The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Breaking News

Episode Date: April 17, 2023

Colin's thoughts on the opening weekend of NBA playoff games This is who Russell Westbrook has always been BREAKING NFL NEWS where Eagles QB Jalen Hurts signs a contract extension to become the highest paid player in the leagueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All right, here we go on a Monday. Man, there's breaking news. We got all sorts of stuff. Thanks for stopping by live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. One hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both.

Jalen Hurts in the last 15 minutes and the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to a new contract. the most remarkable part of it, which isn't that remarkable, 75 million of it is not guaranteed. Lamar Jackson, are you watching? 75 million for a quarterback who if he was on the market right now would have six, seven teams after a minimum. Lamar went on the market, crickets. Hey, not available December, January. You don't have a market. So I watched Jalen Hertz in the Super Bowl.

there'd be a lot of teams after him. 75 million of it, not guaranteed. Congratulations to Jalen Hertz, but the message to Baltimore, Lamar's price just went up, Colin, up. He's done it better for longer.

All right, let's start with this. I thought it was interesting last night. Russell Westbrook went three of 19. That's the worst playoff shooting performance since Russell Westbrook previously. If you'd never seen Russell Westbrook play a game and you described him to friends, just give him last night's tape. He was three for 19 and wouldn't stop shooting.

Classic Westbrook. Yet his energy and hustle were indispensable. That's Westbrook. He also got into it with a fan. That's Westbrook. Right in the middle of the game, he's yelling at a fan. Westbrook remains one of the NBA's best athletes. He is a walking Red Bull.

He is non-stop energy. He led the Clippers in offensive rebounds and blocks. He's a guard. He was all over KD early and he was all over Devin Booker late. He plays harder more consistently than any player I've ever watched in the NBA. I've never seen anything like it. And that has real value. Now he can't shoot and he's a guard and most can shoot.

So that can be a real minus. He got into an incredibly so Westbrook, ugly stretch on the third where he wouldn't stop shooting. and he couldn't hit anything short mid-range deep and he just kept going and going and he kept shooting and shooting and finally the clippers took him out and then they went on a stretch outscored Phoenix by he was on the bench they had to get him off the floor and yet late in the game his defense rebounding and energy is why they won and both can be true he gets in the way offensively and he is relentless and capable of staring a game in your direction in other facets of the game. Both can be true.

Now, it's also true that he wears people out over time. People with big energy can. What is this is his 15 and 5 years? But I've never seen a Westbrook game that was more Westbrook. He doesn't play with a ton of self-awareness. He just wouldn't stop shooting in the third. Phoenix went in a big run. They took him out.

then the Clippers immediately went in a big run. But they don't win that game without him. His play at the end of the game against Devin Booker, I'm just saying recent memory, that's the best defensive play I've seen in the NBA in a long time in a big game. That has good a defensive play to block an All-Star Guard, remain viable and focused on the play as Booker complains with the official,

grab it and throw it off Booker. That's the ball game. why didn't Bucker shoot a three? That's another story. But that's as good a defensive play as you're going to see in this league. And it's who Westbrook is. And he can't shoot. And he lets fans get into his head.

And he can get in the way. Here's Russ after the Clipper win. At this position, you know, humbly speaking, nobody better rebounder to me. My whole career, man, I've been proud myself every season to do everything. I think I'm one of those guys I can do everything each and every night like I've always told you guys

whatever is needed of me to win the game, I'll do it. It's interesting. I almost feel like because he was shooting so poorly, Westbrook said, I got to produce here. I got to do something on the defensive end because a lot of times Westbrook doesn't show up defensively. Yesterday was fantastic.

He was all over Katie early. He was over Booker late. But that game, in a nutshell, is Russell Westbrook. And both things can be true. He can get in the way and he can be invaluable. It's okay. Two things, your brain can work this way. Two things can be true at the same time.

How about the Lakers? You know, one of the great gifts of the best players ever, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, LeBron James, just to name two or three of them. is they understand basketball. They're very smart. And LeBron James showed you a lot about his intelligence yesterday. He's 38. He gets tired. He gets ugly turnovers. He takes a lot of long, uninspiring three-pointers, which can be, at times, I think it's, when you don't have your legs, that's the easiest shot.

But now some of it, LeBronzo was a victim of LeBron. He shot 50% from the field. He had over 20 points. He had five assists, three blocks. We're all like, I didn't play that well. that's a really good game for 90% of NBA players ever. But in the fourth quarter, LeBron had three points. He had one shot and no assists. He's 38 years old, and you could see it.

