The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Another stellar performance from Luka Doncic, top 5 list of NBA MVP candidates

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

Jason McIntyre fills in for Colin following another stellar performance from Luka Doncic and the Lakers. J-Mac credits the leadership of LeBron James as LA improves their winning streak to 8 games in a row as the playoffs approach. He provides his top 5 list of NBA MVP candidates and believes Victor Wembanyama deserves more love after the Spurs clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 6 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis'clock, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to futas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turn, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva

on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely.

A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. with all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they hit a bogo. Well, then you got them.

Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com, or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio. or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hello and welcome.

It's Friday here on the herd. It's me, Jason McIntyre, in for one more day before Colin Cowhert returns. I'm joined by Rachel Nichols. We've got a splendid Friday show for you. I mean, I could have gone with any adjective, Rachel. Luca Donchitz drops a 60 piece. On the second night of a back-to-back on the road where he scored 40 the night before, It's like 100 points in 26 hours.

People are sick of the Lakers, but I'm sorry. We have to talk about them. Obviously, NCAA tournament. My guy Boozer didn't quite look like Baby Yokic in the opener against Mighty Sienna. Duke prevails. A couple of good upsets. High points. Shock in Wisconsin.

But you picked that. I did. Remember I asked you about first round upsets and you picked high points? I tend to do well in the tournament. Brackett not totally busted yet. Got a couple great guests on the show. Pro bowler, a potential all NBA first team rookie guy. Maybe we'll see if he gets on the first team.

And then Michael Rubin, your friend, Fanatics, co-founder, joining the show, talk flag football in the final hour. But I have to start with the Lakers. Normally it would be automatic NCAA tournament, right? Not so fast, my friends. Look at what the Lakers are doing. Folks, the story keeps getting crazier. I mean, seriously, they can't be beat right now.

So in NBA parlance, last night for the Lakers was supposed to be a scheduled loss. Okay, they play Wednesday in Houston. Game ends. They got to fly to South Beach. Apparently, they land around 4 a.m., get to the hotel at 5, as you heard here yesterday on the show. When you hear that, you're like, okay, let's assume Luca's going to sit. LeBron, I mean, the old man, 41, he's going to sit. Probably rest Austin Reeves.

You don't need to risk injury. You're in the middle of a long road trip. So as the story goes, JJ Redick said, anybody tired? Who's healthy? Who's ready to go? And LeBron James was the first one. I'm in. LeBron.

That's leadership, my friends. That doesn't sound like somebody who's pouting and whining about next year or whether or not he fits alongside Luca and Reeves. That sounds like leadership. And LeBron saying he's going to play instantly. Everyone fell in line. It's Luca. It's Reeves.

And then the real surprise happened. Luca Donchich on the second night of a back-to-back. As Rachel said, he scored 40 against Houston. He dropped a 60-piece, folks. 60 points in 38 minutes last night. The Lakers stunned the heat. And listen, Miami's not a great team this year. They're top eight in the east.

They have a player named Bam out of bio who scored 83 points last week. I think we'll reference that in a moment. But I want to go to Austin Reeves who talked about the Lakers. They're not settling anymore. This is a legit championship team. And listen to how Reeves talks about their new mentality. When he said he was playing, I was like, I can't let a 41-year-old playing. and not on play, so I signed up to play.

And so did Luca, and we went and crowded and went out. It's not an easy one, especially with the pace that that team plays up. But the second half, especially that third quarter, we played some good basketball, and then down the stretch took over the game. You see the celebration, and you can just tell the vibes are off the charts right now. I mean, they are freaking out on the Laker bench when Luca goes to the free throw line to get his 60th point. An authentic 60, not a Fugazi 60. Okay. LeBron, by the way, got to give him some props. You see on the screen, 30, 15, and 10.

And our stats team came up with this Whopper. This is crazy. Guys, over the age of 40, in the history of basketball, in the NBA, triple doubles. LeBron has four of them. The entire rest of the league has won. Carl Malone. I could not have guessed Carl Malone. That's how dominant LeBron was on the night of a back-to-back. And again, we're like four weeks removed from, does LeBron fit with this team? Hello, narrative killer. That's what LeBron's doing right now. Now, I just really quick want to drill down on Luca's 60 for a moment. Because somebody smart recently said, oh, Luca, 27 years old.

