The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - Murray

Episode Date: April 19, 2022

More on the rift between Kyler Murray and the Cardinals   Guest: TJ Houshmandzadeh, Al HarringtonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick 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. 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.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. I was talking to a player about Drake London at USC, and I said, I don't know about him. He doesn't separate. And T.J. Hushman Zada was listening, and he got on me because he was working with him. And so let's bring T.J. Hushman Zada on, Fox Sports Analysts, 11 years in the NFL. So here's my thing with Drake.

Is he a two? Now, he's coachable. He wants to be great. He works hard. He played basketball, so he uses that butt to box out. You can see his basketball prowess on the football field. Hard to bring down. I don't know.

He doesn't separate for me, not really a burner. Do I put him in the slot? What do I make of him? You worked him out. He can pretty much do whatever you want a receiver to do. He can get down the field. If you watch USC's games and Drake had a broken leg, so the first month and a half, we couldn't get on the field.

So all we did was do mental work. And I'm watching the games. There's two or three guys on them. Oh, don't throw that. Oh, great catch, great catch. Like quarterback, why'd you? Oh, that's another great catch. He made so many contested catches.

That he does naturally. He was born with that gift. Where I come into play is teaching him how to create separation, teaching him how to beat press coverage, understanding space and in distance, and mark my words, he will have zero problems getting open and creating separation. in National Football League.

Zero part. You don't see a guy his size getting in and out of his routes like that. You just don't see it. Yeah, I mean, he didn't want to run, you know, people think he's a little bit of the pain in the butt in the pro day because he wouldn't run. You know, a lot of these guys, a lot of the, you know, I mean, let's be honest. The pro day can be a little bit of a beauty pageant.

And if you got, you know, if you're not a great lifter, you don't want to lift. You know, I go back to this all the time. I like production over traits. All I, USC had this kid named Michael Pittman. He was productive. He was productive on special teams. So to me, Drake London's productive. That's what I see.

So if you can scheme him, that's my takeaway. Is that fair? Yes. And the thing is, run the 40. You're coming off of a broken leg. You're rehabbing that. Everybody had eight, nine, 10 weeks, maybe more to train for the 40. He didn't have that at all.

His main focus was, let me rehab this broken leg. and then what really matters, let me get better as a football player. And that's what he did. And he'll show everybody. Like, you know, I can say this and I can say that. He's going to have to go out there and do it. And as long as he working with me and whoever else, he has a talent, he's going to get it done. What do you do if you're Arizona?

I was told two years ago that they, you know, listen, he liked baseball, he liked football, he doesn't love getting hit. He's not your classic leader. He can be a little aloof. there's a dad presence. You know, there's some things they had to work through. They weren't non-starters. I mean, you worked through him.

I would sign him. I just think he's unique. And there's just not, he's special. I can't unsee what he can do. But what do you make of all the public stuff and I won't sign, I'll hold out. What do you make of all of it? It's unnecessary. Really, it is.

Ultimately, if I'm the Cardinals, I want to make this work. Say what you want about Kyler Murray. Look at the Cardinals. record before they drafted them. Yeah. They had the first pick for a reason. The Cardinals are sitting here acting like, they're the Chiefs or the Rams or something now.

Kyler Murray has made them a significantly better team. Just go look at him before Kyler Murray. And is he handling this the right way? Absolutely. Now, he's in his feelings. But as players, when you see other guys get paid and you feel like you're on the same level and your team is looking at you as if you're not, That hurts you.

That affects you a little bit. And he's gone about it the wrong way. But the Cardinals, they're handling this the wrong way as well. Go look at your franchise and your organization before him and look at him now. You tell me, why are we winning? You know, I also come into this a little bit. I had meta. Remember meta was on the other day?

Meta Sanifere piece. Our test. My bad. And he said something that was really smart. he said, we're kind of moving into a new time here. Guys always made good money in pro sports. Now some of these NBA guys make like $35 million. And he said, they're not, it's a lot of money.

