The Herd with Colin Cowherd - NBA playoffs, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kevin Durant

Episode Date: June 5, 2020

Filling in for Colin, Doug Gottlieb explains why the NBA's return is a poor plan, why he doesn't think Jimmy Garoppolo can be an all time great, and why Kevin Durant should return for the playoffs. Guests include Sam Amick, Danny Manning, and Greg Jennings. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for the Hurt at Fox SportsRadio.com Or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Hurd. To Fox Sports Radio. What up? Welcome in. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening to the show. Thanks so much for making it as part of your day. Live from Los Angeles, I'm Doug Gottlie, filling in for Colin Cowherd on the IHeart Radio app on Fox Sports Radio. And here, TV side, on Fox Sports One.

Hope you're ready for a great weekend. We do have some sports, right? NASCAR, well, golf. apparently adult league hoop in Oklahoma City. Not quite fully back, but phase two in most places, phase three in others. Welcome in. Greg Jennings is going to join me, and we will talk about Drew Breeze's second apology and his thoughts on a Kyle Shanahan statement about Jimmy G.

You're not going to want to miss. One hour from right now, the great unknown, the great unknown. in the upcoming NBA playoffs. Matter of fact, let's start with the NBA playoffs. Two months ago, Dr. Fauci was all the rave. Two months ago, there were presumably a potential for no sports at all in 2020. Two months ago, people were fixated by the Tiger King. Two months ago, it was like, hey, this is kind of cool.

I'm going for two or three or four walks a day. Dogs were happy. Families seemed to slow down a little bit as we actually had conversations at the dinner table, which we were all sitting at. Somebody came up with an idea of a drive-by birthday party. Whoever you are, I salute you. Two months ago was a hell of an idea. Remember two months ago, maybe even two and a half months ago,

having an NFL draft is a bad idea. It's a bad look, considering we're all under. quarantine. Two months ago, because we found out what this company called Zoom is, people started having Zoom virtual happy hours. It is in fact, Friday at 5 o'clock somewhere. Two months ago, suddenly you're like, wait, why is everybody going after all the toilet paper? That was all two months ago. Two months ago, it was a really smart idea to have a bubble city where NBA teams could go, finish up the regular season, play in the playoffs, decide a champion. That was two months ago.

You know, the expression, life comes at you fast. Well, Adam Silver in the NBA, they have unleashed a plan that in two months will conclude the NBA season. And so we're supposed to believe that LeBron and Kauai and Janice and the rest of the NBA superstar brethren are going to play at an optimum level when they're in the same hotel, in the same, not even city, in the same offshoot of a resort for three months? This is not an average plan. This is not a disappointing plan.

This is a terrible plan. One, just the idea that anyone wants to spend two or three months in the same hotel. hellroom, even if it's a villa. And two, maybe most importantly, but have you looked around? I'm not telling you that we are completely out of the woods with COVID-19. I am not a scientist. I am not a doctor. I do not know about the second wave. What I do know is that this was a two-month-old plan that isn't going to go into effect until two months. And we, what we have seen is mostly very good news where the curve has been flattened and the rest of the world is getting back to work. Meanwhile, if you've watched the NBA, what happens every

season to your favorite team? They go on one long road trip, right? There's the San Antonio famously goes on their road trip, the rodeo road trip, right? That's famous. The Lakers went on like a 14-day road trip. Do you remember who they played at the end of the road trip? They played the Milwaukee Bucks. And do you remember what they all said? No gas, no juice. Have you ever stayed in a hotel for more than a week?

It's kind of cool, right? Because you go down and the concierge guy, you actually know them by name. You have the usual when you sit down for breakfast. You know what time everything's open. You have your favorite people who are dormant. You have your place where you know to pick up the Uber. You have your spots.

Trust me, I've done it for the last decade or so going to Super Bowls, going to Final Fours. You're in town for about a week. Then you get to about day seven. You're like, you know what I'm ready for to get the hell home. And that's what's going to happen in the NBA. So in addition to the fact that the level of play is not going to be great, not just because there's no fans. and because you're going to have a limited amount of juice in the building and for teams because they're staying in the same place and they're playing games that are supposed to mean something,

but feel kind of hollow. What happens when a team gets down three games to none in an NBA Best of Five playoff series? You know they used to chant one, two, three, Cancun? Now it's one, two, three home. Let's get the hell out of here. We collected our per diem. We made some money back. We got ourselves in the second round of the playoffs.

Now, I just want to get home because even though I was quarantined with a better part of two months, being quarantined in a hotel when everybody else in the free world is out and about, including Disney World, which is going to at least be partially open when they're there, is it's more than laughable, right? you're going to feel like a, like, like you're a bubble boy. Everyone else is riding their scooters and riding their skateboards and bikes down the street and mom won't let you come out and play. That's what NBA players are going to feel like.

Like the first side to it is you took so long to figure out this plan and it's so honestly dated. And I know you're like two months. old is dated, but that's the way it works. It's like the same way with music. I know the box is still number, I think it's still number one, right? My son updates me on this. But my son will be looking at iTunes and on the charts and he'll say, that song's old. I'm like, that song is two months old. That's old, dad. You don't understand how things change, right? Because people can make music now in the privacy of their own homes. They have their own setup. They have their own computer. They can mix it. They can send it over to a producer. Like all this stuff can be

digitally done. You don't need a big studio anymore to record music. So there's constantly new stuff coming out. That's the same way we should look at ideas with professional sports. Two months ago, don't get me wrong, this was an idea that had it gone into effect this weekend, you'd be like, you know, that's pretty smart. Just be smart, roll it out, maybe then leave it up into the possibility of playing in home cities. Forget about the fact they're going to compete against football and lose. about the fact that it compete events college football and probably lose. You're also fighting against the U.S.

opening golf. You name the sporting event, World Series, Major League Baseball. If they play, that'll be the time for the playoffs. Forget about all that. Just think about the lack of quality of play. Do you want an NBA championship decided when two

teams just can't wait to get the heck out of there are playing in an empty arena when by that time college football is likely to have full or partially full stadiums, the NFL the same. I understand that the world changes quickly and that as it takes time to turn these massive ships around and figure out a way to transport what? It's 35 people in a traveling party.

There's 22 teams. 800 people roughly, right? Like, that's a lot of hotel rooms. That's a lot of logistics. I understand. but you have to take a breath and think about it. In sports, when you stay somewhere too long, this is not like going out to dinner in Europe,

where let's just stay for whatever. Like you go in Europe, you go to dinner, it's like 8, 39, and you don't start eating until 10, you start drinking, and you don't walk out until 1 in the morning. But even then, you really want to be the last one at the party? Three months, that's how long you would stay in Orlando. in the same villa if you're going to win an NBA championship. I'm not saying it doesn't mean a ton to the players.

I'm not saying they wouldn't play hard. And that when they won the championship, whoever it is, Bucks, Lakers, clippers, it wouldn't be a monumental achievement to overcome, not just the other team, but the coronavirus, the layoff, the buildup, the tournament, playing in a neutral site. All of these things would make. it a great achievement. But a blind man can see this is incredibly flawed, incredibly dated. Ooh, ooh, ooh, I got an idea. I got an idea. What if, what if for your birthday, we have all your

friends come and drive by and honk the horns? Yeah, people have been doing that for like two months. We actually can have a birthday party outside with less than 10 people. Oh, ooh, what if, what if your daughter dies or cuts your hair? Yeah, I've actually already done that. Got it. We're going to be home for a while. Let's get a puppy. Let's get a puppy.

Yeah. Everybody in the neighborhood already got the puppy. They're already house trained. Like, they're all going for walks. And Little League starting back up. Summer League's hoop starting back up. I watched, I watched Tray Young. playing an adult league.

There's like a league in Oklahoma City. I was watching it on social media. And in addition to the fact that Trey Young was just torching these dudes, like you cannot believe because, well, he's a young all-star NBA player. Regardless of that part, look in the stance. I understand it probably is a bit too early, but no one in Oklahoma City is wearing a mask. No one is socially distancing.

and though the numbers continue to grow, active cases do not mean people in critical condition. There's a lot of asymptomatic people. I'm not declaring it over. I'm not a scientist. I'm not a doctor. I'm not a governor. I'm not a mayor. None of these things.

What I'm telling you, though, is that the world has decided that quarantine on many levels is either ending or has ended. And the only one who hasn't gotten the memo is the, NBA, and they're going to ruin what could be an incredible tournament to conclude their season. Coming up next, the more you try to convince me how great this NFL quarterback is, the less I believe it. That's because actions in a championship game speak much louder than words. That's next in The Hurt.

Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, F.S1 and the IHard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

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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, Yeah, yeah, literally. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode

where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see 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. What's up, guys? This is Clifford Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Clifford Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

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For more information, terms and conditions apply. See casper.com slash terms. Doug Gottlieb, been for calling. This is The Hurt. Man, we got a great show for you. Sam Amick's going to join us in 10 minutes. He writes for the athletic. And of course, he's covered the NBA since 2004.

We'll get his take. on the 22 game end of the regular season, beginning of the playoffs, to take place in the Orlando bubble, which I think I burst going back about five minutes ago, because I just think it's a dated plan, and the world has decided on some level that we're ready to get back after it. And look, we'll discuss this with Sam and a little bit later on the show.

One of the things that people are going to have to wrap their heads around is, and this goes to college athletes as well, that you are actually safer on a college campus or in your practice facility than you would be at home. Because now when you're at home, everybody else is out and about and you're no longer truly under quarantine.

More on that to come. I saw this story from Kyle Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan, first he's growing a magnificent quarantine beard. Really, really, really impressive. He's always been a good hat guy. He's got good hair, young, sharp coach who, yes, they blew the 28 to 3 lead in Atlanta, but he did get in the 28 to 3 lead. You know, he made Kirk Cousins into Kirk Cousins, and now he's made Jimmy Garoppolo into a Super Bowl quarterback NFC champion. We've got to remember, though, that Jimmy Garoppolo's future in San Francisco was at least partially in doubt this offseason when Tom Brady's name was bandied about. Brady, of course,

grew up in Northern California. He's always wanted to play for the Niners and thought of finishing his career with the Niners. And John Lynch, of course, is their GM and former colleague here at Fox, admitted that they did kick around the idea of Brady. Here, I believe in his basement, is the head coach of the Niners, Kyle Shanahan, defending the honor and potential trajectory of his quarterback. when you have to talk to Jimmy about one of the best quarterbacks of all time being available, I know Jimmy has the goal to be that. And I know Jimmy, I believe Jimmy has the ability to be that. And that's what both of us are going for.