He's like an old 27. I mean, he only has three dunks this year. I don't think he's first team all NBA. All he does is wine. Listen, Luca is shredding everybody. He's torching the league and he's torching the media. Anybody wanted to push back on Luca, hey man. Just take it. You were wrong. Eat it. He had 60 points. And you could argue, Lucas 60? A pure 60. They needed it. They had to come back in the fourth quarter to win this game.

Lucas 60 was more impressive than BAM's 83 last week. Now, I know you think, hey, Jay, save that for hot take happy hour. I don't need to. That's a legitimate take that's credible. Bam, last week, 83 points. There was some gimmicks involved. Hey, let's intentionally foul so BAM can get the ball back. get to the free throw line. I mean, they were up a billion. He barely shoots threes. He's just shucking all game long. And again, 83 points is amazing. Obviously.

I'm not knocking that. The path to 83, not as pure as Lucas 60. 60 earned, a little more impressive than 83 given. And here's what Lucas done in this eight game streak, folks. He's on fire. 40 points per game in the last eight games. He is, I mean, just doing an unbelievable job. Somebody in our meeting this morning had a funny line.

You know, BAM's 83 points. It's kind of like when you hit a home run and you're up 19 to 2. And the pitcher is a guy who was playing shortstop two innings ago, that they're just joking around. And that home run's like, eh, does it really matter that much? Again, not taking away from Bams 83, just putting it in context.

What Luca did last night, 60 on a back-to-back against a good team? Remember, the tanking wizards were Bams' opponent during the 83. I'm just continue to be blown away by the Lakers. They have a huge one in Orlando Saturday. I know there's NCAA tournament games. It's the weekend. It's going to be like 85 degrees out here in L.A.

Everybody's going to be at the beach. Just keep one eye on Luca and the Lakers who seem to be rolling toward the NBA finals. All right, now I'm going to pivot to college basketball. And you guys know I love to geek out during the tournament. We had some amazing guests this week, Casey Jacobson, Miles Simon. everybody seems to be under the consensus that AJ DeBanza,

probably the number one pick. It was Darren Peterson for a minute, and now it's pivoted back to DeBonsa. Boozer's lurking. Darius Acuff is in the mix. Caleb Wilson as well. But A.J. DeBonsa, let's talk about him. So yesterday, the BYU star scores 35 and has 10 boards,

but BYU lost to Texas. There's some great sound we'll play for you in a minute from Sean Miller, or the coach of Texas. How do you stop him? We can't stop him. I mean, AJ DeBonse was insane. If you've seen the highlight reels online, I mean, they're throwing double teams at him.

He's doing whatever the hell he wants. You cannot stop this kid. I see like a young Tracy McGrady. You know, some people say they see a little quicker Paul Pierce. Bottom line is, AJ DeBanza is going to be an NBA pro. Maybe the first pick overall. I just had a question, though. He cost in the final.

to $7 million range. If you look online, he allegedly got $7 million. I'm just wondering, BYU last year, they made the sweet 16, guys. Good run. Lost Alabama.

Alabama made like 75, three-pointers. Crazy game. This year, they get A.J. DeBonsa. They're like a middle-of-the-packed team in the Big 12. Now, they did lose

Richie Saunders, their second best player. Obviously, that hurts. But for $5 to $7 million, we'll go with seven. For $7 million, they got one game. in the NCAA tournament, it's over. I'm not saying they would not take AJ DeBonse.

If you could get the number one recruit, top five recruit, you take them, obviously. But we're in the infancy period of NIL and how to pay players and build your roster. And we've talked a lot in the NFL about how, man, once you pay that quarterback a ton of money, it's tough to build a roster around. It's even tougher in the NFL with 11, you know, 11 offense, 11 defense, special teams. Basketballs should be. easier, right? Five guys. Pay them. Right? Michigan's doing it. You know, Duke. BYU, interestingly, has DeBonsa at 7Mille. I'm just wondering, are teams seeing this and being like, hey, we all know no man is an island. You cannot do it yourself. It is

impossible in this era. There's just too much talent. Would BYU have maybe fared better if they had go, I don't know, two guys for two million and a one million dollar guy? And oh, by the way, that trio, hey, let's run it back next year. We're not going to the league yet. And again, I'm not saying you don't take DeBanza. I'm just asking the question. Like, was the value, did they get the value that they spent on DeBanza? And it's not a knock on the kid.

He brought the major pub right there all over newspapers online. We're talking about them on this show. When do you talk about BYU basketball and national TV shows? Not ever. And they got high profile games. And again, he was exceptional. But they're one and done. It's over. We don't get any more DeBanza. And to me, that makes it just a little annoying.

