The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Which team could beat the Nuggets?

Episode Date: March 8, 2024

Jason gives his best teams for QB Russell Wilson next season Which team could give the Nuggets problems in the playoffs?   Guest: Ric Bucher  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hour number two here on the herd, Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowher. joined today by Alex Curry. Two hours to go until the weekend, Alex. Big weekend at college basketball. I know. I work weekends. So I...

That's right. You got the radio show. Because I have, yeah, the Fox Sports Saturday is on Fox Sports Radio. So it's fun. And then once baseball starts too, I'm Sundays, Mondays. My weekends are like midweek. I'm like the odd man out. But I love it.

It's great. In college basketball weekend, not just men. Caitlin Clark in action today. I was pushing. We should get a camera in the morning meeting sometimes when I'm there. Yeah. Obviously. And I was pushing for a Caitlin Clark topic.

It's probably too spicy for air. I got one coming up. You can comment on it. If people are not going to like it, it's very positive, but people aren't going to like it because people are haters. We got Rick Buecker coming up here in, I don't know, five or six minutes. Bueker and I love sparring on the NBA. But first, you know, we opened the show talking Russell. Wilson. He is now currently in Pittsburgh, I think at this very moment, meeting with Mike Tomlin

and Pittsburgh Brass. Will Russ land there? Is this an exploratory meeting? I've got the five best landing spots for Russell Wilson. Let's start with number one, and it is the Minnesota Vikings. I'm telling you, folks, I'm a Kevin O'Connell guy. If you follow the show all season, the gambling picks, I have loved the Vikings and their play calling. I think Russ fits their great. Not only at the minimum, does that enable you to sign Justin Jefferson? You keep a top three receiver in the league, but you're able to then spend on defense, spend on the interior of the offensive line, the tackles are fine. This offense could make the jump to light speed. And remember, that division, I know the Lions played above the rim last season. They were good, but like, come on, is that going to be,

are they going to be able to duplicate that? We'll see. I think the Packers and Jordan Love got hot late, but I don't know, Jordan Love, eight game sample size. I think, think that division's winnable for the Vikings. They're two years removed from winning it with Kirk Cousins. Why couldn't they do that with Russell Wilson? So I think the Vikings are the best landing spot for Russell Wilson. Next up, I'm going to go with the Atlanta Falcons. Now, it sounds like the Falcons are super hot for Kurt Cousins and why would they not be. But if I'm Russell Wilson, I've got an opportunity to work with a young offensive coordinator, probably exert my will more than, say, in Minnesota, where Kevin O'Connell's definitely calling the

shots. Zach Robinson has never called plays. And Russell Wilson goes to an offense where it's like, Kyle Pitts, what have you done since you got to the league? Drake London, I like you. Let's stay healthy. Let's work this thing out. And oh, by the way, I got Bijan Robinson and Alger in the backfield. There's a lot of talent in Atlanta.

And if you're looking at offensive lines, Atlanta, the best offensive line of any team chasing Russell Wilson. Yes, better than the Vikings, certainly better than the Steelers. I would say if Russ is looking, the weakest division in football is the one with the Atlanta Falcons in it. No, nobody scared of Derek Carr. That was a big whiff for me last season. And Carolina, we know they're not even close to ready. I think Atlanta, if Russ goes there, they'd probably win the division. Number three, best landing spot for Russell Wilson, a surprise entry to the New York Giants. Oh my goodness. What? Yeah, we heard Russ's first meeting. Now,

we don't know what kind of meeting this is. Is this a, hey, Russ, how are you? Haven't seen you in a minute. Come by. Sure, we'll enhance your value. The New York Giants have Daniel Jones, but, but do they love Daniel Jones? We heard one report from the NFL network saying the Giants have buyers remorse at the combine about Daniel Jones. Now, anybody who watches this show, no, that was a lunatic deal from the Giants. Do they bring in Russ? And then like, you know, Daniel Jones is like, bro, what about me? I got hurt. I'm coming back. Like, does Russ win the starting job? Daniel's been with Day Bowl for two years. I don't even know that Russ would start for sure, and we know he wants to start, but I would keep an eye on the Giants. It sounds like they're out

on DJ, and that could enter Russ. Now, he doesn't have great receivers yet. Good tight end, running back situation uncertain. Offensive line, division, you're facing a Dallas defense. It's good. Philly's retooling. I think Washington's scary. I don't love the Giants as a fit, but I still have them third on my list for Russell Wilson landing spots. Next up, this one's dicey. It's a little dicey, but give me the Las Vegas Raiders. I've got to mention Russ's beautiful wife, obviously. Maybe she would take a residency in Vegas, right? Everybody knows you have a second career in Vegas down the line.