And if we can get him there and he has the ability to do it, we're going to be pretty happy with who we have for a long time. Now, look, I believe you could be pretty happy with Jimmy Garapolo. I think you can win with Jimmy Garoppolo. My big hang up on Garoppolo is when he missed Emmanuel Sanders. He missed so badly and missed long. It's an explosive play when you set up

and wait for the entire game for a look and it could have won you the Super Bowl. It's one thing to miss, but he missed so badly and missed long and said if you miss short, you've got a chance to pass interference. You have to believe that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch had a conversation or two or three or

five saying, did he miss that because just in the moment he overthrew it or did he miss that because Jimmy Garoppolo is going to throw one bad pick a game which he did in the Super Bowl. And when push comes to shove, he just doesn't have it. Not everybody has it. Like that's the thing that we talk about clutch and, you know, Skip talks about clutch gene and Colin talks about who's clutch and Nick Wright tries to use stats.

But everyone who follows sports understands and people who play. and coach sports understand even more acutely that some guys just don't have it. Whatever the it is to find a way to win games, that, you know, when push comes to shove, my late father likes to say nut cutting time, right? They just make a play. They just find a way. And some guys don't. That's why wins and losses, though you can't directly correlate a team's wins and losses to a quarterback,

you look at one score wins and losses, and you kind of can. So you can tell me that, hey, Jimmy Garoppolo's got a chance to be one of the, that has to be one of the best of all time. Is that why you let him throw eight times in the NFC championship game? And you can stop with the,

hey, we did what it took to win the game. That game was over at halftime. If Kyle Shanahan now only believed in his quarterback, or maybe he needs to learn from this as a young head coach, to get Jimmy Gropalo to believe in himself, he had to let him throw in the second half. Instead, it becomes the bud of all jokes. Look, if they really thought he had a chance to be one of the greats of all time,

on first and second down with a full boat of timeouts at the end of the first half, wouldn't you have let him throw the football? I understand he had thrown an interception in the first half. If he could be one of the greats of all time, and you're playing against a chief's defense that it's not like the 85 bears, okay? You wouldn't let him throw the football? your actions tell us that you're not really sure what Jimmy Garoppolo has beneath the hood. That's why you kicked around the idea of Tom Brady.

Because though Tom Brady couldn't run the bootlegs, couldn't run, you know, the zone blocking scheme, stretch run game, just not that athletic, may not be able to have the type of explosive games that Garoppolo could potentially have in the future. If Jimmy Garapolo has Manuel Sanders running free in the end zone, in the Super Bowl, he gets it a little bit closer than 10 yards. Right? Like you could have kicked the ball closer to Emmanuel Sanders than what Jimmy Garoppolo throw. Brady might not have it for most of the season, but you do have confidence that when push comes to shove, he has it.

You don't know on Garoppolo. No one knows because to this point, we haven't seen it. And until we do, and especially considering how you call plays, please don't go over it. the top of the praise. Don't tell me one of the best of all time. Every quarterback wants to be one of the all-time grades. You didn't have to say it, and you didn't have to say that I think you can do it, because you don't really believe it. Let's get to John Goulet with the news.

No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Noted newsman, award-winning newsman, John Goulet. So the NBA announced that 29 of the 30 teams voted yes on the 22-team playoff proposal that will have the NBA season resuming July 31st. We know you're not a fan of it, but 29 teams were. The one team

that didn't vote yes on it, the Portland Trail Blazers. According to Chris Haynes of Fox Sports, the Blazard favored a 20-team format that would have eliminated the Kings and Spurs. Basically, they wanted the format where they're like the last team in. Woj is reporting that ownership

voted based on what the players were telling them. And remember, Damien Lillard came out and said if they didn't have a shot at the playoffs he wasn't going to play. Do you have any issue with the Blazers voting no? No. No. If they said, hey, we voted no, we're not going.

Then I would have a problem. But you're allowed to vote no. You're allowed to be a dissenting voice. You don't like the plan? Don't vote no. It's okay. It doesn't have to be, I mean, and this was not a protest vote. This was not a, it's not like the,

Derek Jeter not getting a, you know, perfect ballot going into the Hall of Fame type of thing. They just didn't like. like this plan as opposed to other plans. I got no problem with it. Did the NBA maybe miss an opportunity to try something a little different? I know they potentially are having a play in tournament, but really it's the same playoff format.

It's going to be a, you know, one through eight on each side. So what in terms of trying things, you like the World Cup idea where they have, where they have the pool play? I like that. But you still end up with the playoffs, right? I mean, I guess that's what I'm saying. Like, is this an opportunity to try something because it's such a weird?

year. It is. It's the opportunity. And maybe they end up kicking that down the road. The idea of what's called a cup, you know, like they have this in, when you play in Europe, as I played in Israel and France and Russia, you have a cup league. That's usually when you have the first and the second division teams from each country. They compete against themselves during the year. And then they have the cup championship well before your regular playoffs are decided. And then you have a European Cup as well. I think that idea is still on the table. I just think, look, they want to try and decide a true champion, and they need a volume

of games. And so that's why they got to go with the seven game series. Did they have the chance? They did. Did they butcher it? No. My biggest issue is not just the fact that they're staying in hotels for three months, so it's going to hurt the quality of play.

Like, there's nothing wrong with the practices, the facilities they have, almost all these teams have. They're beautiful. They're brand new. And they can put people in them if they're going to. want to or if they want to upgrade to an arena. But instead, now you've locked yourself in. That's my bigger issue more so than the format.

So most of us had written off the season by the Brooklyn Nets because Kevin Durant wasn't going to play recovering from an Achilles injury and Kyrie struggled to stay healthy all year. Now that the NBA season is ending four months later than expected, all of a sudden the Nets season might not be done. According to Fox bet, the Nets title odds are 50 to 1. Still a long shot. but that's not normally the odds you would see for a 30 and 34 7 seed in a weak Eastern conference.

They're clearly factoring in the possibility that Kevin Durant will come back and play. Now, they would go up if he did. They would go down if you didn't. It's kind of like a middle ground set of odds. I know we're going to get into this a little more later, but do you want to see Kevin Durant come back and do you think it's a good idea for him to come back? Yes and yes. I mean, why wouldn't I want to say?

see Kevin Durant. He was the NBA finals MVP when he was last healthy. Last time we saw him in game six for a short period of time, you're like, oh, he's the best player on the floor. Then he tears his kill. He's tended. And then we get to see him again this time with Carrie Irving, potentially coming off from shoulder. And I know that the net's going back a couple weeks ago said he's not going to play, but that was before the scenario was not only laid out, but push back to the end of July. When you factor in that he's going to get a training camp and then he'd get potentially eight games to get ready. And everybody else is also coming out of quarantine.

So it's not like he's... It's not like he's merging on the auto bond, right? Not like he's merging on the auto bond. This is basically, and this is a great L.A. freeway reference. You know when they do that thing where they stop traffic and the cop goes back and forth and then you're all stopped and then the cop drives off and then everybody goes, that's where Kevin Durant would come on and on ramp. Be like, oh, okay, everybody, you're able to catch up with the flow of traffic much easier.

And finally, the Bears, were firmly behind Mitchell Trabisky all season and even in the off season, even though they traded for Nick Foles. They've finally since admitted it's an open quarterback competition between Trabisky and Foles. Bears receiver Alan Robinson said he's good with it either way. To be quite honest, you know, I think that I feel confident regardless. You know, I think it's more so up to the staff on what they want to see. Because, again, it doesn't really come down to me as Alan Robertsman as far as I want to see, you know, it's a person who has to lead a whole group of men, you know, that has to lead the offense as a team.

I'm just a piece of the puzzle, you know. But again, for me, it's going to be a fun training camp. You know, I'm really looking forward to training camp. There's starting to be some movement about the Bears in Vegas because last year, Tribusky only through 17,000. touchdown passes yet. They still went eight and eight. And you figure if Nick Foles could come in and just improve the offense a little bit. They're pretty, they still got a great defense. They have good receivers. They can run the ball. They have a smart head coach. Do you like the Bears as a playoff team this year?

I do from this perspective. I don't think the Vikings defense is as good as it was. And they lost Kevin Stefanski as their play callers now the head coach of the Browns. I still like the Packers win the vision. I mean, look, the lines are interesting. I mean, what what they look like with Matt Stafford. We all think of how bad they were, but they didn't have Matt Stafford. I wouldn't sell all of your Mitchell-Tribisky stock yet. Look, do I think Foles is very likely to be the starter by the end of the year? Yes. And the reason he's the perfect fit is he's played for Matt Nagy, their head coach, Bill Laser, their offensive coordinator, and John D. Filippo, their quarterback coach was his OC last year in Jacksonville. He's played

for all of those guys. He knows this system cold. But he's also the world's greatest backup. He's already won a Super Bowl. He's already got a lot of money. He's already really retired from the NFL. Like he's good either way. They're going to push Chubisky. And let's see what the kids got. He lost his confidence. They lost his confidence in him. But he's still a very young player and a talented player.

I think they're, look, they weren't terrible last year. And the year before, they're a double-doin field goal way from winning a playoff game. I wouldn't, I would buy the bear stock. I would hold the Trubisky stock because right now it's really low. And players like it. everybody likes him. That's one of the reasons that he's like the best. That's one of the reasons that they drafted him

was because he was replacing Jay Cutler who nobody likes. That's John Gulley with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. All right, let's welcome in thanks to Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Sam Amick from the athletic covering the NBA since 2004.

It wasn't quite Sam, 2004 when they concocted this plan. It just feels like that long ago. It's like two months ago, the bubble city made a lot of sense. But man, now, we're talking about two months from right now. And then two plus five months from now,

they're going to have a champion in front of no fans, and these players have to stay there for three months. Am I the only one that thinks this is an awful way for the NBA to get back to playing basketball? I mean, listen, Doug, and thank you for having me. It's like I wrote, you know, and it's ironic because I'm a basketball reporter. I would love nothing more than to dive back into what we do. But I wrote that I was nervous.

And I wrote that I think Adam Silver is probably very nervous. I also wrote that I understand the motivation, but we don't need to be naive or juvenile about what the motivation is. This is a company that has an annual revenue of $8 billion plus that, like every company in the world and certainly in the country right now has been hemorrhaging money and they're trying to recoup that revenue. And so because of the nature of their TV contract,

nine years, $24 billion with ESPN and Turner, that's the economic lifeline that they now want to take advantage of. But to your point, yeah, it creates an incredibly unique, uncomfortable environment in Orlando that I certainly have mixed feelings about. Yeah, I just like, I've talked to enough people in the NBA that like, when we take a two-week road trip, by the end of it, we're done.