And now they're making $20 million a year on top of that with shoes and $15 million in Instagram. And he said, we're just getting through this process. And I said this the other day, Big Ben was a pain in the butt. Aaron Rogers, a lot of drama. Kyler Murray. Like, you're not going to get everybody to be Brady. Not everybody's going to be Russell Wilson. some of these guys, it's generational wealth, it's a ton of pressure.

And so I look at Kyler and I'm like, yeah, Aaron's a pain in the butt too, but I'd sign him. Can we just now say that some of these young guys, we've thrown a ton on them, and some of them, they're just kind of figuring their way through all this money and fame. When you look at the amount of money guys are making, it seems like every four or five years you're going to hear a former player, Man, I was born way too soon. I say that to this day. It's just when you're talking quarterbacks and Kyler Murray specifically, this rarely happens, Colin, when you feel you have a franchise quarterback, they get the extension.

They don't have to go through what Kyler Murray feels like he's going through. They just give the guy the extension. Kyler Murray has some injuries last year. He's like, ah, let me see if I can get paid. I believe his agent gave him bad advice on how to go up. about this, but, but it happens. Colin Murray is one of the better young quarterbacks in the league. What do you do?

You trade them and start all over. Yeah. And then beat a real Arizona Cardinals. Like, do you want to go back to that? Yeah. And so when you have what you have in him, instead of trying to burn the bridge, extend an olive branch to him to let him know he's appreciated.

And I think people forget that. Just look how bad they were before him. Like, it's not, it's kind of sense. Yeah. Like, how do these people get in a position they are in? I'm talking decision makers and the Cardinals and mishandle this situation. It's crazy. Well, I always feel there's three options for an athlete.

You can have the star who's easy to work with, the star who's a little difficult to work with, or no star. The no star is third. I'll deal with some Aaron Rogers and Kyler Murray. The place you don't want to be is drive into the stadium and like, yeah, I got a backup starting for me. So, okay, I also want to talk about this. So you were an NFL wide receiver. for 11 years. So Debo Samuel, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin. There are a lot of stories of these guys. I'm not going to do it. I said this. McLorin, I would sign because he's overcome a ridiculous

organization to flourish. Debo worries me a little bit because his style and injuries and Kyle Shanahan leans into that physicality and Kittle gets hurt a lot. And I want to pay Debo and he gets hurt. what do you make of these young wide receivers? Are they, you know, we always use the word diva. A lot of these guys are like, we're not going to camp unless we get paid. What do you make of it? We are. Like, diva, like call me a diva.

That means I've somewhat established myself to be in a position to do this. That's number one. And what did you just say? George Kittle gets hurt a lot. They didn't have a problem paying him, did they? They didn't have a problem paying him. That offense started to run through Debo, Sanfax. you and they use him as a running back.

He didn't have a ton of rushing yards, just under 300, I believe, 1,400 receiving yards. You got to get your money when you can get it because football can change in one play. And your health can change in one play. And they're looking at,

and I hate to do this, but they're looking at Christian Kirk. All these dudes are looking at Christian Kirk saying, bruh, like if he can get this, I need to get paid. Yeah. And so Christian Kirk Asian did a hell of a job, but he's made it bad for these other guys because they're looking at that saying, I need to get that Christian Kirk money. If I don't get it, I'm not showing up.

Yeah, it's weird about that, Joy. Guys are funny about that. I don't know how women view it, but guys, it's all about respect. Yeah, women like to be respected too. No, I know. I know that. But guys and money, guys and money are... Well, look, we can get real political with this.

There's this wage gap thing. So, yes, it's the same for women. Just want us our money. You want your money, too. Yes. But guys are funny about that. You can get paid 90, but if a guy who's not as good as you gets 94,

you feel like disrespected. And I've heard guys say this by whole, I've heard guys in this industry say it. Well, I think it depends on the industry, obviously. Like when you're talking about a salary cap situation, then it can get a little ridiculous. Hey, Joy. They always use a salary cap when they try to make

an excuse. There's always a way. Always a way. No, no, no. I'm just saying as far as, you know, being the highest paid player. Like, there are consequences to being the highest paid player. Like, if your motivation is always to be the highest paid player, then depending on the position that you play,

that is automatically going to sacrifice other elements of your team. It's just that, it is still a salary cap. I don't need to be the highest paid sportscaster, but I just want to be in the same zip code. Yeah. Same ballpark. Same ballpark. I'm in the same building. Yeah. All right, TJ. Good seeing you, my man. You guys take care. Keep up to great work. Thank you guys.