But this is where he's a little anti-Westbrook. He's got great self-awareness. He pulled back. Rui, shoot at young man, nine points. Reeves, control the offense, 14 points. AD, six points, two blocks. this is where LeBron really shows another layer of greatness. He knows what he is, but he also knows what he's not.

And he's not going to be in the fourth quarter a guy you can put the entire offense on. He knows he needs performers around him. He knows what works with this game. He knows what he needs. And so LeBron, to some degree, was a little gassed in the fourth quarter. And he lets others at 38 years old with one of the highest basketball IQs of my life, he lets others take control. That is a real thing.

It's my biggest knock on Westbrook. He lives in a tunnel. LeBron doesn't. LeBron like Magic Johnson. He knows what he is. He knows what he's not. And he leans into others. I mean, Austin Reeves is undrafted.

And LeBron had no problem stepping back. Now, in December and January, when AD was hurt, LeBron needed to carry the team. Back then, the roster was a mess. It was before Rob Polinkin did his magic. it was a mess. So LeBron had to step up in December and January. Remember the minutes he was playing?

It was insane at his age. But I thought it was so interesting. On the road, they know they don't want to get into a long series with Memphis. Memphis is younger. Memphis has a lot of depth. They don't want to get into a long series. This was a crucial game for the Lakers. And here in the fourth, LeBron pulls back, let Austin Reeves control the offense.

And for the record, there are arguments to be made at times. very effective running this offense and LeBron being a little bit off ball. But LeBron now at this age and a lot of stars do not age gracefully. That was a graceful fourth quarter. Go all in when needed. Gracefully step back when not. And LeBron has no problems after the game saying Austin Reeves is why we won. It's not surprising to me.

I knew from the first practice that we had when we grabbed him that wasn't going to be long. He wasn't going to be a two-way player for long. And then a couple of weeks went by, I knew he was going to get a guaranteed contract at some point. I just know I've been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players. And I know the type of players that fit with my game. And I knew Austin will be that. So there is a lot of NBA to talk about. We'll do that throughout the show.

One more time, Jay Mack will have it. Bottom of the hour, Jalen Hertz has signed an extension with the Philadelphia Eagles. It is a lot of money, makes them the highest paid player from the moment. You know how it works in the NFL, the next big contract. He'll be the highest paid guy in the league for six weeks, eight weeks. But to me, the key in the Jalen Hertz deal, $75 million is not guaranteed. And this is somebody who had one of the great. Super Bowl performances of all time and has been much healthier than Lamar Jackson.

What did they do? They rushed to sign him. They rushed to sign him. Why isn't Baltimore? Because they're both great organizations. Eagles, Ravens. They're both great organizations. And both players have been successful.

The difference is Lamar, according to reports, wants more guaranteed money or all. Lamar's struggling now to stay healthy at all. And Lamar doesn't have an agent. Jalen Hertz has clutch sports. Jalen Hertz is more available. Jalen Hertz would have had a bigger market had he gone to the market. So anybody complaining about Lamar Jackson, there are reasons, not excuses. Lamar's struggling to stay healthy.

He doesn't have an agent. I don't even know how I'd negotiate stuff without an agent if you're an NFL player. You have endorsements. You have team stuff. You have stuff with the league. He doesn't have an agent. And so Jalen Hertz. This is how you do it.

There are some things, I know everybody loves the garage band and the wild artist. Sometimes you have to do things that are kind of boring and mundane and common and typical. If you're a pro athlete, don't use a cousin or a parent. Get an agent. They're professionals. I know you can floss your teeth or go to a dentist too, like they're professionals. Like not having an agent is hurting Lamar. Jackson. Because by the way, Jalen Hertz been dinged up a little bit. Jalen Hertz doesn't have an

MVP. Jalen Hertz and Lamar don't have Super Bowls, but why do the Eagles get it done so quickly? Because Jalen can do football, can have his agency, clutch sports, do the work. These teams, you know, they want to deal with agents. They don't want to deal with parents and friends. It's difficult. So happy for Jalen Hertz, but $75 million is not guaranteed, which is not a knock on Jalen Hertz clutch sports or the Eagles. That's very common with the star quarterback. You're going to get rich. You're going to get paid. They prefer to pay you a little early to get a little bit of a team-friendly deal. That's good for everybody too. By the way, that's good for Jalen Hertz because they can give more players. It's good for the Eagles. They can get more players. It's okay if a player doesn't

take every penny. But $75 million for as good as Jalen Hertz is. Right now, there's arguments to be made Aaron Rogers out of the AFC. Who's the best quarterback in the NFC? You can certainly argue Jalen Hertz is on a short list of players right near the top. 75 mil, not guaranteed. All right, good stuff. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

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

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where

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

wherever you get your podcasts. So something else about the Laker Win, and I've been on this for a long time. I don't believe that dynamic and spectacular and vertical point guards, small guys, lead you to championships. I think when you get to April, May, and June, it's about big bodies, rim protectors, wings, and power guys. That doesn't mean that Steve Nash wasn't fun, and John Wall and Trey Young and Derek Rose and John Morant aren't really talented. They're not leading you to titles.