We're just done. Yeah, yeah. You're kind of done with each other. Part of this is like, you're kind of done with each other. And then you don't have the juice in your body. I just, and the end, we're talking three months. And oh, yeah, by the way, they're at Disney World where everything's going to be open. Like, I just, is there anything in this plan that would allow them to change course and get back to, you know, home sites if in fact, you know, the world

opens up. No, I don't see that. Their concern on the medical front is, I at this point, I'm fully convinced it's going to lead to a single site location. And I certainly think it's still going to be Orlando. Now, they have been putting some qualifiers on this in terms of, you know, if that part of Florida were to become a hotspot and the landscape changed, then could they pull out? Of course they could. To this point, even though Florida listed the last couple days, the numbers are not good, but Orange County, which is right next to where Disney World resides, the numbers are on the lower end in that state. But the stuff that you're hitting on is right on point because everything I have heard about the quality of life inside the bubble from a mental

health standpoint and specifically as a professional athlete, I think it's going to be challenging because yes, at some point it appears that they will be able to bring their families in, but everybody is going to be very restricted, and it's going to be, for the most part, going to the arena, punching the clock and having that strange environment with some social distancing, maybe with masks involved, things like that,

temperature checks, testing, and then going largely back to your hotel room. There's not going to be any sense that on the inside of the bubble, you can move as if you would in your own community. Sam, Amick, joining us from the athletic covering the NBA. I know the Nets previously said, KD won't play this year.

But again, that was before these plans came out. He'd have a training camp. He'd have eight, you know, games or whatever to get ready. So, and he would, it's not like I use this analogy. It's not like he's merging on the Autobahn where everybody else has been playing. You know, that's a good point. Traffic's been stopped. He's starting up with everybody else starting up.

What's the likelihood to KD comes back in place? I mean, it doesn't appear likely, but I would be lying to you if I claim to fully understand why, based on just the timeline that has been shared publicly. And I'm curious to learn more about this going forward. A couple weeks ago, we had his agent and business manager, Rich Climman, on our podcast at the Athletic, the tampering podcast. And Rich reiterated that there was no plan for Kevin to be part of the playoffs. But again, at that time, we did not know the timeline. We didn't know that the games wouldn't begin until July 31st. We didn't know, to your point, that he would have a potential ramp up. So I think for Kevin, it potentially is going to get a little tricky for him to navigate the PR around his situation.

Because at some point, naturally, people are going to wonder, you know, is it a medical choice for you not to play? Or would you simply prefer to have a fresh start next season? And then within that, everybody's going to have their own opinion. I noticed that the Pelicans have to be included in these 22, 22 teams. Yes. Shocking. You know, look, I do think that you need some fodder, right? You need some teams to beat up on.

You can't call them exhibition games with the kind of exhibition games. But how much is the depth of teams about getting the Blazers in, getting the Pelicans in? Heck, maybe even getting Brad Beale and getting, you know, Phoenix in. How much is it the, is this a Zonkers? Zion play to get this many teams down to Orlando? No, 100%. It's a Zion play. Everything you heard throughout this process is that the league would obviously be ecstatic

if the Pelicans found their way into the playoffs. Now, they cringe and get upset if you put that out there in the public ether because the inference is that they have their foot on the scale a little bit. And I'm certainly not saying that. But Zion is a ratings winner. And he's a guy that is going to put people in front of their couches and in front of their TVs and they're going to watch. and it kind of broke down in the standings in the kind of way where they could really justify this

because you had these teams chasing Memphis in the West where they weren't that far behind. And I'm fine with the move to that point. Washington and Phoenix are the two puzzling ones where I end up feeling like, for one, those teams clearly wanted to be involved and they were placated in this process. And for two, the regional sports network television contracts played a part here as well, not as lucrative at all as the national TV deal, but a lot of money. And to give you an idea, Doug,

I mean, the Lakers pull in a million and a half dollars per game on their RSN deal. Now all of a sudden, these eight games, that's $12 million back in their pockets. First round of the playoffs, you know,

same thing. So if the Pelicans get in there in Zion's part of this, that's another boost. This is a really side, kind of ancillary inside basketball question. Can teams go to watch other teams play so that they're scouting?

That's a really good question. I haven't asked it. I haven't gotten the answer. My educated guess would be yes in some form. Even on the media side, I've been involved in some discussions with the league trying to get clarity on what that might look like. And so, okay, media will be at the game, but I don't know how close. I don't know the logistics involved within that.

And that would I think apply to opposing teams? I mean, because at minimum, you're talking about an advanced scout, right? just one person to come watch the other squad. I think beyond the advanced scout, if I had to guess, the league would probably tell the other teams, there's no need whatsoever to add bodies to the environment. You can watch on TV. What's the longest you've ever stayed in one hotel?

The Olympics. So you're talking six weeks, five weeks, something like that. And that was more of an apartment kind of built for the Olympics type of setting in Brazil a couple years ago. NBA finals is, you know, then you're bouncing back and forth where you go a week here, you know, five days there. But this would be different. And again, it's not a normal hotel experience.

This is a lot of solitude, a lot of room service and a lot of, I think, testing of the patients have all involved. What is that feeling like of week six in what was the last Olympics? I'm trying to think. Where was the last? Rio. Rio. And look, Rio is, but week six in your in your hotel. What was that feeling like?

Doug, week six in Rio, it wasn't real. It was 40 minutes outside of Rio with bus rides back and forth every single day. Shout out to my great friend, Jeff Zilghut at USA Today. We were roommates. And our apartment had no window in the kitchen. And so every single day, the waft of the nearby sewer would come through our apartment. So it was not a great experience. We did finish well, though.

We went on a little five-day vacation at the end. at the fancy JW Marriott in Rio. So we got good at the end, but it was a tough run for sure. Just the glories of international travel covering basketball in the Olympics. Everybody thinks that you stay at the JW the whole time and said you stay in a windowless apartment 40 minutes from where you actually want to be. Sam Kim.

For sure. Well, we're close. We don't love it, but at least we get hoop back. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, Doug. Appreciate you. All right. That's Sam Amick from the athletic.

Nobody seems to... Wait, do we have Danny Manning next? Or he's coming up next hour, right? Danny Manning, former NBA star, former number one overall pick. Former Clipper, and of course, former head coach at Wake Forest, is going to join us. Coming up next, nobody seems to believe in this NFL quarterback,

but one very important person does. And that's good enough for me. Tell you who that is next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. days in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind

the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Kier 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, Destin, Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or 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 I Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VAL?

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 a 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 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 all day, but yeah, yeah. No, we don't have plenty. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct.

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. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, the Clifford Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me.

He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliffer Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Doug Gottlieven for calling. This is The Herd. Ooh, wait to you here at the top of the hour. Who I think should be back playing very, very soon. How could change the entire landscape of sport? Get to that in 11 minutes and change. I saw this from Chris Sims, who's a full disclosure of first. friend, he works over, but pro football talk.

Chris Sims said this, and remember he spent, I think, a season with the Patriots as an assistant. On Jared Stidham, quote, he reminds me a little of Tony Romo. He's a very pure thrower of the football. Now, there's a bunch of things to kind of make a deep dive in, right? Joe Burrow, for example, doesn't have the greatest arm in the world. But when you talk to NFL people, they'll tell you it's about fifth in terms of importance, right? It's a position of leadership, of intelligence, you know, can you make the right play at the right time? You've got to have some level of athleticism to play within your style.

What does that mean? Like Joe Burroughs are really good athletes, not Lamar Jackson, but he's athletic enough to get out of the way of a pass rush and still set his feet, get his balance, and make a throw. Amar Jackson, a crazy freakish athlete, plays a different style. but still, a level of athleticism is needed this day and age. So you kind of go through the arm strength, toughness, leadership, intelligence, whatever. These things are all important. Romo obviously believes Jared Sidham can do it. Jared Sidham is, I believe, Chris Simms, excuse me, believes that Jared Sidham can do it.

I don't know. Right? Like, most of you guys are like, no way. and who wants to be the guy to replace Tom Brady? No matter how poorly Tom Brady played at the end of last year, still Tom Brady. Yeah, they should have gotten in more weapons. Sure, Dante Scarnacki, their offensive line coach, retiring, hurt.

I understand it feels like last one out of Foxboro. Make sure to turn off the lights. But here we are again questioning Bill Belichick. I remember sitting in this very same set. And Malcolm Butler had played one snap in the Super Bowl. And I heard pundit after pundant, host after host, say Belichick's lost his mind. It's going to lose the team. You watch, he's going to lose the team.

Didn't play him, they get run up by the Philadelphia Eagles. And I said at the time, hey, you know, here's the thing about Bill Belichick. He's figured out a way to make it work in the past. He'll figure out a way to make it work in the future. Right. I mean, the big thing was, well, his ways don't work. And maybe they don't work anymore. But Belichick may have lost that game against Eagles,

but then that was the reason that he won the big game the next year because he got all guys that were bought in. People forget that Malcolm Butler wasn't practicing, went to the hospital instead of the team doctors because there was something wrong with him, wasn't on the team flight to the Super Bowl. Like everybody kind of, and he didn't have a good year. You questioned Bill Belichick then when Bill Belichick knew.

We're not going to have Malcolm Butler. He's not all in. And if Malcolm Butler is not fully healthy, all in, totally prepared, I'm better off with a different option. It didn't work. And oh, yeah, by the way, they fixed the defense that very offseason and won us who bowl the next year. Let me bring that around to Jared Stidham.

Jared Stidham was a five-star recruit. He went to Baylor. And while that may not read it, resonate with you now. This is before Baylor fell apart. Baylor's was at the time, was an elite level program. When Baylor fell apart, he then transferred to Auburn, started there

for two years. Both those offenses are quirky. They're not really NFL offenses, but everyone has believed that Stidham has the arm talent of an NFL quarterback. Do I think that he's the answer? No, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't been to a Patriots

practice. Can't honestly tell you. but you know a couple years ago they had jimmy garoppolo jacobi brissette and tom brady all in the roster something tells me that with the exception of ryan mallet they've been pretty good at evaluating the position and it's kind of a no-lose for him if they find a diamond in the rough and jared did him a fourth-round draft pick right they can build the team around him while he doesn't get paid bubkus kind of like the cowboys have right and if they don't you trade stephan Gilmore before the trade deadline, and he'd take a shot an elite quarterback like Trevor Lawrence in the upcoming draft. But I wouldn't question Bill Belichick's judgment because

he's got six rings, been to nine Super Bowls, and seems to know a thing or two about player evaluation, especially ones that he's had under his watch for a year. Coming up next, the great unknown in sports could change the NBA. Tell you what that is. Next in the hurt. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast,

network on TikTok. 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 iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hard Radio.

hard way and listen now. 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 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 Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff,

like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this guy, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42.

Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What up? Welcome in. This is The Herd, wherever you may be. And however you may be listening to the show, thanks so much for making this part of your day.

One of the all-time great college stars, Danny Manning, will join us 30 minutes. We'll get his thoughts on the ever-evolving NBA and college. college basketball landscape plus, man. He got fired like a month into quarantine. It's like the weirdest thing ever. Danny Manning will join us. And I know that my first topic of this hour, Danny Manning has strong feelings about

because when Kevin Durant played at the University of Texas, Texas played at KU, Kansas. And Danny Manning, what I was told, again, this is through word of mouth, said that Kevin Dren is the baddest dude he's ever seen come and play in a visiting uniform at KU. Now, I'll ask him, half past the hour, if that's what he said.