And Vegas seems like a Russell Wilson town, right? Look your best at all times, act apart. I think it could work. The problem is you're in a division with the Chiefs and Herbert. You do get to try to smack Sean Payton around twice. So that's kind of good. Something about the Raiders tells me they're closer than we think, right? Antonio Pierce, the defense seems to like him.

And Devante Adams still around. Obviously, everybody loves Devante Adams. Let's see what happens with Josh Jacobs. I don't know. I think the Raiders are kind of a sneaky team, especially if he wants to stick it to Sean Payton. And finally, and I'll, pulling up the rear, I don't love this fit culturally. I don't really like anything about it for Russell Wilson. It's a Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mike Tomlin, final year of his deal, we don't know what's going to happen there. Like, listen, those wide receivers, if you look at this list, the most alpha wide receivers are on Pittsburgh. Pickens and Johnson, I don't want to put them in the diva category, but they are mouthy. They are chirpy. I don't know that Russ is going to want to deal with that, given his last two stops. I mean, two of the last three years have not been kind to Russ. Now he's coming in with, dare I say, baggage? I don't know.

Like, it's just nothing looks great to me in Pittsburgh. I don't know. We'll see what happens with Russell Wilson. I hope he doesn't go there. I just don't think it's a great fit. So those are my top five landing spots for Russell Wilson. I don't know, Alex. Any thoughts here before we show you something else here in a sec?

Yeah, I think I'm a little higher on the Steelers than you are having them at five. I mean, it's still a tough division with the Ravens. Brown's had a good year and with Burrow being healthy. Bengals too, but with a coach like Tomlin, he could be, I think he needs kind of like an older veteran coach to kind of understand who he is and bring him back to what he was, a defensive coach kind of like P. Carroll was. Like it could work out in that sense. So we did talk about that a little bit in the morning meeting when Mike Tomlin's name came up. Somebody reminded me, boy, Sean Payton really came down hard on Russell Wilson. I think he had his mind made up before he

even came in the building. Right. There was no common ground out of the gates. I mean, one of his first comments to him was like, stop kissing babies. Like, get to work. So from the get-go, you knew that wasn't going to be a good fit, and it wasn't going to work. And Denver made their choice. They had to pick one or the other, and they stuck with Sean Peyton.

Let's just remember, Mike Tomlin's kind of like Sean Peyton. I don't want to say drill sergeant, but he is loud, and he's going to speak with his mind. He's going to tell the media, whatever he wants to say. Yeah. And I, Russ, he just... But he's a different coach. He is.

Yeah. Offensive mind. Defensive mind. defensive mind, you know, which is different. You guys can tell if you're watching and seeing me struggle with this, I'm not bashing Russell Wilson, okay? He's got, and I had this in my notes, he has as many playoff wins as Drew Brees. He's got more playoff wins than Steve Young, more playoff wins than Dan Marino. Like, this guy's accomplished a lot. I think he's a Hall of Famer.

Other people say no. He's got more playoff wins than Eli Manning. Like, this guy has delivered his entire career. He did go to two Super Bowl runs. I don't know. I just, it has not, it's not trending well. as they like to say. No, but what's trending well for him is that teams are going to get him really cheap.

Denver is paying for him to go play somewhere else. So a team is going to get still a great quarterback. Who knows if he can get back to where he was in his prime, but maybe with the right coach in the right situation he could. But you are getting an insane deal on a strong quarterback. Here's Diana Rossini, last hour talking about Russell Wilson in the latest. Russell Wilson is in Pittsburgh already and he's going to be meeting with the Steelers at their facility

leader this afternoon actually to sit with Mike Tomlin sit with people from the front office to just kind of get an understanding of what this could look like Arthur Smith the former Falcons head coach obviously is the offensive coordinator there now if Sean Payton can get the most out of him it makes you kind of question some things of all right where is Russell at in his career right now and is there enough that an organization believes