Here's Sean Miller, the Texas coach, on trying to stop the potential number one pick in the draft. We understood that he has the ability to score like nobody else. What we talked about is a jump shot by him as a victory for us. Among the many things he does, he just, he puts so many fouls on the opponent that he wears out the other team. and we were able to, you know, play him. And again, I see he had 12 free throws, but these guys were able to play all the way to the end. You know, we knew he was going to score.

We just wanted to make sure that we did a great job rebounding and that we did as good of a job as we can, guarding the rest of the group. And I think that's really why we were able to win. And that's a great point, rebounding. They grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. Some Texas Center nobody had ever heard of had nine offensive boards. BYU, you couldn't get rebounds.

They couldn't make shots. Look at the non-J. DeBanza players. 13 to 31. I think the number was 3 of 15 from deep. They didn't have a well-rounded roster. They had a superstar. That's it.

And Texas, of course, had a better roster. I had, you know, BYU in my bracket, so I lost this one. But I watched Obansan, I think it's very clear. Like, listen, I did watch the Duke game. I was sweating that. Boozer looked fine. We'll talk about him maybe a little bit later. We'll definitely touch on high point.

but I thought the story yesterday was DeBanza. Because when you look at the NCAA tournament today, a lot of great games coming up, I just wonder, our team's going to start saying, let's spread the wealth around, let's retain guys for more than one year. It was nice having AJ.

He's definitely going to the league. Let's just not wish the Sacramento Kings upon A.J. DeBonson. All right, we've got a wonderful show coming up. There's an NBA team kind of flying under the radar. We're going to touch on them next. And then a five-time pro bowlers stop by later in the hour to talk about the big NFL trade that just went down. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports

Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straightfire gives you honest opinions on all. all the biggest sports headlines. Accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news, nice? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide. range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was...

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down. on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary

world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history.

You need to tell me what you know. is somebody coming after me. Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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 beaders 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 Slicelife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen she went. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outside. her to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the

world right now and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Back here on the herd, obviously the Lakers, the biggest story in the NBA right now. now. Apologies to the Thunder who have won 10th straight. It's just not a special, guys. Sorry. But a close second to the Lakers has to be Victor Wembeyanama and the San Antonio Spurs. Anytime someone wants to be like, oh, Tankin's killing the NBA. It's so bad. The Spurs are like,

very obviously the blueprint for how to do it. This is crazy. So they have drafted in the top 10, 2022, 2022, 2023, 2004, and 2025. That's four bites at the apple. They have been awful for so long. I had to look up their last playoff series win. Are you ready? 2017.

I'll name some of the guys on the roster. Lamarcus Aldridge. Kauai Leonard. Wow, talk about a turn back the clock. Patty Mills, Tony Parker in his late days. That's how long it's been since the Spurs have a playoff series win. And last night, of course, the Spurs are facing the Phoenix Suns. Really good game.

Sons are plucky. There's a chance they sneak in as the six seed. And who does the Spurs go to when it matters most? Victor Wenbanyama. There he is. Isoed. We'll fade away, tough shot. And folks, the San Antonio Spurs are going back to the playoffs for the first time in forever.

I mean, look at this. He's isoing from the three-point line. That's just spectacular. He's a unicorn. He's fading away. Nobody can stop his shot. I'm so happy for Victor Wenbanyama. Here he is talking about the spurs headed to the postseason.

Of course, the first instinct is to be proud of it and to love it because we're part of it. But the key for me is to try to not care because we want to attack 82 games. I'm scared to become complacent. So I'll be on the other end of the spectrum and try to not care at all. You got to love this guy. I don't want to get complacent. I know it sounds arrogant, but he just sounds authentic. Complacency.

I understand him. So, you know, I play in the men's basketball leagues. We happen to win a couple championships this week. And I was texting a former NBA player this morning to try to get him on my roster. He's already taken by another team. So it's like, you can never settle, folks, whether it's, you know, losers like me in a men's basketball league or Victor 1 Banjama, carrying the spurs to relevancy for the first time in eight years. seriously?

Like he, and he's not, the fact that he's not complacent, it just blows me away. So I saw this number about net rating and it kind of ties into MVP, which we'll get to, I think later in the show. So the spurs are 16 points better in net rating with Victor Wenbanyama. 16. There's a column out there today. I'm not going to get into it about how Wenbiyama should be the MVP. We've been talking about that on the show for weeks.

