initiating their offense, and they can play at a much faster pace. Because Minnesota is such a big team, it's tough to score on them in the half court.

You've got two seven-foot guys out there, so it's really difficult. So the only way to do that is really speed the tempo up, and they didn't address the point guard situation. They didn't even need a great point guard. They didn't need a serviceable point guard. You know, to Barclay's point, the Clippers last year, when they got James Harden, remember this, J-Mack,

we both said, I don't really get it. But he was a point guard. He's a guard that lubricates it. And when you watch the Suns, in the regular season, you don't miss it as much, because people don't play with the same, defensive intensity. The other thing that happens in the playoffs is that you play the same team over and over. So if you have a deficiency,

teams will just burrow into it. A lot of times you come into town, you watch some film, guys are distracted, guys are tired, third game, fifth night. But in the playoffs, everybody's equally rested, same team, same weakness. And so it's often not the best, the high end that wins a playoff series. It's the team that has the biggest hole that loses a series. And right now, the biggest hole in the playoffs is,

Phoenix doesn't have a point guard. It's not your greatest asset. Philadelphia has got better players than New York, but they're lacking in effort. They're lacking in continuity. Remember, M.B. missed a big chunk of the season. So Phoenix has a hole, and the T-Wolves are just burrowing in on the hole.

They can't lubricate that offense. They don't have a point guard. This was the Clippers problem last year. They have solved it with James Harden. even though he's an imperfect player. So I said this yesterday. What, in your opinion, is Kevin Durant if he gets whacked in the first round of this series? You can make no other argument other than leaving Golden State has been, for his legacy, punitive. Disaster in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn was a playoff team before he got there. And in Phoenix, this has been a disaster. I mean, not making the playoffs is worse, but you get beat in four to five games. games by Minnesota? That's not great for the legacy. I don't know. It kind of, you know, when you watch them on offense, it feels a little your turn, my turn. This time you come down, KD, ISO, I'm going to take Kat to school, and then next time down, Devin Booker, you stand in the corner. Bradley Beale's going to cook on a pick and roll. Like, I just feel like that's archaic basketball. It doesn't work. And I don't know that there's

a quick fix. Again, I think they win game three, but Colin, are they taking four out of five against the best defensive team in the league? That's what the Timberwolves were. By the way, Rudy Gobert is a problem at the rim. Did you see how many missed layups the Suns had? His length is just making him alter shots just enough to miss a lot of close-in shots. I remember when I used I went to about three Utah Jazz

games when he was in. Conley was there and Rudy Gobert was there and at the time Quinn Snyder was coaching. And Rudy Gobert is one of those players that you have to see him live to understand it. That among NBA players who are six, seven and a half on average,

he is completely different. It's like Wemby. I have friends that have gone to see Wembe in person. It's like television doesn't do it justice. Steve Nash is taller than me, and I'm 6'2. Like, you don't understand how big NBA players are. And then Wembe makes them look tiny. And so when you go watch Rudy Gobert in person,

I remember Utah at times, the offense was sometimes, they would just throw it up, and Rudy would have a match, and they'd throw it off the glass, and Rudy would just catch it, dunk it. he is just there's this unicorn thing Wembe Gobert there's no answer they're just uniquely built

one of the issues though when he was in Utah was those playoff teams he would be played off the floor in crucial moments and sons haven't been able to solve that and get him off the court it's like Vogel bro step it up yeah I don't know who's tonight who's playing tonight it's the Pelicans O KC and then Miami Boston so it's actually a good night to hang with your family

maybe FaceTime the White for an hour. You want to go out for a beverage. Not a great night of NBA. And you've got to pace yourself for tomorrow with the draft. Oh, tomorrow, I won't. I won't leave the house this weekend. And Lakers. This weekend is just, I hope chick-fil-a's ready to deliver my order.

Chick-fil-L. I'll be on DoorDash all weekend. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and

friends on the 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 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast, Guaranteed Human.