is there for them to maybe try and give a shot on him. So look, I don't think teams are pounding on Russell Wilson's door right now going, come here, come here. But he still has some left in the tank. And for a team like Pittsburgh, who doesn't seem to be interested in spending a lot of money at that quarterback position right now, right? Because you've got Kirk Cousins, who's out there, who, you know, we'll see what happens there with Minnesota, if they're going to able to come to an agreement

to keep them there, or if he's going to hit free agency. And from everything I gather, it doesn't appear that Pittsburgh is in on Kirk. So that just tells you the kind of money they're looking to spend on a quarterback, and it's not a lot. Yeah, and again, I don't want to hammer Russ. Some of the stuff I said yesterday about, like, he didn't want his teammates to have his phone number. He didn't want them to know, like, where he lived. That part's a little strange.

The whole, like a championship team, there's a certain chemistry. I've covered different championship teams across all. different sports. And the one thing they all have in common is there's this sense of they all, there's this connection. They've all bought in to the same idea, the same goal. They're having fun and they believe their leader. If you're one of their leaders and people don't feel connected to you, that disconnect is going to play out on the field and with the chemistry in the locker room and things like that. And again, I am a Russell Wilson fan. But if you even look back to college, remember, he was at NC State and

put up big numbers. And then he expected to come back. And the coach is like, we're moving on. We're going with Mike Glennon. And Russ was like hurt. And I never thought about it. But is there a leadership issue that maybe that college coach saw? And that guy got beat up for it because Russ goes to Wisconsin. They go to the Rose Bowl. Then he goes to the NFL. And that. And that coach at the time was looked at is, that was stupid. Mike Glennon, really? Russell Wilson is a great quarterback. And I just wonder, like, I don't know how to get to the bottom of that. I'm not saying he's obviously a bad guy. Nobody, I don't think he has any off-field issues.

He's just weird, strange, different, not like a leader. A different, right? Because, again, we hear guys like Tom Brady, who's calling his young guys, who's calling the new teammates that he has when he joined the Bucks on a new team. And he wants to take them out. He wants to practice with them. He wants to get to know them. That's what's going to make you feel like you can trust your leader,

that you believe in them. And so people have different. approaches. Russ has an extremely different approach, as we are all hearing. Once he leaves a team, everyone's kind of coming out and we're getting these stories from former teammates sharing like, oh, yeah, no, I couldn't even get his number. I had to call someone to then call him, to then call me back, to then maybe get my message to him. And lost in translation, even just saying that, you know it's not going to be a good connection with someone. Yeah, I don't, again, people are weird, everybody's different. We're all snowflakes. Like, there's no two different,

two exact same people out there. Even twins are very different. So I don't know what to make of Russell Wilson. I'm rooting for him. It's just a tough spot for the former star quarterback. For hot water that never runs out, go tankless with Navian. Right now, save hundreds on a new high-efficiency. Tankless water heater with local rebates.

Find the name of your Navian contractor at tankless made simple.com. Tankless made simple.com. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day. days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Her to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

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

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

don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam 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 on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah, for me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Did you know Discover wants everyone to feel special? That's why with your Discover card, you have access to 24-7 customer service as well as $0 fraud liability,

which means you've never held responsible for unauthorized purchases. Learn more at Discover.com slash credit card limitations apply. Okay, I got to take a deep, breath. I don't know. I don't know if you guys out there do deep breathing exercises, but yes, I got caught up in some of these dumb Instagram videos where you take a deep breath. It helps. Okay, it does. It definitely helps. As someone who had like anxiety growing up, breathing is huge. Centers everything. One deep breath and then hold it for four. And then take another one. Yeah. So I do

like the breathing for four, hold for four, out for four. And it just like calms your mind. You do that like five to ten times. And you're like, ready to go. So it's not to bring up my coaching prowess, but, uh, my son's team, seventh grade, we were in a big game. This guy scores the game tying basket with literally one second left. He goes to the line. I'm like, breathe, take a deep breath. He does it, and then he maids a free throw. We win.