When if you just, if you take Wembeyanama away from the Spurs, they don't scare a damn soul. They are nothing special. You take SGA away from OKC, you're probably still a 48 win team. There's a ton of talent. Great roster. Well done, Sam Presti. But the Spurs are essentially Wembeenjama and then you've got Castle and all role players, which is really nice.

I like how they're built. But Wembenyama is everything for them. And you can see the leap they've made. What is this? This is his third year in the league? Wembeniama. is doing things. You cannot stop him, folks.

And again, I know people are banging on the Utah Jazz and all these teams. I'll stop the tanking. Tanking works. They got Wembenyama. Let's go to Rachel Nichols with the news. This is the herd line news. You don't have to convince me.

I know. We're in this. I like when we agree. Yes. All right. I want to talk a little bit more about a story that broke yesterday just before the show,

Kate Cunningham with that collapsed lung. The Detroit Pistons are now saying that he won't even be re-evaluated until two weeks from now. There's a good chance he misses more time after that, which is going to make it nearly impossible, Jason, for him to hit that 65 games played. The NBA now requires for postseason awards.

He's actually, it says 61 on the ledger, but he's actually, for their purposes, only at 60 right now, because he was only playing like five minutes into the game he got hurt. And not only do you have to play 65 games, you have to play at least 20 minutes in each game to make it count and blah, blah, blah.

Look, this is a guy who was continuously listed at top four, like number four, number five in the MVP race, certainly one of the first couple all NBA teams. Now it looks like he won't make any of that stuff. What do you think about this 65 game rule? Well, if I had a vote and one of us does and it's not me, I would abolish this rule. I mean, it feels goofy. He's, he had an amazing season. He's going to be penalized because he got a collapse lung with two weeks left in the season. But based on the timeline, I was just looking.

I don't know that he's a lock to play in like the first game or two in the playoffs. No. So first of all, you can't even fly with a collapse line. Yeah. So you can't get on a plane, but you're telling me you're going to run up and down in an NBA game for the better part of 48 minutes. I want to give you some averages to that point. So the average in the NBA, and this is for all different kinds of severity, so some are under, but there are a lot over, is 26 days. C.J. McCollum, who is like the last major player with this injury,

he missed six weeks. He missed 18 games, which would put him Kayed well into the playoffs. Look, I do have a vote. Since the moment this 65 game rule came in, I have been against it. Well, wait, let me ask. Was there a vote to put this rule in place?

That was an ownership vote, not among the people, Jason. But here's the thing. And it's a little bit like tanking, where you're trying to solve the wrong thing, right? They're trying to solve, oh, how to get stop people to tank? Well, it's because you're not giving people a path to get better. How do you stop players from taking just games off and TV games off? That's what was happening before this rule.

It was like a lot of guys were sitting on big nationally televised games and the owners were upset because the TV partners were upset and they wanted money back. That's a problem. However, tying it to something completely different, the awards, is ridiculous. They're basically trying to bribe the players into playing more by being like, hey, you could get 65, you know, you could get an award if you don't. if you don't sit, which is ridiculous. And now you have a guy like Cade Cunningham

who there is no argument of his impact on this NBA season, right? This team was the sixth seed last year. They have been the number one seed for most of this season in the East. And the answer about why is the top five reasons. Cape Cunningham is four of them, right? And so when you think about that,

and all NBA in particular is the record of the season, when you go back in the history books, you want to see what happened that season and who was important, you look at all NBA. You're telling me because some guy fell on his back while scrambling for loose ball. It wasn't even Cade. Trey Johnson fell on his back.

That he's no longer going to be part of that story of the NBA season. Like, I just, this has to change. If you don't want to change it for MVP or any of that stuff, that's fine. I get it. But at least all NBA, because it doesn't make sense to me. You're screwing, guys. It feels like in baseball it's all about the numbers. football history doesn't, I mean, specific awards and stuff don't really matter.

Like how many MVP's to Dan Marine, nobody knows. But all, for NBA accolades is like everything. Well, Michael Jordan had this many defensive player of the years. And, you know, when I, I said something flippant, like, I think Austin Reeves is already better than Mark Price. And all these 80s NBA stands are like, no way, Mark Price was this, that, and the other. I'm like, so Austin Reeves is getting awards and accolades? Because the NBA is loaded, but Austin Reeves' numbers are great.

And it's like Kate Cunningham's numbers are amazing. He's been, has he been, uh, Luca's a point card? He hasn't been better than Luca. But if he's been the second best point card in the league, is SGA a one or two or a combo? What do we? Well, I mean, to your point about the idea of like comparing players, right?