All right. Yeah. But, you know, I told you this. When Christian Kirk signed with the Jags, we talked about this. It's like, oh, yeah. But also the market is the market. Right. You have to, you've got to pay somebody. And if you are out there looking for talents and a certain position is at a premium, and it goes in waves. You know, there was a time when everybody was paying all the running backs. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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. 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 where 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.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jail.

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 y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. And 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. Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Yeah, women would like to be paid to. No, I know that. But guys, we get really weird about it. I don't think you guys get as weird about it. Yeah, there's some power dynamics going on there. That's probably why. So the Falcons signed Marcus Marriota after trading Matt Ryan to the Colts, but they have the number eight pick in the draft,

and Marcus knows it's possible they could pick up a quarterback. He said this is just an opportunity. If things work out, hopefully I'll be here for the next few years. If it's not me, it's okay too. I've been in the situation before. It's to control what I can control mindset. I have no ego. I can be an ear and listen. The teams are going to do what they're going to do.

If they do draft someone, I'll give as much advice. and knowledge as I can. If not, I'm ready to rule. That's nice. That's a guy with perspective who's been in the game. He was a franchise guy. They move off him. He's a backup guy.

I know somebody that knows him down in Orange County. Nice kid. He's a great guy. He's a guy that understands, you know what? I can make a seven-figure living. Being in these quarterback rooms, I can start, I can bridge, I can back up. So do your $18 million deal.

Almost $19 million deal. That's pretty good money. It's a nice deal. You can go to Whole Foods in the produce section. You can go to Airwant with that. That check. So he's a bridge quarterback. Like that's what it is.

I like the self-awareness of the situation. I think it lowers the temperature in the room. Teams appreciate that. You'll get more opportunities when your mindset is where it should be. When he's healthy, he's capable. It's always been a healthy thing for him. It's a perspective thing. Like if you bring in a bridge guy,

and he's like, no, no, no, like, I'm really the starter and, you know, is driving a hard line about what his role is with the team. That can cause problems when you have a young guy come in. This is obviously a bridge situation. The Falcons owners have talked about it being a bridge situation. But I also think it's on organizations to be openly communicative with players when they bring them in.

Where was this? Chicago, the Andy Dalton thing. It's like, who cares about Andy Dalton starting? It's nonsense. You have a young guy. It's complete nonsense. So they screwed that up. That's on you for telling Andy Dolan he should be the starter. Now you have this obligation because of this promise that you've made him.

Now, I'm a little bit more cutthroat when it comes to the business side of things. That's why I like to have stuff on paper. Your word's nice. Can you put that on a piece of paper that we can both sign? So I can take it to a lawyer if you decide to change your mind. That's what a deal is. But that's where I think these organizations get in trouble. You make promises to Andy Dalton about being the story.

starter and then you draft you have to young quarterback. You got to be up front initially. If you want to lie, I do that later. But initially, you've got to be up front. I think you should just be

transparent. This is their business too. They understand how this works. I just think, you know, when you tell players stuff that it's not true, you set everyone up for failure and then it causes drama

in the organization. So Don Brady retired for like a month and realized he was coming back. Yeah. In a recent interview with ESPN, he talked about how he felt there was still a place for him. He said, I know I don't have a lot left.

I really do. I know I'm at the end of my career. I wish I could go forever, but it's just not, and football comes at too high of a cost now. But I wanted to give myself and my teammates in our organization another incredible opportunity to accomplish something that we'd all be very proud of. Yes, he is. I thought when he faced Matt Stafford last year twice, and this is not a knock on Tom, Stafford was better. Why does everybody struggle? I just think, I think this is not the whole story. Well, it's not the whole story. Because Tom Brady

is way too calculated of a person. They're pounding the table. This is outrageous, ridiculous that we and Aryans did not get it. Well, also, I think the Dolphins thing with Sean Payton was set, was a deal that was in place. And when that fell apart, that changed him staying retired.