Anyways, I had to take a deep breath before the segment because this is going to be a bit of a hot take, probably too incendiary for some of the, you know, soft folks out there. Yes, I gassed up the Denver Nuggets earlier. Yokic, the best player in the league, unstoppable. Denver's the defending champs. I am of the belief, and I did say the clippers have a chance. like the Lakers. I don't think they're totally done. I think Phoenix. They took two from Yokic last year in the playoffs. I think they could be frisky. But there is one team in the

West, I believe, that is built to take down Denver. And that's a Dallas Mavericks, led by my guy, Luca Donchich. Okay, I am a Luca Donchich homer. What do they say? A stand? Is that what it is? Will you just represent your guy? I just think Luca Dantzis is incredible. He does stuff on the basketball court, I wish I could do. And he makes it look effortless. And folks, last night, Luca Donchich, another triple double. His fifth straight, and I believe it's his fourth straight, 30 point triple double, which ties an NBA record from Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook or whatever.

Luke is on fire. He is totally and utterly dominant right now. Over the last 23 games, he has averaged a triple double, preposterous numbers. Luca is on a heater. the Mavericks haven't always been super hot. Now last night, I mean, he took over against Miami-Mates and phenomenal plays. They got a nice win.

Here's why they're built to hang with Denver. At the deadline, they made a couple quiet moves. They were like, ah, not huge names, so they're not like all-stars. They're not all-N-B-A guys. They scoop up Daniel Gafford and they get PJ Washington. And you're like, oh, okay, Gafford. I remember him from, like, Arkansas or wherever. P.J. Washington is like a power forward who now shoots some threes, and they're tinkering.

And I respect this a lot from Jason Kidd. I really do. He's constantly tinkering and evolving. They're playing mix and match. They're going to be in the playoffs. We know that. Now it's what's going to work. And it's tough to tinker in the playoffs when it's winner go home in the play-in, and you don't want to fall down 0-2 to Denver or whoever it is. So like last night, they're tinkering with a new starting lineup. But what you can see is the bodies they have. I talked about this earlier. The Warriors have no chance against Denver.

None. Like zero. They can't guard Yokic. And yes, they did beat him a few years ago when Murray was out, okay? That ain't happening this year. Warriors have no chance. The Lakers, Anthony Davis, he can't handle Yolkich. He just cannot.

Like, go look at the history. Maybe Davis has a good game or a good quarter, but he can't stop him. Phoenix, they got the bruiser in Nerkich. He can slow him at times. We'll see. But you look at what Dallas has with Gafford, a big burly guy. PJ Washington to guard Aaron Gordon. Did you see at the pivotal moment last night?

Final five minutes, Aaron Gordon, two ridiculous dunks. And I'm sorry, I like Jason Tatum. Tatum fell asleep on the back door one where Yokic just kind of tossed up a hook, pass shot. Gordon just dunked it. And you can see Tatum just standing there. He missed it. PJ Washington is the kind of guy who can hang with Gorham. He's better built.

And then you've got, like, Luca, and then you've got Kyrie Irving, who's been in some battles. I know Kyrie can go sideways. He's had his head on all season. I'm just telling you, right now, the Dallas Mavericks, to me, and I know the record's not there, look like a team best built to hang with Denver in the West. All right. We have Rick Buecker coming in and joining us now. Fox Sports NBA analyst.

He's going to probably take shots at my MAV's comments there, but we got a lot to ask him. you doing my man uh well i was doing well until i until i heard that dallas is going to be the most formidable formidable competition to the denver nuggets but let's have that it j mac because it wouldn't be a friday with you if we weren't approaching it that way so i'm guessing you're you're not really feeling that vibe that dallas is tinkering now 20 games left to figure out gafford and uh p j washington in their front court we'll see who they match up with they're probably going to be in the play in, but they could sneak to six. But your thoughts on the Mavs who have sputtered

since the All-Star break? Yeah, look, I like the moves that they made. I think that they are better, but are they title contenders? The reason, one of the reasons why I like them early on is because

they were taking a lot off of, or at least some, off of Lucas plate. His usage rate was down the lowest it's been essentially since he came into the league. And I believe that that's vital for a guy who is built like him, who is not, you know, when we talk about freakish athletes in the league,

he's not one of those. And so they're just too Luca dependent. But everything is tilted back the other way. He's now leading outside of Joelle M. Bid. He's now leading the league as he has the last few years in usage rate. And it's why his number. numbers have been so impressive, but in the long run, I just don't, I don't buy the guys that are built like Luca can carry the rate or the weight that we ask some of these guys.