It's hard to compare players across eras. Very different. Because, you know, no defensive hand checking. Yes, defensive hand checking. You know, all the different rules. We talked about the other day when Redd Hourback was coaching and winning all those titles. There were six teams in the league. So, you know, the thing about all NBA is,

it actually allows you to compare across eras because it's a competition among the other guys in your era. So if you make the All-MBA team six times and someone 20 years from now makes the All-MBA team three times, you can say the Six-Times guy was more impactful in his era than the three-times guy. It is one of the only units of measurement we have for like the Hall of Fame and other things to compare players.

And now they're throwing this rule in. I always like to use my third team All-MBA. for players that we know are among the best 15 players in the NBA, but for one reason or another, like, weren't necessary statistics, didn't enter in there. So, like, Steph Curry is still one of the best 15 players in the NBA. He hasn't played that much this season. I think he's played, like, 40 games.

I might throw him on my 13. I might not. LeBron James. Wait, can you do that or no? I can't this year. I used to do stuff like that. I don't think LeBron's going to get there. Not even close.

LeBron James has played 49 games this season. But you can't tell me that he is not part of the main story of the NBA. What have we been talking about? For what, three days straight? LeBron's decision to play a different role on his team has completely changed the Lakers' chances and now they might be in contention for a title. Also, at 41 years old, the numbers he's putting up are so impressive. You can't stick him on a third all NBA team because he's played 10 games less than he, quote, should have.

I just, I don't get it. I think that this is a mistake. I thought it was a mistake from the beginning. And there is some movement of, hey, let's at least detach it from all NBA. And I hope that happens. College basketball last night, VCU, upsetting North Carolina in overtime. UNC had a 19-point lead, Jason, at one point. But the Tar Heels looked so gassed if you watch that game down the stretch.

Hubert Davis, pre-sized for shortening his rotation in that second half in overtime. Take a listen to his rationale postgame. Hubert, why did you go to just a six-man rotation in the second half? Because that was my decision. Just because you miss a shot doesn't mean something's wrong. We had open looks. We had shots at the basket. We had executed plays, and sometimes the ball doesn't go in.

Because it was my decision, do you think Hubert Davis's job is on the line right now? It's a big talking point in Chapel Hill. It's tough. We did go to the same high school. obviously not at the same time. So I've got a cape up for my guy, Hubert Davis. Also, know him just a tiny bit. Great guy.

It's a bad loss. Up 19 in the second half. And it wasn't just missing shot. They were clanging free throws. Couldn't inbound the ball, Rachel. Yeah. I did have VCU, so, you know, on the spread minus two and a half. Really nice win.

It's a tough one. He's had some, I hate to use the word choke, but the national championship against Kansas, They were up big, blew it. This game is crushing now. They were missing their best player, Caleb Wilson. But they did go up 19 without Caleb Wilson. It's tough.

There's a lot of chatter online. I don't know. I'm not on a North Carolina message board. But it does seem like, you know, some of these boosters who have clout are very unhappy, and they may be moving things behind the scenes to try to find their guy. Right. You don't want to move off Hubert because obviously, you know,

his history and great guy. That's a tough loss, man. That is a really tough one. Look, when guys are clanging shots, like free throws and things like that, when the shots are falling short, that's how you know guys are tired. Fatigue. Right? It's very specific.

So you shorten your bench toward the end of that. A six-man rotation is short, and those guys look tired at the end. That's a coaching decision. That's not a Caleb Wilson factor. I want to put the 19-point swing in perspective. It's the biggest collapse in the NCAA tournament since, 2018, which feels like it was yesterday, but that's actually eight years ago. And it's the largest collapse in the round of 64 since the tournament expanded in 1985.

So it's probably before that, but they don't have, you know, it's round of 64 numbers. The heels were won and done in the tournament last year, right? Yeah. The first time that's happened at UNC, more than 30 years. First time in more than 30 years, the University of North Carolina has had won and out in the NCAA term. What are you saying? Come on. It seems like you want to say something. You don't like to fire coaches.

I don't, yeah, I was going to say. I don't like to campaign for people to lose their jobs. I think we are too quick across sports to fire coaches. Can't fire the players. Fire the coach. You know, I don't love that. But to understand why fans in UNC and boosters who are now more critical than ever to college programs because they provide the money for these players,

I get why they're upset. This hasn't happened in 30 years around these parts. Tobacco Road could be in for a tough one. We saw Duke struggle yesterday. John Shire with a major choke job against Houston in the tournament last year. I'll never forget that lost. And he's got a good team. And I don't know, John Shire probably should win.