Like, or caused him to be retired and then he changed his mind. I don't know what the timeline of all of it was, but I just don't believe that Tom Brady was like, yeah, I'm hanging it up. He had an MVP level season. So, playing at a super high level. It was a little surprising that he did retire, and especially the timing of the news for him to come back. It's just, it's, it's very clunky for Tom Brady.

Yeah. So there's something else to it because he just is too calculated with all that. But he's under contract with the bucks to the rest of the season. I do think he will retire after this season. And now the Bruce Ariens has moved upstairs and everyone is set up for the future. We'll see how it plays out. So the Seattle Cracken, I love the Seattle Crackens. Great logos. and branding announced yesterday that Marshawn Lynch and rapper McLemore have joined their ownership group. Some press release, Lynch expressed his excitement

and joined the franchise. He said, I've been a part of a lot of things, but this is something I never would have imagined. Being a part of the Seattle crack into something big for me. It gives me another chance to get a ring after helping bring the first NFL one to the city. And if you thought I was going somewhere, Seattle, I'm here.

Stand up. And then there was a viral video of him riding the Zamboni. I was going to say, it's so good. good. He's like doing donuts. Here it is. It's so good. The Starbucks Zamboni. God, that looks like so much fun. You know, I'm from the Northwest. I have to watch one of their games. I feel like I might wreck that thing, though. He will also be a big part of the NFL's Hockey

is for Everyone campaign, and he's also expressed interest in shadowing the team's CEO to see the ins and outs of the hockey operation. But hockey games are a good time. Oh, they're a great time. Order a cold one. My wife loves hockey. She's from Detroit, Chicago area. A cold one. It's cold in there. I know, but just beers and hockey and... Oh, that too. And I sneak that in. Sneak that in. I made the mistake of, I went to the, what is it, the winter, what is the outdoor game that the hockey does? Winter Classic. At Yankee Stadium. You went to that? The week of the Super Bowl in New York, It is the coldest I have ever been in my entire life. Yeah.

I got a cold one. I got a beer and it froze. I was miserable. It was way, way, way, way, too cold. So I should have got a whiskey and worn an extra puppy jacket. But this is awesome. And that video is great. Good stuff, Joy, with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Line. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard radio app. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new 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 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, 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. 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 what you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Jett. 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Good dude, 16 years in the league, Al Harrington, who I haven't talked to in a long time, former NBA player. He'd live in the big life in Miami. All right, Al. You look like you're in a good, everybody in Miami's in a good mood. You always look like you're in a good mood down there.

So I got to ask you about this. I watched the Warriors last night. And I said, there's something wrong with Denver. They just, they're too good, they unravel. And Yokic is a good, is a great talent, Al. But I don't know if he's a leader. Does he inspire? Does he galvanize?

Did you ever get to a point in the NBA where a guy's a great player, but he, there's more, it takes more. Yonis, I feel like there's a leader. Embed's verbal. He's a leader. Steph's a leader. With Yokic, I don't feel that. I don't know. What do you make of, am I, am I, you know, hypercritical?

I mean, Denver's just falling apart. Why? You know what? It's funny. I mean, I think that there's different kind of leaders, right? You know, you have leaders that are vocal, right? You have guys that kind of people just kind of feed off of their energy. and when you look at Yokish, he's not, he's neither, right?

Right. He doesn't seem like he's a big voice guy. And then, you know, when he does get busy and get, you know, 30 in a row and he don't go crazy and get everybody pumped up either, right? Right. So I'm not going to say he's not a leader because obviously he leads that team. And, I mean, you can't be a two-time MVP, you know, not being a leader. But, you know, he just doesn't kind of bring that energy that you would need from a leader like a guy like a yonan or some of the other superstar. Yeah. So, you know, I'm sitting there. I said, villains are good for sports. So I'm rooting for Brooklyn to beat Boston. Because Boston, if Boston was a movie, they'd be Hoosiers, right? Like they do all the things right. They're coachable. They play defense. And they got one star. Now, if Brooklyn was a movie, they'd be boiler room. They just want to make money, leave the problems for somebody else. It's not perfect. No bench. I can't figure.