Like, if you look at the guys that are sort of stocky, chunky, big body for their position and have in our top 10 in usage rate, they're all hurt. Joel M.B., Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Luca Donutson. is the only one who isn't, and based on history, that's something that is just around the corner. So that's why I'm more skeptical about the Dallas Mavericks than anything else. You're right. Kyrie has been on his best behavior. He's played solid.

I like the additions, improves them defensively. I just believe that they are too Lucasentric to make a championship run. Let's blend the Mavericks and Celtics into a question here. I was just looking at three-point attempts, Rick. Celtics obviously first, Mavs are second. I looked a decade ago in the league. Nobody averaged more than 26-3s a game. Dallas and Boston are over 40 per game.

I don't want to say the NBA is broken. I love the three-pointer, you know me, but I do wonder, have we tilted too far, where it's essentially threes, layups, no mid-range, and everybody essentially wants to be built like Boston now where it's just five out and if you try to switch or help, we're getting a layup or an open three.

Well, let's face it, it's easier to build a team around three-point shooters because that's where you're going to find the talent. It's a lot harder to build teams like the Golden State Warriors or the Denver Nuggets where you get those type of versatile players. And so look, is it, our teams going in that direction?

I think it's because it's the best choice that they have. Can you win a championship playing that way? We have yet to see it. If you don't have the ability to get to the cup, to create easy buckets, both inside and outside the three-point arc, then you're not vying for a championship. And that's where I thought about this a lot

since I knew that we were going to get into the self-point. and the Mazz and these different teams at this point in the season where they're going to contend. And the one thing that I came down on is look at the two-man game of every contending team. And how well do they fit together and how seamless are they able to go to whatever the best matchup is? But number one, how well do they fit together? Jamal Murray and Nicola Yokic. That's almost a match made in heaven. Big man who can both make plays and score.

Point guard who can both score and make plays. And then everybody else fits into their roles around them. Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green and Steph Curry, ideal two-man game in terms of the way they're able to play off of each other. Anthony Davis and LeBron James, ideal two-man game. When they're both on, they're formidable. And then you go around and you say, well, okay, the Boston Celtics, for all the talent that they have, I'll pose it to you.

Who's their two-man game? Who is their two-man game that they go to to orchestrate everything for everybody else? Is it Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum? That's kind of duplicative. Oklahoma City Thunder. who's their two-man game. Shade Gildes Alexander and Chet Holmgren. Kind of young combination.

Can't count on that in the postseason. Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, and Rudy Gobert. So I really believe at the heart of whether a team has the capability of playing for a championship is how well that two-man game works. And let's go to the team that's sleeping in the east.

And this is the team you should be talking about as a sleeper, not the Dallas Mavericks. The Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler, bam out of it. It's not ideal, but that's a pretty good combination, two-man combination. And I, I hate to say it, folks. I hate to steal the thunder, but there's a very good possibility. We're looking at another Denver Nugget, Miami Heat. Let's, oh, come on. Wait a minute, hold it, hold on. So now the Miami Heat are taking down Boston. I hope you're not just overreacting to Boston's two losses this week.

I think they've done that once before. They have. They have. No doubt about it. I don't, I mean, Rick, this Boston team is doing historic stuff. I saw, I read an article where some of the numbers match up them, this Celtics team, with the Curry-Durant Warriors. That's how dominant

this team has been. Now, we'll see what happens in the postseason, and I don't think anybody thinks they're that good. But I mean, did you see anything last night in Denver that made you think that they're not going to the finals? For the Denver Nugget? No, for Boston. Like, they, they tow to toe on the road with the, with the defending champs. Like, I thought they played great. They did play, they did play great, but they couldn't close the deal. And that is, to me, is going to be, they couldn't close the deal

against Cleveland. And so I just, look, are they a great team? Yes. Is Jason Tatum a great player? I don't know if you could get more talent than what the Boston Celtics have. But, Ultimately, it comes down to your leadership, your coaching, and who is the guy that everything is based on. And is that Jason Tatum? If it's Jason Tatum, then I still have my concerns, because there's times where he's great, there's times where he delivers in the clutch,

but I can't necessarily count on it. And again, it comes down to, if you watch the Denver Nuggets play, you know who's going to have the ball at crunch time and you know what they're going to try to do even Jamal and and and and and Yokic while they share the duties they're able to seamlessly read who should be going to get it I don't get any of that seamless reading between Jason Tatum and any of the other parts it's sort of the Celtics look at it is is just Jason have it going is he is this his night oh it's not okay so who do we go to next

you can't have that uncertainty in playoff games at crunch time. That is the difference maker as much as talent or anything else. And it's the one thing that I have not consistently seen from the Boston Sunnis. All right. I'm not going to bring up Tatum's postseason heroics against the Sixers and the Bucks, the last couple of these. But I digress. Well, if you did, then you'd have to bring up the letdowns too. I mean, there's.

