The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - NBA playoffs, Nets

Episode Date: April 25, 2022

What should the Nets for next season? Thoughts on the NBA playoffs so far Guests: Howard Beck, Michael ReddSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Well, he's covered the NBA since the late 90s. Sports Illustrated, Howard Beck, in what's been a really, really entertaining first round. I will say, first rounds usually don't surprise me. Losing Devin Booker and really struggling with the Pelicans is two stories. One, Brandon Ingram, it's his team. He knows it. He's taking it and being great. Are you a little surprised, though? I mean, back, Booker average 27 a game, you can't lose that without, you know, some issues. Do you think Phoenix is in trouble at all?

Yes. I think they are. I mean, I would actually qualify it to say they could be. It's a little much to say they are. And, you know, when you win 64, 65 games, wherever they finished up at, you are legitimately great team. But every great team has its. its weaknesses and its concerns, and losing a player of Devin Booker's caliber

is not something that you just shrug off. I know we spent all this time talking about how the Nets are not your average seven seed and all this. The Pelicans are not your average eight seed. I know they came in through the play, and I know that they had a ridiculously, just all over the map season. They didn't have Zion the whole time. They still don't.

But the Pelicans substantially changed who they were when they made that deal for Siegey McCollum, as well as Larry Nance, of course. So they're not the average eight seed, and now they're against a one seed that for all of its regular season might is missing its offensive engine. Yeah. But what's interesting is Chris Middleton, who's not as good as Booker, but a heck of a player. Middleton gets hurt, and Milwaukee literally revs it up. I thought the games with Chicago.

Once Middleton got hurt, I thought, oh, Chicago's got shot makers. These will be very competitive games. Why is Milwaukee? Is it just a sigh? I mean, they are so big with Bobby Porr. and Brooke Lopez. Why are they just hammering Chicago and they lost their number two guy? Well, because they lost their number two guy and the sons lost their number one in most respects, right?

That's all due respect to Chris Paul. But Janice Sondadacumbo is the offensive engine of the Bucks in much the same way that Devin Booker is the offensive engine of the Sons. They do it very differently, of course. But, you know, the Bucks without Janus, if it were Middleton who was healthy in Janus on the shelf, then you have a slightly more analogous situation. But even that's not entirely right because Janus is such a high usage guy. They run everything through him.

The Suns run a ton through Booker, but they can do a lot still with Chris Paul as one of obviously the all-time great offensive orchestrators. And they're just built differently, period. I consider the Suns more of an ensemble cast. I've likened them to the early 2000s Sacramento Kings, where Chris Weber was their best player and their engine in so many, ways, but they're not the kings without Vladivots and Pedro Stoyakovich and Mike Bibi. It was an ensemble.

The sons are that way too. And while they can function at a really high level, taking out any one of those key pieces, Booker is the most key because he's the only one who can really generate offense at that level. Yeah. So it was funny, when you, certain teams often, you know, good defensive teams that are well coached. You can win a lot of games in a regular season. Then when you get to the playoffs usually, you know, there's limitations on what a defense can do. Watching the Celtics completely suffocate the Nets.

Now, I do think Steve Nash is getting out-coached. But I don't think Kevin Durant's had an easy shot in the series. I mean, he is just working overtime for just getting, you know, getting a good shot up. Are you surprised a little how much Boston's defense has troubled KD? I mean, really taking it. He's out of his sorts. Colin, I've been a net skeptic all season.

I never thought this team was going to march to the finals with the kind of season they had, with Kyrie being out entirely, then a part-time player, the hardened trade, getting Ben Simmons, Simmons not playing. And a supporting cast that's kind of old and creaky in too many spots. and just doesn't really have a, there's just not a lot of support there. On top of it all, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been driving this team by playing a lot of isolation ball. And if you get a great defensive team like the Boston Celtics, they're going to take away

your best weapons. They're going to make it tough on Kevin Durant. They're going to crowd Kyrie Irving. And now where are you going to go? Their offense, to your point about Steve Nash, there's no imagination in this offense. There's nothing working to get Kevin Durant open off of Scraint. or other actions, it's a lot of ISO ball. And it's made them easier to defend.