I don't buy it and I never have. I like John Moran a lot. He's a highlight player. He's wildly spectacular. But the Lakers had their biggest best quarter of basketball in the third quarter, and John was on the floor. I don't want to hear about excuses. Steph Curry has always understood this. People always bang on Steph Curry.

Well, why did he step back with Kevin Durant? Because Steph's smarter than almost anybody that's ever played the game and realized. Even Steph Curry, the two best teams he's ever been on with the Warriors, included a long guy, Kevin Durant. It's the NBA history. You have to go back. When Steph won the finals MVP last year, it was the first time since Tony Parker did it in 2007. But people fall in love with spectacular and highlights. It doesn't win titles.

It doesn't. And so you can make excuses. Well, John Morant got hurt. Well, we hope he's okay. But the Lakers had their best quarter of the year maybe he was on the floor. And they led by four when he got hurt and had a charging foul. The Lakers were winning that basketball game. they were winning that game.

They rebounded better. They had better rim protection. They had bigger bodies, healthy bodies like AD, and that's the difference. And I've heard a lot of excuses about, well, if jaw this and jaw debt, there's a reason the Lakers were favored in the series. As a seven seed, going on the road, home court disadvantage against the Grizzlies. The Lakers were favored in the series on the betting market. We like the Lakers. Why?

because we know what wins in May, June, and July. Anthony Davis, not having to face Brandon Clark or Stephen Adams, wins. John Morant was on the floor. They trailed when he got hurt. And I think this is really the difference between and why Steph Curry. This is a great example of why Steph Curry is so great. A lot of these spectacular guards, people fall in love with them and teams build around them. And Steph Curry may be the heart and soul of this team.

One of his best friends is Draymond Green, the best. defender the last 10 years. He opened up his arms to Kevin Durant, realizing I can't be the number one all the time. It's like these spectacular running quarterbacks. Everybody loves them in September and October pre- Thanksgiving. Lamar's not healthy at the end of the year. A lot of those running quarterbacks are great highlights. Are they available late? Playoff basketball is different basketball. The Knicks won this weekend. Yeah, Jalen Brunson was great. They won because of rebounding. They had more points on second efforts than anybody in the entire weekend. The Knicks.

The Clippers won on defense, hustle points, getting in the way of KD. You start looking around the NBA. The Lakers won. Lakers have the most spectacular plays? No. 11 blocks. Rim protection. Points in the paint.

I like John Morant. I really do. And I always have, and he's going to be a Hall of Famer. but I think sometimes we fall in love with the spectacular. He is literally 174 pounds. And because nobody's allowed to hand check for the last 15 years in the NBA, nobody can stay in front of these guards. Nobody can stay in front of a John Wall or a Derek Rose or a John Morant.

You can't stay in front of him. So when he collides with Anthony Davis, that's somebody that weighs like 60 pounds more than he does. I don't know exactly how many pounds Anthony Davis weighs, but it's significantly more than 174 pounds. and so I think the Lakers won game one. I think they're going to win the series. Some of it is.

Memphis is now really, really banged up. But I always felt this would be a Lakers series as long as LeBron and AD could play in every game. They are what wins, wings, wings big bodies in the postseason. Here's Jolly after. Especially, you know, with everything I've been through pretty much, you know, this season. my main focus was to be out there for my guys another incident where that's pretty much in jeopardy

yes Memphis is falling apart this is part of it but you notice a team that was virtually unbeatable at home in the regular season is now down 0 and 1 at home in the postseason regular season regular season basketball and postseason NBA it's two different sports. Like March Madness, it's more intense. But college basketball in December and January, it's intense too.

College guys play hard. NBA, flip a switch. Referees swallow the whistle. It's big bodies and wings that win you a series. J-MAC with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Let's start with this Jalen Hertz extension.

A lot of funny money comes out initially when people see. Five years, $255 million. Oh my gosh, highest paid player ever. We've been doing this long enough. We know that's not the reality, okay? This is the number that matters, Colin. 179 million guaranteed. Yeah.