Keep in mind, I know Will Chamberlain played there, but was in a home uniform. Danny was in a home uniform, and maybe he was just prisoner of the moment, but Kevin Rand was a bad, bad boy when he played in Texas, and he's gotten even better since playing in the NBA. But there is the outside chance the outside chance, that Kevin Durant comes back and plays this year in the NBA.

And by this year, I mean, whatever we want to call this extension of the regular season, which I don't love because the quality of play probably isn't great, and they're going to be sequestered in these either villas or hotel rooms for the better part of two to three months if they're any good. but why wouldn't Kevin Durant play? Right? First of all, if you know anything about Kevin Durant, that dude loves ball.

Basketball is what he does. I know Rich Klyman is his business manager and friend, and he diversified his portfolio, and, you know, he wants to make him into the type of, you know, millionaire, billionaire magnate that anyone in the right mind could only dream of becoming, but he has, he's got all that. that loot. He can spread it around and he's done very well during his time in Silicon Valley.

But Kevin Durant is a baller, is a hooper. How do you know if you're a hooper? In the back of your card, you got basketball shoes, shorts, basketball? KD. does. Scott Brooks told me a story once. Scott, he used to be his coach in Oklahoma City. That after their first playoff run, they played the Lakers, lost the Lakers. and he had his exit meeting the next day, and he said, Kevin, what are you going to do this summer? He's like, I don't know, I just can't wait to get back after. He's like, listen, it's been a long year.

I want you to call this travel agent and go fly somewhere, get away. Don't touch a basketball for three weeks for a month. You can watch it, but you've been doing a lot. Your body needs time to heal. Promise me, you'll get away and you won't go. No problem, coach. So Kevin Rand flies home to D.C. And the next day, Scotty Brooks calls him, text him, no answer, no response.

Calls him, text him, no answer, no response. Finally, about three and a half hours later, he calls him breathing heavily and says, yeah, I want to get back to you. I was just hooping. He literally finished the NBA season, did his exit meetings the next day, flew back home, and the very following, and the following day, he was playing ball. Why? that's Kevin Rand.

His post-practice workouts are legendary. It's one of the reasons that both teams that he played with would try and keep their practices shorter because KD not only liked to work out and like to play and like to get better, he liked to get all his guys with him. So keep in mind that's his mindset. And if he doesn't play,

he's not going to play competitive basketball until January. That's 19 months removed from having surgery. any physical therapist or surgeon will tell you that if he's healthy now, which he was basically pronounced healthy before quarantine, why wouldn't he be healthy through a couple weeks of training camp or a month of training camp and eight ramp-up games? It doesn't mean he has to come out and play 45 minutes and drop 40 points for the Brooklyn Nets to win. but think of how it changes the landscape of the sport.

There's also Kyrie Irving who I know Kyrie Irvin is oft injured, but the injury that he sustained that caused him to finish the rest of his season was a scope on his shoulder. You could have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on a team that was already going to the playoffs. Got D'Andre Jordan to protect the rim. You got Spencer Dinwiddie, who's a do-everything guard who can play point, can play two. You add Kevin Durant, like talking about hitting the lottery. Jock Vaughn, who's their interim head coach, could wake up and have the two best players in any series in the Eastern Conference.

Any series? Kind of interesting that Caesar Sportsbook on Wednesday lowered Brooklyn's odds to win a championship from 750 to 1 to 60 to 1. I feel like Brent Musburger. Vegas always knows. Our friends in the desert. Laddie. All right. Caesar's director of trading Jeff Davis said,

quote, I would rather be cautious and deal 61 than get hurt when I hear the news of Kyrie and Durant returning. It's crazy. I don't want to post 150 to 1 odds. The problem is if you take a bet of a couple thousand dollars, you know, $2,000, it pays $300,000. $1,000. And you're stuck if Durant is good. Let's remember last year, around this time, game six, NBA finals, for a short period of time, the only game he played in, he was the best player in the court. The Warriors didn't lose because Kevin Durant faded.

Now, we don't know what he'll look like coming out of an Achilles tendon tear. But 13 months right now, and it'll be, you know, close to 15 months removed. when they'd actually play games, Kevin Rand's good to go. Unless that surgery was butchered, which it wasn't, why wouldn't he be cleared? And since he'll be cleared,

the argument against playing cleared players has always been, you know, like when Derek Rose, remember when Derek Rose was cleared to play right before the end of the regular season, did not play in the playoffs with the Chicago Bulls, and people went crazy.

And my point then is the opposite of my point now. Or maybe it's the same point, but it's a different subject. The point is this, for Derek Rose to sit out the entire year, join the team getting ready for the playoffs, playing the playoffs, that's merging onto the auto bond. That's going zero to 100. Something's going to go wrong, right? Like when you punch your car, that's when you run down your tires.

I know, yeah, by the way, you can't really control it if you have a car that's got a lot of power. but if you slow roll if you merge into 10 mile an hour 15 mile an hour traffic that's what you have with Kevin Durant he would be joining the Brooklyn Nets who haven't exactly been active in their own right

not every player has been working out every day I'm guessing KD has one of the things about rehabbing players is some of them been able to use their facilities because they're still rehabbing so the best player in the NBA over the past, the two previous NBA finals, could be healthy.

And do you think the NBA wants a healthy scratch? How does that look to their league partners, the TV partners? Zion's going to play. Kauai might even play that one back-to-back they have. I guarantee 35 wants to play and think of how it changes the landscape. As of now, they would match up with the Toronto Raptors in the first round. And I know, Raptor fan, you're sitting there going,

Pascal Seacom. Kyle Lowry never underestimate the heart of a champion. Let's go cliche on you. And I would say, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Rand are better players than anybody you got. And the truth is,

there isn't a team in the West that would have two better, in the East, excuse me, that would have two better star players. And as much as you want, I want to say, like, Brooklyn, this is, it's not right, that they would get in.

What I mean, it's not right? They were on the roster. Kyrie played some of the season. Do they benefit from the extra time spent away in quarantine? Sure. But that, by no means, that's just luck. This was Adam Silver last night on inside the NBA talking about the potential return of injured players. We're going to, I'd only say, Charles, and this has been the back and forth with our teams.

There's so much here that's not fair. And I think we were choosing among multiple bad alternatives. given the pandemic we're dealing with. I think ultimately to that to extent a team has a healthy roster and those players are able to come back, they are eligible to play. The two teams that could and should benefit the most from the time away in quarantine

and the training camp and the build-up games, the Brooklyn Nets, because they could have one, Jack Vaughn didn't get a chance to put in any of his own stuff, right? He's simply running Kenny Atkins and stuff. but you could have Kevin Wren and Kyrie Irving. That's an upgrade. I love Spencer Dinwiddie. I love Karis Levert.

Those are upgrades. And by the way, those guys don't have to go away. They can still play. They all play together. And then there's the Clippers. Right. What were the questions about the clippers? Could Paul George, Kauai Leonard, stay or be healthy?

And what about their cohesion? Because essentially half the season, they didn't play without one or two of their stars. Now you get a second training camp, you get more games to play together, and the likelihood of them all being healthy? Huge win. Huge win. If you ask Kevin Durant, he'll want to play.

And if he doesn't play, it's because somebody's holding him out with some thought that he could get injured again. And the truth is, if you asked any doctor, unless the surgery was completely butchered. 15 months with a training camp and some ramp-up games, not having to play every minute and win every game by your game. yourself, he's fine. And if he's fine and if he plays and if you add Kyrie Irving, it dramatically changes the Eastern Conference.

Cut up next to a tongue of Iloa should sit his entire rookie season. I'll tell you why I believe this is the best plan and why a longtime quarterback coach disagrees. That's next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the I heart. radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the

plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments, to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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. or 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, is 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 Hardway and listen now. 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 Jay. 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 discussed correct. 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. What's up guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This weekend, it's a full slate of racing from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tomorrow, the trucks start us off at 1 Eastern on FS1, followed by the Xfinity series over on Fox. Then on Sunday, it's the Folds of Honor Quick Trip 500, live at 3 Eastern on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Folds of Honor for the amazing thing that they're doing there. Can't wait to see NASCAR on Fox as, I will say, I mean, NASCAR, granted, you know, you benefit greatly because you don't have to have, you don't have to have other people in the car, but there's been so much NASCAR on.

I find myself watching it more and more and more. And, oh, it's been awesome. Seven races and 11 days. It was cool. It's cool. Similar to the basketball thing, but not all at one site and not for three months

and not after a four-month break. A little different. Well, let's get into some football. Bruce Ariens had, first of all, like Bruce Arian does see him. like a good time. He was here with us for a short period time. Bruce Ariens had an interview, and he gave his thoughts

on how he would handle to a tongue of Ioloa if he was the coach in Miami. It all depends on his health. If he's healthy, I'm playing it. I don't think you learn anything, hold on a clipboard. You know, had Peyton Manning his first year, Andrew Luck, his first year.

Dan was one of those guys that run him by accident because Tommy Maddox got hurt, but, you know, you miss all the practice reps, you miss the game rep, I don't know what you learn holding the clipboard watching. And look, I do, you know, from my playing background, you don't learn a ton by sitting there and watching. You just don't.

Quarterback is different, and a lot of it comes down to each individual guy, right? Because, and look, even if it's a bad first year, look what happened with the Rams. You know, Jared Goff played in a terrible offense, and people thought he stunk. They changed coaches. They changed styles. And suddenly, two years later, he's playing quarterback in a Super Bowl.

So you could make the case that even a bad first year is quality reps for that, that if you have the right player, the right team around them, the right belief, all the better. Now, the first thing is the health, which is unavoidable with any quarterback specifically with Tuatunga by a low. And even, look, I know I just, didn't I just. just get done saying Kevin Durant should play? I did. But Kevin Durant is in his 30s. It's an Achilles tendon. It's over a year removed by the time he plays,

if he would play, from when he actually tore the Achilles tendon. That's different than Tuatung of Iloa, who this past football season against Mississippi State broke his hip socket, right? Had a major, major surgery. And that's, in addition to the ankle problems that he's had. the wrist problems that he's had.

So you can't avoid the health. But this is a philosophical thing where Bruce Aaron's like, lamb, just play the kid. I should point out that it worked out okay for Carson Palmer. It seems to be working out way for working out well for Pat Mahomes. Now, again, it should be pointed out that Pat Mahomes was not, was not terribly refined. It wasn't.

Like when he came out, I remember talking to people like, man, it's footwork and there's a high ceiling. but there's a low, you know, there's a low floor there if he doesn't clean some things up. And he was backing up Alex Smith, who's the consummate professional, didn't take the shots that Pat Mahomes did down the field. But if not for Alex Smith, if not for the time to sit, to learn to get refined, I don't know if he's Pat Mahomes today, arguably the best player in the sport. And look, there's a hybrid between two. Lamar Jackson didn't play right away. Eventually, he got an opportunity later and then went and played in the playoffs with the Ravens. I think it depends on the guy.