Yeah, nobody's perfect. There are times where he's delivered. Perfect in the postseason? No, no, no. I don't expect him to be perfect, but I always expect him to be aggressive. I always expect him to go and try to make it happen. And all too many times,

he starts out badly, and he's looking for somebody else to get it done. That's the one, whatever you want to say about Kobe or you can say it about Yokic now. You can say it about tomorrow. Murray, like, they're going to go try to get it done. And everybody on their team knows, this guy's going to go try to get it done. So whether he makes it or misses, I know that he's taking the shot or I know that he's making the play. Jason, you just don't always get that

feeling. There's just times where it feels as if he doesn't have it going, he loses his confidence, and he becomes passive. And I simply can't have that from my primary player. Let's get to the Warriors last night. Curry goes down in the final moments. Ankle injury. What are you hearing? Do you think they shut him down for a week? Can they afford to do that?

The Jazz aren't breathing down their neck. However, you know, having to go on the road to crypto in that play in 9-10 with the season on the line, Anthony Davis has kind of dominated the Warriors. This is not great for the chef. No, it's not. And they don't have too many choices. I was at the game and was around the locker room after. and was hearing that it wasn't that bad.

However bad you might have thought it was, is he going to miss time? Yes, he's going to miss time. The difficulty is, as you pointed out, where they are in the standings and how much they depend on him. And probably the third, how much Steph relies on his agility and speed

and just being able to run around in order to be Steph and Curry. And so that's the issue. I would not be surprised if they do whatever is necessary to just to get him right and conceding that they are going to be in the play-in. The tough thing is, if you're in the play-in, you've got to win at least one on a given night and possibly two, probably two for where they're going to be. Very likely might have to do it on the road.

The positive is, I could see a lot of upsets in the... in these playoffs because we've got some very young teams up top, unproven playoff teams, and we've got some old guards in the Lakers and the Warriors in the play-in that ultimately could get matched up in the first round against some of those young teams. And I'm not counting those older teams out at this point against the competition. I don't know that we're going to get both of them, but I would expect that one of them is going to be in the postseason. All right, so Timberwolves lose Carl Anthony Towns.

They're making it sound like he could come back for the playoffs. Like, give me a break. Let's just say he's done for the season. They're not getting – this feels like Memphis last year in the first round, right? Losing to the Lakers. Whoever gets out of the playing is probably taken down Minnesota, assuming they hold on to two. If they fall to three, that six seat is super coveted.

I know Anthony Edwards is awesome, and they've got some good players, but they're not winning the first round series without Kat. I wouldn't put it that way. Actually, I feel as if they might be better without Kat. And that's not throwing shade at him or how he's played. He's been better this year outside of that Charlotte travesty where he decided I'm going to try to go to 60 and try to get a personal career best,

and they ended up losing the game. And he got called out for it. For the most part, he's done a nice job of trying to blend in what he wants to do. with Anthony Edwards and everybody else. But the reality is Anthony Edwards and Carl Anthony Towns sort of play the same role. They're at their best when they're the primary score, and you're looking to set them up and get them the ball. Now it streamlines everything.

Anthony Edwards is that guy, and they're going to go to him a lot more than they even have to this point. And I believe that it clarifies what everybody's role is. and I can see it as a motivator. This is a Minnesota team that they're not the youngest team in the league. They're not as young as Oklahoma City, but they play young a lot. And I could see where not having towns is actually a motivating factor for everybody to dial in and focus a little bit more and play their best on a more consistent basis.

And that's Anthony Edwards too. I heard an interesting thing from a scout the other day. that was saying that Edwards is so talented that he tries things out during the course of a game. Like, let me see if I can bank this three. Literally is just toying with, I wonder if I can do this. That's all well and good.