According to Albert Breer, that's $10 million less than Kyler Murray got a year ago. Yeah. So it's a team-friendly deal? Yes. More team-friendly. Apparently so, so far. The first no trade clause in franchise history, that's good for Jalen Hertz. Yeah.

And it seems like, do you think Jalen Hertz should be cool with getting less money than Kyler Murray got guaranteed? 10 million less. Now I get, 179 was 189. Would he take the 10 million and play for that organization? There used to be something in local news. When I was in local news, the Phoenix market never paid. Why?

Because you didn't have to cover real while. You barely had to work. You could golf all afternoon. The reality is you're going to get a little less money to work with a better organization, a better owner, a better roster. I would always take, there's a sea of money in the world. For talented people, there's not a sea of great management. There's not that many great owners in the NFL. There's not many Howie Rosemans. There's not many rosters like this. Too many people in the media, forget fans, fanatics, I get it, but too many people in the media are young and don't get this. Do not take the most money. Go find the best management. Philadelphia is an elite organization. Hell yes, I would take 10 million less than Kyler Murray. Would you want to be Kyler Murray now? Well, wait a second. They just got an F.

Free agents voted and players vote Arizona F in terms of facilities and how players are treated. It's not all about the money. At some point, you'll have to make a decision in your life at some point. You want to work for a better company? Or have a second car. Or can't drive two cars at once. Colin, isn't there a middle ground? Yeah, there is.

Where you can take all the money and work for a great organization that's going to build a title contender around. No, no, no. Because we know that's not true. We know that if you take the most money, Aaron Rogers, Russell, Wilson, you aren't Drew Breeze for a while. You can't have it both. This idea, you can have everything in life.

If you want to be a CEO of Apple, you can't go to every one of your kids little league games. We all make sacrifices. If you want to have a better team, Mahomes and Jalen Hertz and. Tom Brady and Drew Brees late in his career were smart enough to figure this out. Do you want to be surrounded with better players? If you do, then you can't take the Aaron Rogers Green Bay deal. You can't. You don't get everything in life.

You're going to have this decision within time, and somebody's going to offer you more money. Good luck. I've said this a thousand times the young broadcasters. There's a sea of it if you're talented. But there are 5 to 10% of managers are really, really good. Okay. The money all cashes. The money got to stay green as they say, money's fine.

But you'll be unhappy within six months. If Jalen Hurts said, no, I'm not going to do this. I want to go to somebody you'll pay me Arizona or any organization. Wouldn't be happy. What are you going to do? You're too busy in the season to have a 13th car. It doesn't matter. Okay.

I mean, that's young people just want the stuff. Jalen's smart enough to realize it's about winning football games and being part of an amazing organization. I want to agree. with you fully, but I just can't get there. So Colin, let me ask this. We like to spin it forward. Lamar Jackson seized this contract. He took Jalen Hertz off one season.

We like Jalen Hertz, but we'd agree. He did this off one season. Remember, when they got to the playoffs last year or two years ago, and they got smoked by Tampa, like Jalen Hurts was a running quarterback. Okay? So one season, he got paid. Lamar Jackson has done it longer and we would argue better. He was an MVP.

Who's better today? Jalen Hurts. Off one season? Who would you take today? one season? I would take Jalen Hertz today over Lamar Jackson. Oh, I don't know. Jalen Hertz. I like Jalen Hurt a lot, but what are you basing this on? Because it's health? No, no, no, no. No, no. I said last week, I would rather get one more year of Jalen Hertz to prove this is it. Right, right, right. But if you're asking me to make a choice this morning, and I like

Lamar Jackson, I would take Jailen Hertz. So what does Lamar tell, I would say his agent, but what does Lamar tell Baltimore about this deal? Hey, I see that Jailen Hertz got the biggest money ever, which is fake. What should Lamar say his guaranteed number is that he wants to hit, that he wants it guaranteed? Well, I would say, we're the Baltimore Ravens. We are not the Philadelphia Eagles. We don't care what other people do.

The bottom line is you have started and finished one out of the last 12 games in December and January. Honestly, you could be great. If in the fall, when our ratings matter the most, if you're just not available, and you say, well, the other show, I'd be like, yeah, you're not here. Bummer. He is, you're not. Bottom line is, the number one skill in this league, Tom Brady practiced how to fall and get sacked.