Does the system fit the player? And for Tua, if you have Ryan Fitzpatrick and you want to make sure he's fully healthy, well, then he don't play him. It's his hip. This is not even a soft tissue thing. We're talking about a hip injury, a major, major injury. And he gets hurt seemingly every time he plays football. Now, the one thing going for Tua is he does seem to be.

refined, you know, playing in some form. You know, there was some spread elements to it, but there was a lot of, you know, pro-style offense in what they did at Alabama. And by all accounts, he's got a really fantastic football brain. It shouldn't be crazy hard. But you cut out OTAs. You cut out the chance to work hand in hand in person with coaches for a substantial amount of time.

I know coaches are coming back. We'll see about players. And I would just be cautious. The Miami Dolphins have been waiting since the. the 90s, early 90s, to find their next damn merino. If you have to sacrifice half or a full season, is it that big a deal? Plus, it's not like Ryan Fitzpatrick is terrible. You know what's going to happen with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

He'll play really well early and people are like, maybe they should give Ryan Fitzpatrick the job. And then he'll come back down to Earth. And maybe that's when you play to him. You know, he'll throw five touchdowns, three touchdowns, two touchdowns, four touchdowns, three picks, two picks, four picks. They're like, okay, the Fitzmajorie.

gets worn out. That's what happens. And it'll go back to being the consummate backup who's ready in case you're starting gets heard. So I'm not saying Bruce Ariens is wrong because he's lived it. Talking about Peyton. Troy Aikman took a beating his first year.

Rathesberger did have to play early. But it very much depends on the player, on the system, on the fit, who the backup is. who's the starter initially, all of those things, and how good the team is, all of those things do matter. I mean, the perfect example is what's going to happen with the Chargers.

Yeah, they drafted, they drafted a quarterback at six in the draft. But you have Tyrod Taylor, who's not only gotten to the playoffs, but when he got to the playoffs, Anthony Linna's head coach was the play caller then. He knows the offense like the back of his hand, and you got a kid who, though he won a Rose Bowl, the offense wasn't nearly what they're doing. So you give them time. There's no rush. You're more likely to win in Shane Steichen's offense with Tyrod Taylor now

than you are rushing a kid and getting ready. It depends upon the player, depends upon the health, and it depends upon the situation. Like, does the team fit? And can you protect the guy? Let's get to John Gulley with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance, only pay for what you need. So as we know, speaking of Bruce Ariens, Tom Brady left the Patriots for the bucks this off season. But according to Jason Lockeumphora of CBS, there was a different team in the NFC South that was interested in Brady. Had Drew Breeze retired, and I bet he wish he had, the Saints and Brady had mutual interest. Brady reportedly followed Breeze's decision very closely when he was deciding if he was going to retire or come back. He ultimately signed a two-year $50 million deal to stay with the Saints. Are you buying that report?

No. Thank you. Not buying that report. Tell me why you're not buying it. I know I'm not buying it. Tell me why you're not buying it. Look, I think that I do believe they're all in on Taysa Mill. I think they think football is changing and they want somebody athletic.

The only part I buy is I do think that older quarterbacks want to play either in really good weather, but really like to play in a dome. Because the dome cuts out the element. and it helps them throw the football. Sure. You know. But I just, I never saw Drew Brees retiring. I didn't see that happening.

I think the only reason he contemplated it was because the Romo TV contract changed everybody. You can make how much calling games? And I don't have to get hit. Sign me up. And so he ultimately got a TV deal with NBC. see. So I just I don't know if he

fits how they play. It's such a different system and I don't feel like Sean Payton, though he's brilliant, I don't feel like he's going to change his system to fit Brady. I mean, he could try, whereas I do feel like Tampa is going to really, I mean, you got Byron

Leftwoods, which is very much an unproven offensive coordinator, they're going to collaborate much more so than I think Peyton would. I don't know, just, that seems like an odd fit. It was never mentioned. I talked to two of the other teams and they knew just about who was at play. I think he wanted to go to the Chargers.

I think that he wanted L.A. He thought they had the best team, the best roster, the best plan. Shane Steichen has only called place for half the year. They could work together. I think that Giselle wanted Miami because that's where she wanted to live. Yeah. And they settled on Tampa.

There's two reasons I don't buy it. From the Saints side, remember, they had Teddy Bridgewater. So if that, like, their backup plan would have been, why don't we just keep Teddy for less money and maybe he's the guy of the future and we have Tayson Hill. From Brady's side, he wouldn't follow Drew Breeze and New Orleans.

That doesn't make any sense. Well, that's the same thing with the indie thing. Right. But at least there's some separation. There would have been a gap there. He's going to directly follow Breeze. Yeah, I don't say that. Not a chance.

Hey, remember Jadavion Clowney? He was with the Texans and then the Seahawks and he was going to make a huge amount of money this year and he hits free agency. Well, that hasn't happened yet. He's even dropped his price tag significantly and still remains unsigned. The team that has reportedly offered him the most money is the Cleveland Browns. Brown's offered the most, but they haven't come to an agreement.

No one's really sure why. Maybe he just doesn't want to go there. Maybe the amount of money isn't as high as we think. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com was on 923, the fan in Cleveland, and she said there is still a chance it could happen. I'll go right now 50-50. I still think it comes down to the money. I still think that the Browns are interested in him,

and he's looking for a certain number or maybe even a certain amount of years on a contract, and it's not over until it's over. How seriously do you take the Browns if they bring in Giadavion Clowny with an already pretty good defensive front? Oh, really seriously. Look, here's the thing. Jadevian Clownie is not what he was presumed to be, or maybe he thinks he is, in terms of an elite.

defensive lineman, right? Part of it is there's the sense he doesn't play hard all the time. And he's been hurt a lot. Yep. He's been hurt. He had the micro fracture. There's also he, what he's best at doesn't really show up in stats because you say, oh, a pass rush for how many

sacks does he have? He's actually a very good run stopper, but there's no number for that. You don't look at you know, run stopped. He's a really good play. The problem is he's done what's called Chase the Market. In real estate, this happens all the time. Somebody lists their house for like

50 grand more than they probably should. And then people come into the house and they're like, I like the house, but list price is too high. So then they start lowering the price. We start lowering the price and people look on the MLS, like, why do they lower the price by 200 grand? It's got to be something wrong with this. Is there somebody die there?

Something wrong with it. And you assume that there's something wrong with it. And you end up selling the house for far less than you wanted to when you were just trying to capitalize on a hot market, chasing the market. He thought he was going to get $17, $18 million a year. And oh, he, no, he thought he was going to get 20 million a year. Well, then he lowered it to 17.

He went to 17, 18. And the Seahawks were down around 13. And the problem with the Seahawks bringing them back, even if they could get him at that price is he'd be disgruntled because it's hard to go back to a place where they said they loved you. But for like seven million a year or less than you thought you'd go back to. So at some point you're running out of options here. And I do wonder what the financial landscape looks like. You might want to sign that deal if you're a county for a year and then play the feud to next year. And finally, the Major League Baseball Players Association has reaffirmed their stance for a fully pro-rated pay and rejects the league's offer.

Baseball proposed an 82 game schedule, a member originally with a sliding pay scale. That didn't go over well. Players then wanted 114 games. I don't know when they're planning to play all those games, but okay, cool. So now we know the NBA is not starting until July 31st, right? That is, we now know that. Baseball has said they need three weeks of spring training and then they can go. Yes.

Isn't this a huge whiff? Like, they could have July all to themselves. Just a full month of, hey, every day baseball games on, no football, no basketball. And they're, you're right. Everybody's right who says this. Okay. But this is really important. Jeff Passon from ESPN, he has an article out today

where he goes through and shows how much money they're going to lose with no fans in the stands every game. Now look, we can argue we can argue exact figures for each team. But players have to understand there's a new economy out there. We have no idea what's going to look like. A thousand minor leaders lost their jobs.

Minor League teams are going to go under. So there will be guys in the market that have played for them. nothing eventually. I understand that the MLBPA, like, hey, we thought we had a deal, but times do change, and the MLBPA is very concerned with the CBA, which is going to expire after next year. If it's me, at some point, you just got to hold your nose, swallow hard, and sign the deal. Just get it done, get on the field for as many games as possible.

But the owners are playing hardball. They were at, they're at 82, like, no, we want 114. Like, well, what if we played 60? by the way I mean just the idea that they were okay with playing 82 games then they went to 60 after the players went to 114 you know

82 minus 22 is 60 82 plus 22 is 114 pretty obvious where the owners want to end up isn't it no it's 32 my math is up somebody don't put that on social media that's John Gle with the news

well that's the news and thanks for stopping by The Herd Lye News. They were at 50. Excuse me. At 50. They were 50 games. Let me make sure I get this right.

Because there are people that's the one that 32 either way. Right. The math worked in my head and then I haven't. I'm not able to get, usually you get coffee when you do a call on show. There's no coffee here. That's my excuse. All right. Let's get to the Herd Global Satellite Network for one of the all-time.

College basketball legends and NBA star. Danny Manning, kind enough to. spend some time with this. I got a bunch of things I want to get to. What's the longest you've ever stayed in one hotel room? The longest I've ever stayed in one hotel room, Doug, I'd probably say there were a few places where I got traded, and before I could find a home, I was in those hotels for a while. So I'd probably say when I got traded to the Milwaukee bucks, I was in a hotel for a couple months. So that was a good little time. Okay. Do you think you could have played at your optimum level? Because that's the plan here for the NBA. They're going to go

to hotels, maybe villas, you know, and be on-site in Orlando. And the teams that compete for the championship, Danny, they're going to be there for three months, three months. How do you think that affects the quality of play on the floor? Well, I think the quality of play will be okay because I think you'll get quite a bit of rest because there won't be a lot of things to do in those situations. I think the biggest thing is reconnecting and bonding with your teammates and finding that chemistry level that you need to have to be successful on the court.

Danny Manning joining us here in the herd. You've come back from injuries before. Kevin Durant's a guy who tore his Achilles tendon like a year ago. It would be, I think, 13 months in change out. He'd have a training camp. He'd have eight ramp up games and be able to play. If he chooses to not play, you'd roll that over and probably play in December or January. That's when the NBA is going to, going to,

start up. If you were advising Kevin Durant and he's cleared to play, what would you tell him? I'd probably tell him to wait, going through what I went through with three ACLs in my 15-year career in the NBA. I think the longer you wait, the

stronger you come back, the more effective you are as a player. I thought each time that I was fortunate enough to come back from those injuries, that first year, that first season was more survival modes than anything of trying to get through it, whether it's the treatments that you're going through and things of that nature.