And on top of it, as I say, where else are you going to go? Who else in this team is going to beat you? If you can crowd the two stars and make their lives difficult and bump them a lot and get them off their spots, there's nobody else in this team that's going to beat you. So, you know, the failure runs in a dozen directions. Yeah. Howard, it's interesting. You know, in the NBA, the old, you know, the old belief.

is if you trade a superstar, you can get a million B players and picks. You never get the superstar back, right? It's never quite the same. Kyrie Irving can opt out, could get four or five years max. My argument is he's not physically as durable as I'd like, and sometimes emotionally, he's not as, he's a little unpredictable. How do you tweak this? I mean, Howard, it's three years. It's two first round exits. One of them's going to be a sweep. It's not working. Like, you know, when something's Howard, it doesn't matter if it's a relationship or a business

or a basketball team. If it was meant to be, you see it after 20 games. Like, stuff shouldn't be this hard. Like, how do you fix Brooklyn? It's a tough one. And the thing is, look, in fairness, if you're rolling back the clock a few years to when they cleared all the cap room and they had this nice scrappy team that became so attractive that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving wanted to join them,

You're not saying no, right? Nobody in their right mind. No GM in the league is saying no to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as a pair, even if one of those two might give you pause. Three years later, look, you had year one, Kevin Durant doesn't play because he's recovering from the Achilles and Kyrie only plays 20 games because he hurts his shoulder. Year two, Durant gets hurt a lot. They make the trade for James Hardin. Everybody gets hurt. And now here we are again. Now Hardin wanted out. They get Ben Simmons. He hasn't played. everything that they've done, every major move has made sense in the moment, signing the two stars in the first place, acquiring James Hardin because he wanted to come to Brooklyn. He decides he doesn't want to be here anymore. You flip him for Ben Simmons. Each of those moves on their own was defensible in the moment, but you're right. Where are they after all of that? And as this season winds down and seems to be on its final hours, perhaps, where are they now?

I don't know that you want to make a long-term commitment again to Kyrie Irving, but what choice do you have? If you let him walk away, you can't just replace him. They don't have the cap room to do that. I think what you're doing is you're, you know, maybe Kyrie doesn't opt out. Maybe he just plays out the last year of his deal and you see where things stand in a year. But I think you're keeping Kyrie Irving and you're keeping Ben Simmons and you're hoping for good health and you're hoping that there are no more vaccine mandates or other COVID-related. requirements that could mess with your roster and maybe, maybe you get a full season of all three of these guys. And look, talent wins in this league. We know that. And that talent is not winning right now. But if you have all three of those guys healthy and functioning from day one, is there still the possibility of a title run for this team? Yes.

That's depressing if you're a Brooklyn net fan. There's a lot of one. If it's going, it really is. Well, but if the alternative is having no stars, which a lot of teams in this league do not, that's, the more depressing thing if you have no foreseeable path forward. Like I don't trust what the Nets have. I haven't trusted what they've done the last couple of years in general, which is by the way, not a reflection on Kevin Durant at all. I trust Kevin Durant with any situation, any given moment, but the problem is just too much volatility. Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons are two of the most volatile stars in this league. But again, at the end of the day, in the NBA,

stars win. And if you've got three of them, you're already way ahead of most teams. Howard Beck, Sports Illustrated, senior writer. Good seeing again, Howard. You too, Colin. Thank you. Yeah. And literally, Ben Simmons, you just have a question mark in his uniform, because I don't know where we're at. I don't know. Timeline, injuries,

mental health. I have no idea. I really, it's just a I guess the argument is, I'd rather have assets and try to figure out how to move them than have no assets. That is obviously the better place to be. But, you know, contracts, because Kyrie can, he can opt out. And I'm not sure I'd lose a ton of sleep.

Sometimes, there is an occasional. It's not often, but there is an occasional in all sports, addition by subtraction. Now, again, it's, you have to believe that Kyrie and KD play well together. I don't know if they do. Brittle, emotional. I don't know if they do. 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. 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 imagine. 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. 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 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. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, they could have played more. together more. Yeah, that would help. Chemistry and stuff.

The chemistry thing seems to work. From as far as I can tell, the teams that played a lot together are better together. Well, that was Kyrie's choice. Yeah, that was his choice. So there's been some talk. The Dolphins were trying to acquire Tom Brady and Sean Payton in the offseason. And Chris Sims recently went on the God Bless football podcast and revealed what he heard about these possible trades. I was led to believe that it was already been talked about

with they were going to trade a second round pick to Tampa Bay to get Brady. They weren't going to hold them hostage. Sean Payton and the Saints, that was going to be a first round pick to get that deal done. The way I was told that I was going to let it, Sean Payton, head coach, Brady, Bruce Beale, part owner, going to give them a little time. Oh, yeah, I retired. But, oh, wait, I changed my mind.

This dolphins thing's so good. And then come back and play with the dolphins. Brady was also reportedly going to be a minority owner of the team in the deal. Of course, the Brian Flores lawsuit against the owner, Stephen Ross, squashed this alleged deal. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times refuted what Sims said. He tweeted, love Chris Sims, but the bucks vehemently denied that they had even one discussion with the dolphins about Tom Brady.