You're not winning championships if arguably your best player is experimenting with kind of trick shots, Stefan Curry holds that for the warm-up. Yes. He doesn't do that in the games. It sounds like Anthony Edwards still has a little bit of the playful kid in him. Yeah.

And if the Minnesota Timberwolves really want to play for a championship, they're going to have to excise that. All right. I say my hottest take for last will be quick on this one. Hypothetical. Sixers fall to the play-in. They're teetering six-seven right now. They lose in the play-in.

Season over. No Joel Embed. Joel Embed looks at the Sixers and says, I go down and this team falls out of the play and doesn't make the playoffs? What am I doing here? And Joelle and Bede asks out this summer. Rick, what say you?

I'm not buying it. I'm not buying it. I think the injury gives them an out. And it's interesting. It's intriguing. And maybe there's a part of me that hopes that that doesn't happen. Because, come on. Joel, the Sixers have become your team.

Tyrese Maxi has evolved. Darryl Morey has shown that he is not shy about continuing to reshuffle his deck. And ultimately, where's he going to go? Like, take a page out of the Damien Lillard book. Damian Lillard was the guy in Portland, had a brand, had an identity, and whatever Portland was going to be, it wasn't going to fall on his shoulders

and he was going to be looked at as the hero. I get the sense that Damien is kind of still looking for his identity in Milwaukee, but it's certainly not at the same level that it was. And I would say the same would happen if Joel and B. went someplace else. Presumably, if he's going to someplace where he has a better chance of winning a championship, he's going someplace where there's already an established star. and that means that he's now battling for top billing. He already has that in Philadelphia.

Jalen Brunson, sorry. All right, Rick Buecker, good stuff, Fox Sports. Rick, have a great weekend, man. Talk to you soon. You do the same. All right, coming up next, is there a clubhouse leader for Sequin Barclay already? Alex Curry will tell us next. Most home break-ins happen in broad daylight.

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

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And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got? to do 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. As the USFL and XFL come together to unleash the United Football League, opening weekend kicks off March 30th on Fox with the USFL champion Birmingham

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ESPN, FS1, and Fox. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Let's start with some NFL and head to New York because the Giants decided not to

franchise tag Seekwan Barclay this offseason, a decision that could hurt them. According to Fox Sports,

Ralph Vakiano, the Eagles might take a swing at the free agent running back. However, he adds that Philly won't go crazy with their offer, and they could be an option for him if he doesn't land the contract he's looking for. Now, contract negotiations for Saquan Barclay have not gone well the past couple of years. He didn't get what he wanted last season with the Giants. So if he goes to the Eagles, this would be a division rival team. He would be able to play them a couple times and, you know, kind of maybe given a little payback

but this is also be really good fit for the Eagles, whose run game kind of dropped off a little last season towards the end of the season. Could be a good fit. No? He's a smart fit for Sequin. Give revenge on the Giants. You go from a bottom feeder.

But he's probably not going to get the number that he is searching for. Take a serious haircut. But, again, it's tough to get in the mindset, Alex. But do I want to play for a bottom feeder? Or do I want to go play for a contender? And I know Philly step back a little bit. that's fine. They were in the Super Bowl two years ago. They're much closer to the Super Bowl than the Giants. They also started the season as last season as like the best team in the

league. So you have a chance. Do you want to go again, this is, I don't judge any player for which route they take. Do you want to get your money and get your max money? Or do you want to take a friendlier deal and go to a team where you can actually have a chance to win? And there's no wrong answer. It's whatever that player wants to do. There's an extremely small window for professional athletes to make this kind of money while they're playing. So you can't, it can't bag on a player for being like, I want to get as much as I can right now to set myself up in my family for the rest of my life. But we've also seen a lot of top players, Tom Brady being one of them, taking extremely friendly deals so you can build around.

Yeah. And at the running back position, what do you get like eight years, maybe? Maybe you come out at 21, 22, right? And by 30 running backs, I don't want to say they're hit the wall, but there just isn't the interest. Yeah, you're beat up. And Sequan's had injuries. Like, look at Nick Chub. Like, Nick Chub's had an amazing career and it's like, oh, injury.