And so for me, I think he should wait based upon my experiences. Well, you were drafted by the L.A. Clippers, but the L.A. clippers were so much different than than they are now. For people who, right? Like, look, I was, I was in Los Angeles at the time. I was 12 years old. You were the savior coming to town. For people who've forgotten what that clipper group was like, what do you remember about being drafted number one overall? Well, I remember being fortunate and blessed to be in that situation and thankful to have that opportunity. You know, playing in the NBA was a lifelong goal and it was a tremendous honor. But, you know, we went through some things in terms of an organization and young players living in the city of L.A.

with the Lakers on the other side of town. And I thought we got to a point where we were a team that, you know, made the playoffs. and Coach Brown, Larry Brown was that coach, and we were moving in the right direction. And, you know, that didn't last long. But, you know, I enjoyed my time with the clip as I thought it was very challenging, but I had a chance to grow as a young man

and definitely as a basketball player. I mean, this has to bring up memories to you, right? Because I remember it was in Anaheim that you guys had to play in the playoffs, I think against the Utah Jazz because the L.A. riots and the L.A. riots occurred because, you know, because of the beating of Rodney King. and what happened to the police officers, right?

Like this has to bring up old memories. It does. I was reflecting back on it. I was in a restaurant in Englewood with one of my friends having a meal, and the verdict comes on, and it starts going not guilty. And I look at them, and I go, we got to get out of here. And by the time we got back to my house, the riots that started, and, you know, the questions about racial injustice

and racism really started to kick in. Are we at the same place from your perspective as a black man who's a parent and also has been a coach and a leader of men and assistant coach? Are we at the same place we were then? Are we at a better place? From your personal perspective, where are we? We need to be in a better place, period. Yeah, there's been some growth, but nowhere near what it needs to be or what it should be.

And, you know, we're talking about racism now. And, you know, this was, we're talking about, what was that, 91, 92 when those riots happened. And, you know, the racial injustices that have happened before then and since then are just, we're just at a point where, you know, you don't want to deal with those anymore. And we expect more. We want more. And that's where all these riots and these protests are coming from. Danny Manning joining us here in the herd. He clears off of.

What's this been like for you? You know, like you are a people person. You light up a room and we've been under quarantine. What's this experience been like for you? It's been unique. It's definitely been challenging. I think a lot of it for me has been, you know, you reflect back on all the positive and wonderful relationships that you have with people

and you let them know that you appreciate them and you let them know that you love them and you thank them for their contribution to your journey along the way. And, you know, that's probably been the biggest thing. It's just letting all your loved ones know when you had that opportunity. Hey, I appreciate you. I thank you. And I love you. Beautiful strategic placement over your left shoulder.

What is that trophy for people who are watching you on Fox Sports One? My left shoulder, I've got a... You can turn and look. It's okay. I think it's... Well, for me, I've got two. I've got one is the six-man award from the NBA and another one is the wooden award from college.

So very fortunate and blessed and definite shout out to all my teammates that helped make that happen. Yeah, and of course, Danny and the Miracles. You won the championship and you won it in Kansas City playing for Larry Brown. You've done almost everything in basketball. And I know you love the sport, but coaching the sport gives you a different.

perspective and coaching college is really, really challenging. Now you have this G-League select team. Now, you're unique because you're back in an era where you played your entire college career at Kansas. Then you're the number one overall pick, and you have a long-storied NBA career. What are your thoughts on this G-League select team and some of the young high school stars that are not going to go to the NBA, but they're also not going to go to college. Instead, play for Brian Shaw. Well, I think, first of all, we have to understand it's only going to affect a handful of young men. And, you know, so we've got to keep that in mind.

I think college is not for everybody, and these guys are opting to take a different path. I think it'll be educational for them, but I still think there's great value in college. I think the majority of our college basketball players will need their degree at some point in time to be very functional to create wealth and provide for their families. And so I definitely feel that there's a value with that college education. But I also understand that some guys don't need to go that route. And, you know, this is giving them an avenue or a platform to go a different way. I guess the question, though, is I understand that there's going to be a select number of kids that can do it. But as you and I both know, just because only a handful can do it doesn't mean that there won't be a hundred other kids that think they can do it or their parents or advisors can think you do it.

How do you protect kids from making a bad decision of assuming, you know, look, man, I don't need the grade stuff. I don't need to worry about that. I'm going to the G-League Select team. Well, I think a lot of just going to be education. I think a lot of it will be based upon who's selecting and that criteria of selection. So I don't think a lot of people are going to have that opportunity to be honest with you, because if they're not selected for the team, then they're not selected.

And so then, you know, they'll have to look at alternate avenues. But everyone always sees their child or sees the person that they're connected with through rose-colored glass. And, you know, for me as a college coach, that became very frustrated at times because you don't know how hard it is to be a professional athlete or to play in one of those leagues where you're the best of the best. And it's extremely challenging and it's not easy. Yeah, there's 450 NBA players, 450 in the entire way. 8 billion people, 450. And, of course, if you go into a high school gym, they all think they're going to the league. Danny Manning, Danny Manning joining us here in the herd.

I got one more for you really, really quickly. I'm sure you watched the last dance. You got a chance to play and live in the Jordan era. When you watch that 10-part documentary series, what did you think? To talk, I'll be honest with you. I didn't watch it. What? I did not watch it.

I've not watched it yet. And I've seen different pieces of it, whether it's on the news or quick, you know, broadcast. But I've not watched it in its entirety. I kind of got a feel for it because I had, you know, one of my better friends and teammates, Ron Harper was a part of it. And, you know, I played in that era. But, you know, I can't, I can't speak on it in terms of, you know, I watched it. All right.

How about this? I lied. I'll get one more. Did you, in fact, tell Bill Self that Kevin Durant was the baddest dude to ever play on the floor at KU? I did at that particular time. You know, when Kevin Durant came in and I was assistant to Kansas working under Bill's self, You know, you go through your scouting reports, and, you know, we've got guys that are doing a really good job in terms of textbook defense and things of that nature. I just like, he's a bad boy, coach. You know, we're going to win the game, but he's a handful, and he's going to be something that we're going to have to navigate because he's a tremendous talent. You and Will, we're a handful as well.

So was Rayful friends, some of the Alton Paul Pierce, some of the all-time greats wearing the K uniform. Hey, Danny, great to catch up. I'm glad you're safe and healthy. Can't wait to catch up in person. Thanks so much for joining us. Doug, thank you very much. Have a great day. All right, that's Danny Manning. One of the all-time greats, not just guys to play college basketball, but men in the profession of basketball.

One of the top coaches in college football has a new recruiting tactic. And I think it's totally phony. Tell you who that is next in the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you content. and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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. 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, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now.

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 but you got to do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jay. 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 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Doug Gottlie been for calling this is The Herd on Fox Sports. ready out great was Danny Manning. Interesting. Remember? Like he was with the Clippers when the L.A. riots broke out. And I remember when I was where I was when the verdict came down as well.

Foo, brings up memories. And that Clipper team was fun. Fun, fun. Good bunch that lost to the Utah Jazz and the NBA Plus to play at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is, I don't know, 10 minutes from where I grew up. It's pretty cool. Lincoln, Rye is the head coach of Oklahoma. Of course, he's done an amazing job taking over for Bob Stoops as their head coach. If you play quarterback for Lincoln Riley, it's going to help you either win a Hizman or come close.

I mean, it's been really remarkable. This is what he said about not allowing some teams, including my own modern Oklahoma State, have allowed players back on campus to begin voluntary workouts, not so much for OU. here's Lincoln Riley's reason why. The thing I'm proud of is we didn't wait for somebody else to do it. We didn't wait for somebody to tell us what we could do. We just did simply what we believed was best. And we didn't wait to one of our competitors did it.

And when our competitors said they're bringing them back early, we didn't flinch. And so I think that's a sign of strong leadership in our university. And we set our priorities on what we felt like was best. And we've stuck with it. Yeah, I think this is, I call BS. I do. I think Linker Riley wants them back. I think this is his way of trying to win the fact that right now Oklahoma is being very, very cautious. Because the truth is, now, look, Oklahoma State has had three players test positive for COVID-19.

I believe all three are asymptomatic. I understand if you're going from being quarantined to bringing in 85 scholarship players over 100 guys on a college campus, now the sudden you have the possibility of collecting all their germs as well, right? I get that. But in Oklahoma specifically, and in Texas where most of their players are from, there isn't any more quarantine. So it's not like you're coming from a bubble. You're actually getting into a bubble once you get to campus. And by the way, once you get there, college campuses, college football programs have the financial wherewithal to pay for testing and can treat you

and can quarantine you can quarantine you. The medical care is better. The testing is better. The prevention is better. And in truth, though when you first get back, you'll have all of the germs from all the communities of all the players.

You're having that when you're at home. Restaurants are open. You know, Little League is being played. Social distancing, this is not New York or California. or some of the states where there have been major outbreaks. In Oklahoma, the numbers are very low, and the governor's reacted and said,

let's get back to business. So that sounds like he's being really thoughtful, but the truth is, I think Lincoln Riley's grandstanding over something that, a policy that even he doesn't love. We decided not bring him back early, and that's what we're going with. But that's recruiting, that's college sports.

That's how it works. You've got to turn every negative into a positive. All right, coming up next, I think the NBA is making a huge mistake. Not in coming back, but in the plan for how and where are they going to come back. I'll explain why next. I'm Doug Gottlieb. This is The Herd.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Doug Gottlieb, in for Colin. This is the herd. Casper has everything to build the dream bedroom. Now Casper's offering free contact list delivery is. always, free returns. Go to casper.com. For more information, terms and conditions apply. See casper.com slash terms. Let's get to the Herd Global Satellite Network as we welcome in a Super Bowl champion. Friend of the show, you see him on Fox Sports and Fox Sports One. Greg Jennings,

looking all swall in front of his jerseys. Greg, look, I want to start with the NBA because you like me, love the league, follow the league, have opinions on the league. And I understand why the preliminary plan was the bubble. But in addition to other things, like three months with just your dudes around, you're going to end up hating your best friend. Like, that doesn't work. I remember I talked to the coaches at Duke one year. And they played in China and Dubai, like in October.

And then they lost it in the NCAA tournament. And I was like, what happened to you guys? You guys faded down the stretch. He's like, you know what? We were around each other too much. Do you like this plan for the NCAW? NBA that's been made now. It feels like it's been made two months ago, but it's going to play out in two months.

Yeah, I actually do like the plan. And one of the reasons why I would kind of come back at you when it comes to what they're doing and how they're doing it as a destination and the guys being around each other so long for a period of time, no one in history, or I shouldn't say history, but no one that's playing in the league right now to date has ever gone through something like this and then wanted to play what the sport that they love so desperately and so bad.

No one's going to be thinking about, oh man, I'm going to have to spend three months with just the guys. They just want to get back on the hardwood. Whether there's fans, yes, does that play a role? Of course. but that's not the focus. That's not your mentality right now. You just want an opportunity to accomplish and finish what you set out to do.