Also claimed they did not contact the Texans about the Sean Watson or his reps. Chris Simms says the dolphins offered a second rounder for Tom Brady. I don't necessarily believe teams all the time. This whole thing is very fishy. Forget my pun. Oh, very good. I like that. Dolphins, fishy mammals.

Okay, whatever. You know, it's Florida. It is, though. The retirement was weird. It was very clunky. It's untom-Bradie-like. I mean, I was expecting a feature-length film about his life and career to announce his retirement. and then to very much stay retired.

Listen, everybody, the idea that everything, for instance, you and I know we report, I have a huge secret right now about something. I can't report it. I don't report, I specifically me, really don't report anything. I don't want to be the one that gave you the information. But you and I get paid sometimes to not talk about stuff. No, nobody pays me not to talk about anything. I have never.

I have never been run a check to not talk about something. My point is I choose not to talk about something for strategic reasons. There's two stories to everything. But I also form my opinion based off of the information that I have. There's two stories to everything. One, the public gets and the real one.

And sometimes the public gets the real one later. Yes. But I mean, there's a reason you read books on Coach Kay's legacy or Belichick's and Brady and you're like, oh, I never heard that story. Folks, they're putting out fires and all these teams. constantly. You're dealing with 26-year-old millionaires, a billionaire owner, egos with coaches.

There are these organizations, even the well-run organizations, like the Patriots, you're reading about all these fires behind the scenes. So I just don't believe. There's a lot of politicking that goes on. And yes, even with the media. There are certain protections that are in place.

Nobody's ever come to me and handed me a check and be like, don't talk about this personally. But, yes, there's times where we can't talk about things. And there's times where it's actually just better to know things and not discuss them. I don't like to be first on things. I'd rather be right. And in this situation, but we're also not reporters.

No. So there's, there is that as well. I think this situation is perfectly believable. One, because it's the dolphins. So that, I'm sorry, I've just covered that that team for a very long time. It's totally believable. Also, the Brady retirement was very clunky and un-brayy like it was very off brand for Tom Brady, who is someone who was very much on top of his brand.

And it also makes sense. So it's not that far fetched. I do think this is what happened. And I also think that in true dolphins like fashion, they messed it up with the whole Brian Floress day. So it all aligns. I don't think that I'm totally believing Tampa Bay in that spot either. So the USFL allows teams to go for three after a touchdown. It does.

By lining up from the 10-yard line. and running or passing into the end zone. So the Philadelphia Stars, showing the video now, completed one this weekend and their 30-23 win over the Pittsburgh Mallors. Mallor's got to get together. The Stars trailed 23-21 in the fourth quarter,

and then they scored a touchdown to take the 27-23 lead. They could have kicked an extra point or gone for two to take a six-point lead, but they went for three, and they converted. I think this is... Passive, Paul Terry, and they went up 30-23 to win. I think this is something the NFL should have meetings over. It's worth discussing...

Like, what you want in the NFL is the game for as long as you can go in the clock. To be a one possession game. Right. You just want the team trailing. So all of a sudden, now I can score six, seven, eight, nine. That's a big difference. You trail 2617 and it's like you get the ball back with two minutes.

The game was over. Not now. You can tie it. So this to me, first of all, they changed the PAT, Joy. Yes. A couple years ago. it's way more dramatic than we thought that change would. Oh, it's crucial.

It's a very important play now. That's when you used to get up and go get an extra beer. So now the PAT is like, we had no idea what headcases kickers were. Right. Literally, they're missing them left and right. It was a massive change. Massive change. Three point extra point.

Now, teams would overwhelmingly not go for it. But when you would use it overwhelmingly would be a minute, 20 to play. So that nine point game, Carolina's got a nine point leading the Falcons, Matt Ryan gets the ball with a minute 50. You're not going anywhere. You can tie the game. Yeah, I mean, I really like it. And you're right. It's not, these kind of changes don't end up becoming the norm, right? Like, it's just an extra option because it's obviously very hard to convert. That's why it is a three point conversion. And you have to, you have to put it on the 10-yard like there's they make it difficult for a reason but the NFL should pay all these spring

football leagues seriously and just say thank you for the experiments because every time they rip stuff off or borrow this makes sense to me well sometimes it's it's hard for the large leagues to be experimental I mean something they'll do it in the preseason and you know try things out but it's hard for big companies to be experimental right like you know you're not going to see Especially when things have been the norm for so long. This would be a massive change and influence records and all kinds of other things. But so what?