But I will say this, Katie and Kyrie, maybe the two best finishers in the world. Seriously. Who do you like the rest of the way in that series? Can I know Brooklyn's got way more flaws, but who do you like and why? Man, I mean, I'm pulling for Brooklyn just because of the relationship with, you know, Kyrie. Carrey went to my high school, played for my AAU team. So, you know, a huge Kyrie fan.

I think it's going to be tough for them. You know, I think that the main issue with Brooklyn, Brooklyn is I think they rely on Kyrie and Katie too much. You know what I'm saying? They don't use the other weapons around them. And until they can figure that out, you know, I'm just not sure how far they can actually go. You know, guy like Seth Curry, you know, Patty Mills and, you know, different guys like that that's over there. They got to figure out how to incorporate those guys and make those guys dangerous because they can actually score the ball and shoot the ball.

So, you know, that's the only reason why I just I just feel like they put too much pressure on themselves. and I'm just not sure if they can win a championship like that. I want to ask you about the Miami Heat because I don't get them. They're obviously good, great coach, good bench, Butler and Bam are tremendous athletes. But they're not great closers. And I've had BJ Armstrong, multiple people have come on this show, and they love them. And Joy likes them. And I'm like, you see them down in Miami.

So explain to me their greatness. Do you think they're a championship level team and why? Same thing. I mean, it's like I don't trust it to stand on and say that I think they're going to win it. I think they definitely got a lot of good pieces. I think that what makes them special is like they have a good team where there's no real true superstar there. So kind of everybody like pulls together and make it happen. It seems like, you know, the deeper you get into the playoffs, you do need closers.

We know that Kyle Lowry can make a big shot. Yeah. You know, Jimmy can make a big shot. You know, BAM can make a big shot, you know. But at the end of the day, like when it's like nut cutting time and it's like, yo, we need somebody to go, you know, finish this game out for us, you know, that's where you kind of have your doubts there. So I'm not really, I don't, I think Milwaukee's the team.

You know, I think they're the team out of the east. I just think that they got the most dominant play in the league. I call, you know, Janus a mobile shack. And, you know, when you got a guy that's that good. and all the guys that surround them, I still think they're my favorites. What do you make of Janus? Did you think he would be this good? Did you, you know, for years, I was like, I don't trust him with three minutes to go.

I don't trust him at the free throw line. Does he remind you anybody in your 16 years that you played with? Did you see him being this good five years ago, Al? No, honestly. And it's amazing that even though with his shot not being, you know, at the level that I'm sure, you know, we would all like to see it. The fact that he still finds a way to continually get better year after year. It's just really impressive.

You know what I'm saying? You got to take your hat off to him the way that he prepares and the way that he approaches the game. But, you know, when you talk about that leader, it just exudes out of him. Like, even that the series that they won last year, it was like he willed it. You know what I mean?

Yeah. He has it. And it's just something about him that I would love to play with him. And I would love to play for him and go and like getting that foxhole as we used to describe it back when I play, because I know with him in there, he's going to ride to the finish. You know what I'm saying? I think that that's what kind of reverberulates

throughout their team. You know, everybody was getting on Kyrie, and he got fined $50,000 for, you know, flipping the finger. And I said, listen, I remember Vernon Maxwell running into the crowd, malice at the palace. I think most pro athletes today are, you know, they don't want to get hit. They don't want to screw with the

moneymaker of the face. They're making too much money. How did you, in your 16, because you were in some heated, heated playoff series. Did you hear the fans? Did you turn them out? Did you ever react? How did you deal with it?

Yeah, I mean, you know, you hear the fans, you know, but I always say like when you're like really playing it in the moment, you don't hear anything, right? It's kind of like, you know, it's kind of this blank space. You know what I'm saying? Like when you're like making your cuts and setting your picks, you don't hear anything. But, you know, once you make that shot and you kind of zone out, you definitely hear everything. You know, you hear fans and I mean, look at this right here.