And that's to potentially win an NBA championship. If you're any team that has a shot, and from what we're seeing the format, so many teams have a shot. So I think it's going to be exciting and they're just going to be simply ecstatic to be back doing what they love to do. Oh, I think they'll be excited to be back when they have training camp and they have the first eight games and maybe into the playoffs a little bit. But when you start to like you're there for three months, what's the long as you've ever stayed in one hotel? Probably a week and a half, almost two weeks. But Doug, what you have to realize is we're talking as if we haven't all been in one location. Yes, it's been our own homes or for some,

Maybe not even, but we've been quarantined already. So this is this is the norm. I understand, but everyone, but now you're in a world where everyone else isn't quarantined and you're back into quarantine. I just, I don't know how the, how the mind, how that works with the mind. They're not going to, they're not going to see it as the fact that they're quarantined all over again. They're just, you're just not. You are going to appreciate the fact that we can get back to what is a, glimpse of normality for us in playing a sport that brings so many people so much joy and frees

the mind and just becomes an escape for not only us as performers and athletes, but for novice fan, for individuals who look for these outlets to get away from what's going on in our everyday lives. All right. Let's talk about what's going on. Drew Breeze apologized yesterday in written form. Day he apologized in video form on Instagram. From the answer to a question about flag,

protesting the flag, potentially in this coming year, to the apologies. What's your take on the Drew Brees thing? You know, my take yesterday before he issued the apology was one of, I felt that it was callous and selfish. And then once he issued the apology,

I'm again, I'm an individual that will accept that. I am not one that's saying that you forget all of that, but you understand that a guy has the opportunity to either apologize or not apologize. And he took the high road of apology and you must move forward if you're a teammate of Drew Briggs. Like to me, it struck me as lacking empathy, right? because he went into almost like a, almost like he was a politician, went into his stock answer about what the flag means to him, which I, I honest, I'll be honest, he has every right to have the flag mean what the flag means to him.

The problem was the timing, the lack of feeling and warmth, and understanding of what else is going on. So I think that's, but there are others. And look, I'm not black. So I can't, I don't know how it lands with you. was it so bad that this will forever change how you look and how others feel about Drew Breeze? Well, I wouldn't say for me personally is going to change my complete understanding and

knowledge of Drew Breeze and relationship, the small relationship that I do have with Drew Breeze, simply because as a teammate, anytime you've spent that amount of time with an individual, you tend to know pretty much who they are. an idea of who they are. And in terms of football, Drew, Drew made a mistake. And he didn't say anything that was wrong per se, but his timing was not right. And what I mean by that is Drew Breeze is a quarterback. He is playing in an ultimate team sport. And so if any individual who is on the field with him is thinking of anything outside of winning the game and what we can do to win the game, then he doesn't in that moment want anything to do with them.

And that's all I'm saying when it comes to my vantage point and what I was able to hear and digest from his words. You weren't in the game in that moment, Drew. You were talking about something that's not relevant right now. And that's what the disappointment for me enters in because Drew, again, as I mentioned, mentioned, he's an ultimate team sport player. He's at the top in one of the highest regarded positions at quarterback. You must remain locked in. And if you participate in which he did, to a degree, whatever, in a blackout Tuesday, you, you've identified that you know what's going

on. So you know where in the fight. You know where, you know what the agenda is. So let's stay focused on the agenda and the task at hand. Yeah, it was interesting because he actually had talked about it in other answers in the same interview and that he went to an answer that wasn't really about how the question was asked and that did, it struck me as odd as well. Greg Jennings, our guest, longtime wide receiver in the National Football League Super Bowl Champion, of course, colleague here at Fox Sports as an NFL analyst. Let me play with Kyle Shanahan.

Kyle Shannon was doing an interview and he had this to say about Jimmy Garapolo. When you have to talk to Jimmy about one of the best quarterbacks of all time being available, I know Jimmy has the goal to be that. And I know Jimmy, I believe Jimmy has the ability to be that. And that's what both of us are going for. And if we can get him there and he has the ability to do it, we're going to be pretty happy with who we have for a long time. So it strikes me that first Drew Brie's backpedaling because of his comment and apologizing. This is the Niners saying like, yeah, we may have talked about Tom

Brady, but we think Jimmy Garoppolo can be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. I see the smile. Do you buy it? I don't buy it. I don't buy it. And this is a, this is a quarter, Kyle Shanahan is a very smart, relatable young coach. He gets it. If he has an opportunity to what he, what looks like to him to make an improvement, he's going to do it. And he saw that potentially in Tom Brady. But when you have. and you know what he just said, you have someone within your house and your fold that has a potential to be an all-time great, the all-time great, you don't consider removing that piece.

You understand, it may take time, but I'm not moving that piece. That piece stays until I'm completely, I'm completely forced to either rid myself of it or what I thought does not manifest. And so for him to now say that, you didn't truly feel like that. And you don't truly feel like that because if you had and if you do, you would have never considered offering that piece up and trying to acquire what you thought was better. You don't do it. And so I'm not buying it.

I get it. I know why. And he's a quarterback's coach as well as an offense coordinator, as well as a head coach. you have to be on the side of your players and make sure your players know that I have your best interest at heart. But as we all saw, he had the team's best interest at heart.

He and John Lynch when it came to the potential acquisition of Tom Brady. Did you, when you played, were you better when you were mad? Were you better when you were hungry, when you're fed, when you were like in a Zen state, where you were calm?

Like, what was the mood that you played your best football in? For me, I think it was more, if I was to relate to one of those words, it would be more of a Zen state. If I'm mad, then sometimes that can become a distraction. If I'm hungry, I think being in a Zen state, it creates a hunger. It creates a thirst and a desire to fulfill whatever it is. You've envisioned yourself fulfilling and playing out. And so that Zen state is, in my opinion, personally for me,

was the best place for me to be. I'm not too high. I'm not too low. I'm ready to go, though. I ask you that because I kind of feel like Aaron Rogers plays best when he's ticked off. And I think this whole between the Jordan Love thing and look, you know, he's very much supported his teammates on social media. But I think he uses everything discussed.

everything as as fuel and now he has kind of legit fuel. I think this can really help the Packers, the fact that they drafted Jordan Love and that he even admitted he wasn't all that jazzed about not getting a weapon. Is that accurate that he plays better when he's ticked off? Yeah, we've seen it. We've seen it. When his back has been against the wall and that team's playoff birth was against the wall and we go back to the season a few years ago when he issued the statement,

of relax. He knew right then and there, I got to back these words. And he was willing and ready made to back those words to the fullest. It was just a matter of

everyone coming on board and that's what great players do. They find a way to really tap into not only themselves emotionally, but everyone else around them emotionally. So they feel like,

yeah, they slighted all of us. Not just you, Aaron. they're not just doubting you. They're sliding all of us. They're saying that we don't have what it takes. They're saying that we can accomplish this. And so with you sliding Aaron or, and it's not a slight, they're just doing what they feel like it's best to move forward if and when he decides

to move on and be prepared for that. But that's not how a player see it. I know. If a player is drafted of your position, you're like, okay, I see what you're doing. but I have to do something about it to make sure you know I'm going nowhere. Bruce Ariens says, hey, you don't learn anything on the sidelines, which I mean, I think most of us agree with. But the Tua thing is interesting, right, because he's been hurt a lot.

And he had Fitzpatrick, and it's not like the dolphins we think they're playing for a Super Bowl this year. I mean, maybe that division is fairly open. The bill is probably the best team. We'll see about the Jets. If you're the dolphins, what's your thought process on EFNFN, when you play Tua this year? To be honest, my thought process, I'm going to let it play out. And if I have the opportunity and the luxury to allow him to gain experience from Ryan Fitzpatrick and start him, and if Tua surpasses him, then so be it, insert him. But if I absolutely have the

luxury to let him sit back and absorb and learn and be more educated and have more time to develop and to see the speed of the game to become to understand it before he actually is thrown in the fire. If he's more well equipped to handle the fire, he's going to be better suited for it. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't perform well if he does get thrown into it. but I think every coach would rather sit a player unless he's just outright shows, I am ready to go. And I think that's what a coach from the outside and just all of us from the outside looking

in will disregard because we don't have to truly make that decision like the Miami Dolphins. He wears a size medium shirt, okay? He might not pass the Fox Sports PED test, but he is a great guy in a four, a two-time pro bowler. He's Greg Jennings. joining us from somewhere from Chateau Jennings with the jerseys hanging in the background. Gee, have a great weekend. Thanks for joining us.

Appreciate the you, you too, Doug. All right. That's Greg Jennings. He just did some bicep curls during the break right before he joined us. Looking all, swole. Let's get to equally swole. People don't know, John Goulet. Turn on the news.

This is the headline news. I didn't know that either. Okay. In shape. Round is a shape? Absolutely. So I was going to hit I was going to play that Kyle

Shanahan sound. He played it with Greg. It's all good. I'm going to come up with a different angle because I feel like I actually have to stand up for a quarterback that is 21 and 5 as a starter in the NFL. I understand that he threw some bad passes. I think he's good. Again, and I know we cut, I've looked on so we cut out things.

And I don't know if he has it. I'm only telling you some of the misses in the Super Bowl. Like, Keep in mind. Last year, 4,000 yards, 27 touchdowns, 13 picks. Everybody brings up the Saints game, which he was graded. Sure. If he just improves a little bit.

Yes. He's a 30-10 touchdown interception guy. Yes. 4,000 yards. Remember, he isn't very experienced. He's started less games than Baker Mayfield. Are you Kyle Shanahan's like at tachet? Like, what?

No, I just, this is all their talking points. I get it. I know. I get it. Okay, and he got hurt, and he got to learn the system. Yeah. I mean, look, the system is very, very effective. Matt Ryan won the MVP with it.

Sure. So it's the same type of deal. So it's hard to tell. It's the player is the system. It's the combination of the two. I guess we'll just, we'll find out. Like, he does have the luxury of having George Kittle. They do run the football really well.

I think he fits the system exceptionally well because he's very athletic. The big thing is that the one bonehead pass that he makes like per game, maybe per half. That's the one that he's got to cut out. He's not Mahomes. And I'm with you with the Shanahan of like all-time great. Like, yeah, probably. I mean, he really, his ceiling,

he can't even be a top two quarterback for his franchise all time. But he doesn't have to be for them to win the Super Bowl. Right. I mean, one pass and they win the Super Bowl. Correct. Okay. Speaking of over-hyped quarterbacks, Patriots quarterback Jared Stidham,

has wasted no time trying to get in better rhythm with his receivers. He's been working with a group of six teammates. at a private field in Massachusetts and reportedly has been the catalyst for organizing these activities. He's the one who sends a group text. Right. According to a lot of quarterback gurus, Jordan Palmer loves him, Chris Sims loves him.

He is a very talented quarterback that's going to shock people. In reality, he's a fourth round pick that some people think won't beat out Brian Hoyer for the starting job. Where do you fall on sitem? I'm normally on the show. Colin is kind of like, I don't really get it.