Yeah. Nobody's talking about Nick Chub right now. Where's Austin Eckler? I mean, but this is kind of the theme last season, right, during this time during free agency. It was like running backs aren't getting paid. No one's putting the value on running backs as they were in the past. And it's could be the age, could be just. They're putting money elsewhere right now, but this will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Yeah, I think not franchise tagging him will kind of give him that like, hey, you didn't give me what I wanted last year. Now this year is still not giving me what I want. So I can see it working. It can work over in Philly. But let's head to the NBA, because although they dropped their game to the Nuggets last night, many see the Celtics as a favorite to win it all this season and take home their 18th banner. Now count Charles Barkley among them, who has. add this to say about Boston during last night's TNT pregame show. If they don't win the championship this year, it would be a total gag job.

Because they got everything. You got Brown and Tatum, you got two of the ten best players in the league probably. You got a great leader in Drew Holliday. You got probably the best six man, even though he's a starter. Pizingles is probably the best guy who's not a number one or two guy on the team in the NBA. And then you can throw Derek White in there too. I will be shocked if the Celtics don't win. The Celtics have looked great all season, right?

But last night, and the two times they've played Denver this season, Denver has been better and has played better and has looked better. But again, it's always different if they meet in the postseason. And if it is a series, you figure it out, you adjust. Do you think they're going to win it all? So over-barcly. Why would you say that? a gag job if you lose to the defending champs

with the best player in the league? Like, I just, Barclay just says so much inflammatory crap. That's really crap. It is. I'm just out on Barclay. That being said, yes. I would be surprised if the Celtic didn't make the finals.

No, wait, you're out on Barclay, but you agree with what you're saying? If they don't make the finals, I would be shocked. I would win the finals. Come on. Anything can happen in the finals. I mean, Barclay doesn't know how hard that is because he never won a title.

Whoa, we don't need to be throwing shade at one of the greatest players out there, okay? He's one of the greatest? There's no, you don't need to throw shade. You don't need to throw shade. I like the voice of reason. We, yeah. Fan of Charles Barkley.

We down here? We moving on in the next one? You just say your piece on it? Okay. Let's move on. Okay. To women's hoops where Caitlin Clark has created a ton of hype this season, so much so, that the Big Ten women's tournament has sold out every ticket for the five-day event for the first time ever.

The tournament is expected to draw more than 109,000 fans with everyone, hoping to catch a glimpse of Clark in person with some even comparing Caitlin Clark to Taylor Swift. Now, Caitlin Clark is must watch TV in-game if you can get there. She is it. She is the moment. She is an absolute superstar. And it has been so crazy and fun to witness and watch in this moment. She is the biggest name and face in college basketball right now. I mean, she just broke the all-time NCAA D1 college basketball scoring record for men and women passing a record that was set back in the 70s by Pistol P. Oh, and that game reached over four million viewers surpassing three million that watched the Celtics and Warriors game that same day. She is it.

She's going to sell tickets. She's going to be great. Yeah. You're holding something back. So this is my hot, super hot take that I got, you know, like scoffed at. So the NCAA tournament is coming up for the women. And I am of the belief if they are smart, the committee will basically give Caitlin Clark in Iowa a free pass to the final four. Obviously they have to play opponents, but I want to see them.

How? You line them up with weak opponents. Give them the weakest three, the weakest four or five. She would, she is an ultimate competitor. I understand that. I don't hate that. I don't need an upset, Alex. Absolutely hate that.

I don't need an upset. If Caitlin Clark She won't be enough. She's going to be great. She's going to get there. Probably. You know what? And they said that about Zion William Center Duke.

And Zion lost in the Elite 8, a brutal result against Michigan State. Close game. I don't remember who was in the final four. I don't remember who was in the men's final four because there's no stars. Caitlin Clark is it. I need her in the final four. They're comparing her to Taylor Swift right now. People are lining up.

Just wanting to see a glimpse of her. Yeah, but you don't want to like make it to make it easier. If she ever found that out, she would be front. Like any real competitor. wants the real competition. I'm not saying you'd like put them like against the sisters of the poor that don't make the tournament. I'm just saying like they should be on the line to make the final four. They should have nothing.

They should because they have Caitlin Clark. They have the best player in college basketball right now. In men's basketball, they do this for Duke every year. Every year they do it for Duke. They line up with the easiest route. Get Caitlin Clark in the final four. She'll get there. She'll get there because she's great.

Good stuff, Alex. Back after this. 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 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. On the Look Back at a podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down,

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

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. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.