If you're taking the ball out, you hear everything everybody's saying. You know what I'm saying? Like it's just right there. And, you know, I will say like Boston, you know, the two fans that I would say have been like the nastiest that I've been around, you know, in my career was Boston and definitely Utah. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Those are some really, really, like those fans say anything. You know what I mean?

Sometimes they cross that line. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I've talked to players about Boston and Utah. Yeah, they cross the line. But emotionally, every time I go to an NBA game, I tell Joy this, every time I've gone to an NBA game with good seats, players will talk to me.

And there is something kind of unique about the NBA experience. Did you ever get into conversations at all with funny fans or outrageous fans? Oh, all the time. I mean, I don't think it was a game I played in where I didn't say something to a fan. Oh, really? Where did you go or bad, right? You know, you have something that, oh, I loved you. It's love how I hate you, you know what I mean?

And, you know, the typical thing that you know, you get is you suck. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. So what is the response to that? You got to come up with some clever ones there. But, you know, I would just say, like, in this situation with Kyrie, I don't know why he's giving them so much energy. You know what I mean? Like, what does he expect?

Like, you know, they bought you there expecting you to take them to the next level. You know, that's one of those basketball towns where they're going to judge you by your performance. You didn't perform well there and you left. So you got to expect them to feel that way and have things to say. I just wish he would just kind of tune it out and just be the great player that he is. I mean, you know, at the end of the day, you know, he's getting 40 points a night while in Ramadan. You know, what he's doing is just really special and it's just like something we've never seen before. He should just let that just, you know, just live out there. Just forget to just tune the fans out. Who cares what they say? By the way, two minutes left,

Luca. Joy brought this up. We've been talking about this. I love Luca. But he came into camp out of shape. He's had multiple injuries. I don't remember this being a thing 10, 15, 20 years ago. But tell me if I'm wrong. Were there guys that would come into camp and you're like, they just ate donuts all. They're like, they're not in good shape. Oh, hell yeah. There were all kind of players that did that. I mean, I don't want to say any names, but there was a lot of guys that they view training camp as the opportunity. to get in shape. Now, I will say that back then, especially when I was in the league, you know, we had real training camps, you know, a whole month, right? And the first two weeks training camp, all we did was run and have to pass fitness tests and all these type of things. From what I hear, the new NBA, all of those things that kind of went out, went out the window. They kind of expect the players to be professional and come in in shape so that they can kind hit the ground running. And, you know, Luca got to learn from this. You know, I mean, he has a chance to be an all-time great.

You know, his talent is, you know, second to none, essentially. And, you know, he has to respect the game. And the way you respect the game is to make sure that you're always prepared to play. And I mean, my whole thing when I look at these guys is like, LeBron James, you know, for anything, whether he's the gold or not, he's giving all of us or them the blueprint of this thing, right? You take the time to invest in your body and make sure that you're pretty much in playing shape year round. you could play 20 years at a level that people just don't expect. You know what I'm saying?

Sure. And the money's there, the opportunity's there. There's so many reasons. So, you know, at the end of the day, that's really on him. And, you know, he has to grow up and be more of a professional and make sure that he doesn't do this again. Al Harrington, the Gatorade National Player USA Today player, happy guy, 16 years, living the big life in Miami. Great seeing you, my man. Thanks, man.

I'm always good to see you. Joy, hello. What's that, Al? Al Harrington. Joey knows everybody. Seriously. I'm interviewing him. Joy's hanging out with him, friends with him. I'm such an outsider. But I'm learning things all the time. About once a week, get a new phrase, and I mix it right into my life. Came home last night with Ann. I'm all about this. About it. Damn, I messed it up. See, that's the thing. It takes me about a week to get it right. But then, as I told you, I used lit 20, 30 times a day. And now, I don't have to think about it. It's just in my lexicon. throw lit into all my language. I thought we stopped that.

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

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Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but, say. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

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