Tommy Lloyd. I forget which guest it was. Tommy Lloyd, maybe Ameri Torres. He's under some pressure at Arizona. It's tough to win in March. So, yeah. Patriot safety, Kevin Bayard, was on the podcast with NFL insider Jordan Schultz. When Schultz stopped to break some news, he said,

oh, Kristen Kirk is signing with the 49ers. Bayard told Schultz, I was hoping you were going to say AJ Brown is signing with the Patriots, which is amazing. We've just been waiting for this trade to happen. Do you think it will actually happen? No.

You don't. You're right. We've been waiting. It's almost getting annoying. Shouldn't the Eagles just come out and say, like, we're trading them or we're not? They're just too good. They're good at their job, right?

There's really no leaks. It's all just speculation. Yeah. I mean, look, again, Howie has said he's a great player and you don't trade away great players. Obviously, though, there has been building discontent there.

You look at AJ and he had his best seasons under Mike Frable. In fact, Mike Frable fighting to keep him in Tennessee was part of the static that lost Mike Frable's job. That's how much they believe in each other. So the staff is saying, sorry, if AJ Brown's traded after June 1, the cap hit goes down from 40 to 16. So maybe we just... It's 47 million if they trade him now.

If they trade him, the dead cat money. if they trade him after June 1st, it's only $60 million. That's such a huge difference. But the problem where they're trading him, what do you want him June 1? Like, the draft has already happened. I guess you'd be looking to next year's draft. Yeah, but also, yeah. And also, you know, you could get, yeah, I don't know.

But the point is, do you want to keep him there? And they've beefed up a little bit their wide receiver court this off season. Yeah. So it kind of almost feels like they're preparing for this trade. And now also with the Jalen Waddle trade, there's a real framework for what you go back and forth because their first round draft picks are almost identical to what Kansas cities were.

So you can pretty much do the exact same trade. So if you think J.O. Waddle and AJ Brown are about worth the same thing to their teams. Those two. You think they're almost equal or no? I mean, I thought Brown's superstar. Waddle, pretty good.

He was the best receiver in that receiver's room in Miami. I was not saying a whole hell sorry, Tua. Apologies. All right, Rachel, with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. All right, coming up next, we'll talk to a former dolphin pro bowler.

A lot of questions about Waddle and Tua and McDaniel. That's next to you on the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called. Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing. a bit for the podcast for people could call in and say, Hey Jonas.

And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumored me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funny. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

people who live them. Listen to SportsSlices on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slico Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levant, this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my. my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Gentile. I mean, she went down in three to.

Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Please join Fox in supporting our troops. From daily needs to global emergencies, you can help us be there for those who serve. You can just scan the QR code that's right there on your screen, or visit go. dot Fox forward slash Red Cross to donate to the armed forces today. All right, our next guest played in the league for a long time for some great coaches, standout offensive linemen, and most importantly, perhaps, he was at the Spurs game last night,

Teran Armstead, former pro bowler in the NFL, stopping by on a glorious Friday in Dallas. Now, Taran, tell me you got front row seats for Wambayama. I've never seen him up close like that. I was like five rows in. Your thoughts on seeing the unicorn? It was unbelievable. Unbelievable experience.

Seeing just him and how he operates, how the Spurs operate as a team. That comeback win last night was special. Me and my son were going crazy. I have an amazing video of the game winner from Wemby Stadium went crazy. I went crazy. I'm not even a Spurs fan. You know what I mean?

The reaction was, it was incredible. Yeah, when you look at an athlete like that, I can't even think of an NFL equivalent, right? Like, there just isn't anyone that big and fast who can move like him and dominate. I don't know, maybe you. You're pretty light on your feet for your size. Obviously, you're not 17. I feel like I was a special athlete.

I think Megatron might be the only person that we can have that conversation about, but this is different. Bro, this is different. Watching this man live, the movement, the quickness, the skill, it's, he's about to own the NBA for the next 10, 12 years. Oh, yeah, wow, okay. All right, big time. All right, let's get to the NFL.