The NFL just added an extra game. Like they make changes all the time. So the Mollers next game is against the Panthers, the Michigan Panthers on Sunday and the stars face off against the New Jersey Generals on Sunday nights. The Panthers and Mollers are 0 and 2. The stallions and breakers are 2 and 0 and the generals, stars, gamblers,

and bandits are all one in one. That is the week two, results for the USFL right there. So two Eastern Conference series could come to an end tonight. The Celtics have a chance to sweep the Nets and they're around one series. And the Sixers have a chance to send the Raptors packing. All the home teams are favored tonight. According to Fox Bet, the Nets are favored by one. The Sixers are favored by seven and a half and the Mavericks minus three and a half. The Jazz Mavericks are tied to two, two. That series is going to go along either way at this point. But if all things turn out according to the odds,

the Nets could win their first game of the series tonight. They will still be without Ben Simmons, who will no longer be making his debut, which is not surprising to me at all. But again, I just don't know why you would even, I don't know why you even tease the idea that he would come back with such little guarantee that he would be able to do it. But he's not going to be out there. And the Sixers are up 3-1. They're heavy favorites over the Raptors, but Jamal and Beat has a thumb situation. So that could go either way as well. On the maps, as it said, are favorite over the jazz series tied to

too. But the first round, it's been amazing. It's been really fun and compelling, and that's what you want. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd News. Former All-Star, Michael Red of the Bucks joins us next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22, minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. 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 which I'll say it. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the Follinger. forth. 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-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me,

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing,

we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose

on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. Well, Michael Redd was a great NBA player for 12 seasons. Average at least 20 points a game in six of his 12 years. Recently became an owner of a yoga studio in Columbus, Ohio, where he was a star in high school and college for the Buckeyes. Michael Red, the former Milwaukee Buck.

First 11 years with Milwaukee, finally year with the Phoenix Suns. So I said this, that there was a time when maybe it was Kevin Durant, maybe it was LeBron. The greatest player in the league is either shared like Magic Bird or it's Michael. And it's about an eight-year thing. Like for about eight years, there's a guy. I honestly believe we're moving into the second year of Janus is the best player.

Forget most valuable. I don't care about it. I'm just talking the best player. Michael, his versatility, I mean, he's really worked at his game. What if I said to you, take him five years ago and take him today, where have you seen the improvements with Janus? I think his ability to understand the game, his ball handling has gotten better,

his passing has gotten better. His post game has gotten better. And obviously his three-point shooting and mid-range shooting has gotten better. So this was coming. This was coming, and you can see this a mile away five years ago, his commitment to work ethic

wanting him to be not just a good, player, but a great player, and one of the all-time greats. That's what drives him. And so he's improved in every facet of his game. His free throw shooting. He's gotten him better in every facet of his game. Yeah, you can see the work he's put in. He's a guy you can see the work. You know, I thought Brooklyn would give Boston, I thought it would be a seesaw series. Boston defensively is really good. In your 12 years in the league, who was What was the best defensive team you ever face? Because Kevin Durant looks completely out of sorts.

And I've never seen him look like this. Maybe some is fatigue. Some is lack of coaching. They're not giving him any screens. He's on an island. Who is the best of team? What are the Celtics doing and the best defensive team you ever faced? So the Celtics are playing basketball the way it was played when I played, basically.

Physical brand of basketball. the Brooklyn Nets offense looks to be predictably easy to guard. The best defense I ever faced, there were two of them. Detroit Pistons in 2004 when they won the World Championship. I faced similar competition like KD is against Detroit, being stifled, two, three guys in your face. And then the Celtics are 07-08. Their defense with Tom Tibado and Doc Rivers, their defense was incredible. So those are the two best defenses I face, but Boston's playing like their coach played.

I played a number of games against and years against Eme and EMA was a physical defender, and now Boston's taken on the character of the coach. So this defense is not new to me as I watch it, but with the physicality or the lack thereof in today's game, it's somewhat new to the players today. You know, Philadelphia is a team I find fascinating. So, Embed is lost. Not Embed. Hardin has lost to step, Michael.

He doesn't quite get past guys like he did three years ago. He's not, and some of it, maybe he's not in quite as good as shape. He's got quite a nightlife. He's had some weight fluctuations. But it's interesting. When he used to average 30 and was very ball-centric, he'd wear down in the playoffs. And everybody criticized him. Now I watch him, and I'm like, now he could score 19, facilitate more, get out of the way for Maxie.

and my takeaway is, if that's what he is now, I'm not so sure, Michael, that's not a better way to get a championship with this roster as it's constituted. So I'm a little bit reluctant to say, you know, Hardin ain't the guy. I'm like, well, for this team, this Hardin may be,

you know what I'm saying? He may be the guy. Your thoughts on that? 100%. James Hardin is a winning player. Now, he may not do what he did. in Houston, but he understands winning basketball.