I don't see how he's going to revolutionize things. But I love Jordan Palmer and he loves this guy. Listen, I love Jordan as well. Okay. Love Jordan. We cannot take the word of quarterback gurus and guys that they work with. That just doesn't, you know, that's like when we get these political debates. You know, you go to the guy.

He's like, our guy killed it. Like, your guy was awful, you know. So, and I don't, I'm not trying to impugn all of his credibility. Jared Stim was highly recruited. Yes. You know, five-star kid, Baylor, Auburn. And because Auburn is kind of a quirky offense, so it's hard to tell.

And I think, and I've talked to Trent Delfare, also an elite-leven guy where, you know, what Jared Stidham was. And he loves, he's like Stidding's really good. I don't know, I guess we'll just see. I do think that Belichick has some sort of faith in him because they didn't freak out and go after any other quarterback, which they could have.

Yeah. And I know they have. salary cap limitations, but they've found a way to move money around. I think he'll get a shot. I don't remember any of these guys when they took him in the fourth round just over a year ago being like, wow, what a steal. I just remember them

like, okay, back of quarterback. And now that he might be the starter, it's like he's really talented. Well, yeah, but you go back a couple years ago and they got Reset in the third round, right? And then they got Garapolo as well. I mean, so they've done pretty well in their quarterback e-vows. Terrible at wide receiver evaluations

is good at quarterback evaluation. So where am I? I think he's the guy. I don't think Hoyer's the guy. I think Hoyer is exactly what you think is. Certainly Hoyer is not the guy. I mean, for this year. If Hoyer's the guy, then what is Stidham?

Because Hoyer was kind of available for anybody. Yes, he's the consummate, perfect backup who can play in a pinch and is like a second coach. And he's going to try and, you know, and I'm sure they'll actually ask Hoyer. Like, do you think he's got it? Do you know what he's got it? You know what he's got it? Then they'll see. That's where.

They're in a gap year. They're in a gap year. They're so stuck with the cap thing. A bunch of stuff comes out of the cap at the end of this year. I think, believe they're top five in dead cat money, which is basically a guarantee that you're not going to win in the NFL. Very difficult. And finally, the NBA announced that 29 of the 30 teams voted yes on the 22-team playoff proposal that will have the NBA season resume in Orlando on July 31st.

The one team that did not vote yes, the Portland Trail Blazers. According to Chris Haynes of Fox Sports, We blazered. They weren't against it, but they favored 20 teams instead of 22. We'd probably make their path into the playoffs potentially a little easier. That would have eliminated the Kings and the Spurs, which I don't know that I'm going to be racing to watch Kings or Spurs games when they come back. Roge is reporting that ownership voted no based on what their players were telling them. C.J. McCollum was very complimentary of that on Twitter, saying that they listen to their players. I think most teams listen to their star players.

that's kind of how the NBA works. This comes after Damien Lillard recently said he did not want to play if he didn't have a true opportunity to make the playoffs. The Blazers just kind of trying to be the one to speak up. Do you have an issue with them? I don't have an issue with it.

I think it's definitely something that they're trying to get to the playoffs and they weren't healthy all years. Zach Collins, I think he'll be back and ready to go. So it should change them and they're going to try and manipulate things the best they can. And, you know, it's like, I think people would think, well, if you bring in the Kings and the Spurs, that means that means you have more wins. Yeah, that also means the other teams, the Grizzlies who they're competing with and trying to get that eight playoffs spot. They could get some more wins.

So there's some logic and thought process. Those are two really smart guys in the backcourt of the Blazers, especially, you know, and CJ put a ton of thought into it. It backfired. I don't mind a one protest vote. Sometimes you know it's going to pass. Right, so why not just saying now and we'll get our thoughts out there. Just to make a point. And that's John Gle with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. Imagine picking up your smartphone, open an app and controlling your grill remotely from anywhere. Do what I did. Get the best. Get a rec tech grill. That's rectechgrills.com.

R-E-C-C-Grills with an S.com. I'm not sure if you're aware of what. Today is, it will make you smile. It might be my favorite best for last I've ever done. Share it with you next in The Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio app. Doug Gottlieb in for calling this is The Hurt.

Hope you're having a great day and get ready for a great weekend. Remember to use this time to band together, not break apart. and that's exactly what we're going to do with the best for last. See, here's the thing. Okay, we live in a polarized country, you know. I mean, we're divided on so many topics that for the best for last, I thought I would celebrate the fact that did you know today is National Donuts Day? And of course, I'm sitting on the Fox lot.

You think of Fox and Donuts. You think of Homer J. Simpson, don't you? I'd sell my soul for a donut. Right? What is it? was the famous line that Homer had about donuts. Donuts.

Is there anything they can't do? Save Springfield from the Monorail. Do you guys remember the Monorail? Of course. Monorail. Monorail. So, look, here's the thing about donuts. I'm not saying you love donuts,

but I don't think there's a human being alive that doesn't at least like them. Mmm, donuts. There's not a human being alive that's like, no, I hate donuts. Right? Spiders, some people, like, ah,

somebody like, ooh, this is a spider. Some people call the family and let's kill the spider. There's, you know,

there are people that don't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There are people that don't like hamburgers and cheese. I don't know what's the

matter with them, but there are people. People that don't like pizza and there's people that are like sushi. You pick it. You can find somebody, but no one says like,

donuts, gross. You may not have one because if you have too many, it could be unbecoming. You may not love all of that sugar in the morning, although suggestion, donuts for dessert, also not bad, right? And if you have a leftover

donut, they get crusty, you can heat them in the microwave. All of these suggestions care of Uncle Doug. And while you're at it, why don't you take my top 10 donuts list with you. Number 10. All right, number 10 donut. Let's start with the plain donuts. Yes, this is a little bit of a tip of the cap to just plain yogurt from space balls. If you ever get like, an assortment of donuts. There's always the plain donuts. People are like, who's going to eat those? Somebody does.

And we'll leave them hanging around in our list. They're not bad to sop up other stuff with, right? Like you can use them with your eggs. If you're trying to stay away from the sugar, you dip them in your coffee or in your hot chocolate, they are actually useful. They have survived this long. They should survive more.

They should make it to our top-to-end list. Number nine. Powdered sugar. Careful eating them on the highway to get pulled over by a cop. They may think it's not powdered sugared. Of course, they come. I used to get these at school, right? You get the little mini powdered sugar ones.

They're fine. They're tasty. They're yummy. They work well with the bread. Powdered sugar at nine. Number eight. Now, these usually come as glazed, but for whatever reason we think of them as their own thing, donut holes. Not only does no one dislike donuts, nobody, nobody, nobody dislikes a donut hole

because it's like a regular donut, only a quarter of the size, right? It's like the calories don't count. I didn't have any donuts. I just had 15 donut holes. I'm good. Number seven. Sprinkles. Sprinkles.

Right? They kind of make you feel like a kid again, you know? You call them bumpy. or I don't they call them Jimmy's. Jimmy's in New England. I've heard bumpies. I've heard Jimmy's. Sprinkles, especially with the pink frosting on top.

I mean, now we're getting it kind of like a cookie. I don't know what that frosting tastes like, kind of a fake strawberry taste. They're fine. They make the middle of the list. Number six. Devil's food. There's just chocolate. There's more chocolate and then chocolate.

Right? And I don't, I mean, I'm a dark chocolate guy. If you're milk chocolate guys, but a chocolate donut, that's good eating. Number five. Boston Cream. Now we get a little bit more clever, right? You have the chocolate on top. You have a little bit of the breading, maybe a little bit of the sort of glazed.

Then you bite in and there's that, ooh, what is that? Cream on its own, not so much. I mean, look, the jelly donut, jelly filled donut did not make the list. Why? Because jelly has no use in this world unless it's combined with peanut butter or occasionally just toast. Okay, but inside of a donut doesn't work. me. Boston cream, it's the chocolate and the cream and the bread combined. Yum.

Number four. The cronut. Like, what's the cronut? That's a croissant? Croscent donut. Lighter, flakier. Ooh, yes. You're like, ah, California cronut.

Sure, fine. Okay, I'll accept that. That's compliment. Number three. The maple bacon donut. Now, listen, I didn't go with a high-end variety. There are some great high-end variety donuts for the most part. but whoever, whoever you are out there who came up with the idea,

let's put bacon on it, I salute you, let's put maple and bacon on it, you sir deserve some sort of statue. Maple bacon is good eating. Number two. Glazed donut. Like when somebody says, do you want a donut? This is what you expect.

All the other stuff you have to kind of name. If you just say, yeah, I'd like, I sure have a donut. This is what, and it's solid. And whether you get the Krispy Kreme kind, or you get the kind of more ornate, you know, made-to-order sidecar donuts at the spot down the street or you get a Dunkin' Donuts one, whatever you do, you can't go wrong with a glazed donut, can you? Number one. Now, this is my list, so it's my personal favorite.

I like the sugar donut, the granular sugar donut. I don't know if it's a texture thing or if it makes the breading lighter or the, the fact that I get to get it everywhere and it feels like sand all up in my face. I'm not sure what it is. But the sugar donut is my number one donut. Happy National Donuts Day. Sugar one, glaze two, maple bacon three, cronut four, Boston Cream 5, Devil's Food, Six, sprinkles seven, donut holes eight, powdered sugar nine, and we keep the plain donut in there

because they're always in there. Who ordered them out of respect? It's respect, okay? Right? It's a, it's a, what kind of selection? It's a, it's a legacy. It's a legacy selection, right? Who ordered the plane donut?

I don't know, they just threw it in the, they just threw it in there. Why is it a baker's dozen, 13? Can anybody answer that one for me? Don't really know. Don't, no. And I do believe that no one dislikes a donut. All right, we have not solved all of the world's problems today, but sports for the most part. today. If you missed any of it, you can download the HARD podcast. Quick side note. I have a podcast

called All Ball. It's usually all basketball at the time. I sat down with T.J. Hushmanzata, who you can hear on this show and other shows, you will not believe his personal story of how he grew up, where he grew up, and didn't graduate from high school, goes to Cerritos Junior College, goes to Oregon State, becomes a pro bowler and leads the league and catches one. You're unbelievable story. It's called All Ball on the HARD podcast. Network, Heard Podcast Network. Love that the NBA is back. Just don't like the plan.

And here's all you need to think about. I never did a spring break trip, but do a cross-country drive with your best friend, with your wife, with your family. Good way to get divorced, right? Imagine being sequestered in a basketball bubble for three months with only your basketball teammates and probably your significant other. I'm not sure I see that as optimum preparation for an NBA championship. But at least sports is back. I'm Doug Gottlie.

Collins is back Monday. This is The Hurt. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source. the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlicse on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 headwriters. street or 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at It Podcasts.

In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. 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. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

It 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host's Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having him with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

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