So obviously, you spent a large portion, your career in Miami, New Orleans. Let's start with the dolphins. I've been saying they're tanking for a while. They want a shot at Archmanning or one of the other quarterbacks next year. The Waddle trade surprised me. I don't know, just your thoughts on what the heck's going on in Miami. Yeah, man, it's a lot of financial limitations that the dolphins have. And in order to correct that, you have to be heavily invested in the draft. Because the contracts were slated in a draft, the contracts are more minimal when you get guys later in the draft

or even after the draft, you can, you have more flexibility as far as your checkbook goes. And with the dead money situation they have to his departure, Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, now Jalen Waddle, they're getting rid of the large contracts. That's, in my opinion, that's all I see.

So A. Chan seems to be the last guy left standing. Do you think they end up moving off him too? Or is that just too much? and Willis would have literally nothing to work with? He's not going anywhere. Okay. Yeah, I'm willing to stand firm on that one. Because they get the chance to negotiate a contract in their favor.

This is their style of negotiation. This is the leverage that they have. They create this contract. The others, they had nothing to do with. So I think with that, with this being the case for A. Chan, for Aaron Brewer as well, I think he gets a deal done this offseason. They get a chance to negotiate. these contracts. Yeah, so essentially, you're being politically correct about the former GM who

gave out some really awful contracts. We're not going to call out names here. They did a bad job. I think they know it. I am curious, the Malik Willis contract, you know, it's favorable for the team, obviously. Dolphins fans that I know are kind of split. They think like, okay, maybe he's possibly the answer. And others are like, this is basically Justin Fields with the Jets last year. It's probably not a long-term guy. Where do you stand? we have to see it. We have to see it, man. Malik Willis has such a small sample size.

But in that sample size, we've seen some very, very high moments, very high potential. The ceiling is there. Now we've got to see it on the down-and-down basis, week-to-week basis. But also for Malik, too, get a chance to get familiar with the scheme, get the keys to the offense, to where he's taking the number one reps, and he's with the number one receivers. And you know what I mean? Like, he really gets a chance to get comfortable and fill at home. in a situation, we haven't seen it yet.

So I can't label him as a Justin, Justin Fields or anyone else. We got to see for ourselves what he's going to bring. Now, you know Tua very well. I'll just say, I cannot imagine what the kids going through. Obviously, you're drafted, you're the franchise quarterback, you get the injuries, coach fired, and then ultimately you're gone. And you had your chance, you're gone. He surfaces in Atlanta.

I'm just curious, how do you characterize his time in Miami? and then do you think he's got a shot to unseat pennix in Atlanta? I was able to be in Miami when Tua played his best ball. When he let the NFL in passing, he let the NFL in completion percentage. We had the number one offense. So I've seen the high. I've seen some of the woes too. I've seen the injuries.

I've seen some of the turnovers and misfortune. So his time in Miami was great as far as his ability to show what he's able to do at his best. but the inconsistency is while we're here today and while he's no longer in Miami. In Atlanta, and we got to keep in mind to the guys young. He's still young, 27, 28 years old, he's still young. So a lot. At a quarterback lifespan nowadays, they're playing 40, 41.

Not saying that tool wants to do that or that's the way to his career shake out. But I talked to him on the phone after he signed with Atlanta. He's excited. He's excited for a fresh start for just a, It's a brand, just a blank page, really, I'll say that. He's excited for a blank page to start over and start writing his own story. I was a little surprised that Minnesota was hotter for Kyler Murray than even Tua. I don't, I mean, Tua's had a better career than Kyler Murray.

Obviously, the injuries matter. Were you surprised that Minnesota didn't kick the tires on Tua? No, I think it's more style of play. for Collar and what they're building in Minnesota. They got a lot of deep threat receivers over there, Justin Jefferson. Maybe the best receiver in the NFL. I think Collar with his big arm

and his movement ability allows them more opportunity in that offense for that style of play. In Atlanta, we know who we got in the backfield. But John Robinson is going to get the ball quite a bit. Got bigger targets, Kyle Pidge, Drake London. You know what I mean? so that offense fits Tua style a lot more.

I need to ask about one other guy who you spent time in Miami with. Mike McDaniel, he did not get a head coaching job. He's going to be the OC of the Chargers, interesting, going from Tua to Justin Herbert, two totally different quarterbacks who were drafted right next to each other back in the day. I'm curious, where are you on McDaniel? I think previously on the show you had said some interesting stuff on him. You said you talked to Tua.

Have you talked to McDaniel? I haven't talked to Mike. I haven't talked to Mike. I'm excited for Mike. I think this is a beautiful opportunity for him. I think the Chargers have the ideal pieces for his offense to flourish and to be a dominant force. I truly do. If the O-Lyman can come back healthy, Rishan Shlater, Joe Alt, they sign Tyler Beaudish.