He went to the finals early in his career with OKC, deal what he had to do in Houston. They went to the Western Conference finals when he was in Houston. So he understands winning basketball, right? So have we seen the best of James Harden yet in the playoffs this year? We haven't, but he understands

his role. He understands what it takes to win. And just watch out for him as the playoffs continue to go on. I think we'll see an even more reinvigorate harder as a series goes on. But he's a winning player. And I got my eyes on him for the rest of the playoffs. Sons are struggling without Devin Booker. You played there for a year.

You surprised at all. Yeah, a little bit. But Devin Booker easily could have been MVP this year, right? So now the sons are being forced to call on McKell Bridges, Jay Crowder, to score more. Andre Aiton, or eight in the score more, CP3, right? And they haven't been accustomed to doing that all year long in a sense. And then to lose him in the playoffs is really challenging, right?

So I still have Phoenix winning this series, but I would not be surprised if the Pelicans pull off the upset, only because Willie Green, his character, his imprint is on this team, and the Pelicans believe that they can win. So with Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, I wouldn't be surprised. Yeah. So I was listening to Charles Barkley and Shaq, and, you know, their thing on Ben Simmons is, I mean, you've got to play four minutes. You've got to give, you can't bail on your teammates.

And what worries me about Ben Simmons, first I was told it was mental, then it's the back, now I don't know what it is, is Michael, indifference, I can't, there's nothing I can do with that as a coach. There's nothing I can do with indifference. If you don't love the game, I'm out. I've seen guys get better from the perimeter. Janus, you put the work in, you'll get better. Did you ever play with players? Or maybe it's more common than I think. They don't love the game.

They love what the game provides for them, but they don't love the game. That's what it feels like with Simmons. Your thoughts on him, the player, and maybe I'm naive to this, and not everybody lives for the game. I've never seen this. I play with guys who maybe weren't as focused or as locked in as they need to be, but they love the game.

I've never seen this before. And I'm not accusing him of not loving the game per se. I don't know what the issue in the context of his back is, his mental health, all of that. But at the end of the day, this offseason is critical for the Brooklyn Nets from top down. and so Ben has to take this summer to really reevaluate not only him just playing but his career you know and so mentally physically spiritually whatever it takes this all season

he needs to come back next season reinvigor and really really ready to play basketball at the show and I think the Brooklyn Nets have to reevaluate the whole organization this all season from the top down and figure out why are we not where we need to be? Because the standard is the championship for Brooklyn Nets, period. When you assemble this team with Kyrie and KD, the expectation is to win a championship, period.

So every position top to bottom means to be re-evaluated this summer. Michael Redd, he's got a new yoga studio in Columbus. Is it that Beekram yoga that's 1,000 degrees and you're sweating? Is it one of those things? That's a component, for sure. That's a component. Hot yoga. I know.

I got talked into that a few times. I'll wear an old guy out. Michael Redd is great seeing you again. Colin, thank you, buddy. You bet. All-NBA, All-Star selection, Michael Red, 11 years with a bucks. How about that? If you're a valued customer,

simple gesture of appreciation from your credit card company is always appreciated. Go to discover exceptionally common sense. more, discover.com slash match. Limitations apply. All right, we got a little NFL. Draft is coming up Thursday night. You know, it is very unique that at this time, usually, we are, this would have been a 50-50 draft show, NBA show in most years.

Now, next year, there's like three or four big-time quarterbacks. So Caleb Williams at USC is a sophomore. Next year, he'll be a junior. next year after a season, he'll be the number one pick. So that will be, I'm just going to say it right now. And the Jets will be looking for a new quarterback. No, next year there's like, it's a very good quarterback year. So let me go.

This year, it's, I don't know. Steelers Saints, that's what we hear. They like quarterbacks. But it's not, we know this. In the entertainment business, movie sports, stars drive numbers. Of course. So the draft is a starless draft. And it goes to show you, I love the draft.

But I'm not, I'm a sucker too. I'm a sucker for a star. I'm not as into it this year as previous years. I'll watch it. I'll have an opinion on it. I want to see what the Cowboys do. Got to fix that old line. Got to find a receiver.

Got to replace Randy Gregory. We'll see you tomorrow. 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 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your

favorite therapist and host care 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 AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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 taun-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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.