If the O'Lahomber can come back healthy or Marion Hampton, if he can come back healthy, this is an ideal situation for the style of offense Mike McDaniel wants to orchestrate. And then adding Justin Herbert, his ability, what he was able to do last year, without having much protection from the O'Line due to injury, it's scary. I really feel that way. This charges offense could be elite. Wow. So do you think they got a shot to win the division?

I mean, I know the Chiefs will see with Patrick Mahomes returning, but Denver number one seen the AFC last year. But you seemed bullish on McDaniel and Herbert, huh? Listen, I think that's a perfect match. I do. I think we will be pleasantly surprised at the way that that offense works this season. With those weapons, the way that it is built, the size that they have, I think that offense will be special. Would I give them the division?

I won't go that far. Not yet. I love what Denver is doing still. And the Waddle trading and getting Jalen Waddle from Miami, in my opinion, we get Bo Nix healthy. They're the favorite. Wow. Now, did I hear we are you, I know you're friendly with Sean Payton, knowing him from your Saints days, but I'm assuming you think Peyton and Waddle are going to cook here? I think Peyton and Waddle are going to cook for sure. I think Bo Nix, man, what he was able to do in year two,

the progression that he made, how he evolved in his, in his career, especially in the postseason. And me and you went back and forth now. If you don't remember this, we went back and forth. When you dropped your quarterback rankings, I had a lot to say. Yes. And Bo Nix went out and he went out and showed and proved. He was good. He beat Josh Allen, head to head. Well, you know what I mean?

Josh Allen had a rough game, right? That's fair. Listen, listen, we talked about this, bro. I love it. Okay, yeah. So I think Bo Nicks, him continuing his progression is why I'm so high on the Broncos. Interesting. So do you think, I mean, listen, let's be real, the AFC top quarterbacks, Alan, no order, Alan Jackson, Mahomes, Burrow, right?

They're kind of in a separate tier. Do you think Knicks is in like tier two with like Stroud and Trevor Lawrence and Herbert and that caliber? I think Mahomes is in his own tier. Oh, you have him above Jackson and Allen? I put Patch Mahons along. Okay. I put him along. I put the next three together.

I do. And then I will put Trevor Lawrence, Bo Nix, those guys in that next class. I think Bo might be the first to get out of that class and enter into Tier 2. So if I told you to Ron, hey, Bo Nix or Justin Herbert, who you take it for your squad, you would take Bo? I feel like I can't lose either way.

Oh, wow. I feel like I can't lose either way. You know Sean Payton. know something. Let me wrap up last question here real quick. So the Ravens back out of the Max Crosby trade. I know a lot of players were talking about this. Did you talk to anyone specifically? Were you stunned by this?

Yeah. I talked to Trey Henderson. He's actually, he'll be on my show. This week, this upcoming week, Tray Henderson, will be on the set, you all. So please get over there. But he talked about it in real time, too. He took me through the chronological

order of how everything happened. And him and Max were excited to play together. That was the plan. They were going to be on the same D-line. And then everything happened with Max in the physical through the injury concern. And it happened fast, too.

It changed fast. And Tray signed his deal. And instead of him and Max is him. But he noted a lot of other guys on our defense that made him want to go over there, Rokane Smith, Kyle Hamilton, Barlin Humphreys, all those guys. So he really wanted to go to Baltimore.

He thought Max was going to right before he signed and then he got the news. So it kind of all happened really fast. Interesting. I look forward for that podcast to drop. All right, Tehran Armstead, great stuff as always. Congrats on beating the head-to-head and bow next Josh Allen. We'll talk to you soon, buddy. Thank you, bro.

All right. Interesting. So was that well-known, Rachel, that Hendrickson and Crosby were going to play together? Maybe I missed that memo. I mean, she said he's got the inside school. afford that. Yeah. That would have been pretty nasty.

We've heard from a bunch of insiders that it's because Henderson became available that they started to back out of the Max Crosby's trade. Remember Mark Schleros said yesterday, like, if they need him, he passes the physical. If they don't need him, he doesn't pass the physical. So I don't know. I'm not inside on that. But we've seen that happen in sports before. I'm not going to lie.

Coming up next, top five NBA MVP candidates. You know Luca, he's won. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts, Presents Soccer Moms.

So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later,

we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer?

Oh, they hit a bogo. Well, then you got them. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season.

And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to fupas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try.

So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to how hard can it be with Deanna. Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.