Eli Manning, Brett Farr, mostly Russell Wilson. They're there every Sunday. You've got to be available for me, despite all your highlights. Are you available? Kyler Marie now, not available. Lamar Jackson, not available. I mean, you got to be playing on. Sunday. I don't care how talented you are. So you're saying Lamar doesn't have a right to ask for

more than what Jalen Hurts. No way. No way. Jalen hurts. Lamar went to the market. Nobody offered. He didn't technically go to the market. Because he had these stupid demands and he doesn't have an agent. Well, nobody knows what he wants. Does he have an agent today? He's embarrassing. He's doing a terrible job. Yeah. We're going to have to read this. This is literally I've just put you through an eight-minute business class. I hope you took something from it. Not me. just because you're a hard-charging tough deal maker. But if I'm Lamar, I'd say, okay, you know what? You don't want to pay me?

Fine. Go find yourselves a franchise quarterback. I'm out. Enjoy what's it? Huntley? Snoop Huntley, is that the backup in Baltimore? Enjoy it. I put you guys in position to make the playoffs every year.

And then if I'm hurt and he's in, good luck. Have fun with that. Next up, Janus and the Bucks. They lose game one to the heat. Janus left early with a lower back strain. A lot of weird people on the internet are. like, we need to remove the charge from the NBA. Oh, stop.

What are we talking about? That's silly. Anyways, Lamar heard his back. Budenholzer said X-rays were clear. I don't. Maybe that's the same as negative. And they'll monitor, they hope Janus can play in-game two. I took a lot out of like Warriors Kings and Lakers Grizzlies.

I couldn't believe how well Miami played. Well, it was a little fluky. I mean, the bucks were shook without Janus and then Miami hit 60% from deep. I know. They hit up. So Kevin Love. Did you see the game Kevin Love had? So he played in the play-in game against the Hawks three minutes.

Yeah. Three minutes. And they were like, oh, he's unplayable. He had four threes and had 18 points. It was just fluky stuff. Okay. The heat are not winning the series, are they? I agree with you.

Tyler Hero, how many? But I don't think you can be a pro athlete and have a great game and call it fluky. I think what happens is these teams that play in the playing the playing games and they win, and they come off a win, they got a little bit of momentum. They're feeling good. And then, you know, Milwaukee's sitting around and waiting and waiting and waiting. in those first halves. I mean, how dead was Phoenix in the first half?

Well, I have some theories. I mean, I'm not saying, I mean, I guess my point is, it's amazing to watch some of these playing games, how energized certain teams are in the first quarter. Like, I think... Minnesota last night, I don't know if anybody watched it against Denver. Nip and tuck first quarter. And then I saw Minnesota wearing down second quarter,

instant auto bet in-game. Denver wins by like 40. Right, right, right. But some of these playing teams, like a Miami, is that they have a little juice and a little momentum, and they come in, and Milwaukee's been sitting around for a few days, and they out play them. And I think Phoenix and the Clippers, now, those teams weren't playing teams, but it really, it didn't affect the Clippers.

They played with great energy. But Phoenix was like Country Club on it for the first quarter. They just had no energy on the floor. And so the layoff for those two teams, it clearly affected Phoenix. They played with no energy in the first quarter. Not too hot of a take, but Monty Williams of Phoenix had the worst coaching job of anybody. over the weekend. It's terrible.

By the way, last six and a half minutes, KD had one shot. Monty, call a timeout, set up plays, demand it. I missed the first quarter of that game because my men's basketball team was winning in the semifinals. We're in the championship this week. I think you're coming to it, right? Nope, not available that day. Final story, the U.S.FL season kicked off this weekend with all eight teams in action.

Jags coach Doug Peterson was at the Michigan Panthers Houston Gamblers game to watch his son, Josh play and he gave the league a lot of praise. Good stuff. I've been impressed with it. This is a great opportunity for all these players to really, you know, not only showcase their talent, but I think also get on tape. You know, that's one thing I've really encouraged my son to do is just get on tape, right? Get meaningful reps.

And that's what all these guys are doing because one day they're trying to get back to the NFL if they can. Fun weekend football, basketball. I'm sure you had a little steak dinner Friday night. It was fun. Yeah? Nice event. Exciting. Great weekend.

Listen, I've said, spring football's going to work eventually. Now, Vince McMahon pulled the plug once, then the COVID disrupted it. It's going to work. And I think USFL is the league that's going to work. Now with legalized betting in America, people are looking for a football bet in April and May.

They are. J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Yeah, I try to teach J-Mac all these lessons in life. If he doesn't want to listen, that's okay. But just ask yourself this. Right now this second, forget what had previously happened. Right now that, because a lot of

restaurants were good two years ago, are they good when you book the restaurant for your wife's anniversary tomorrow? Is the restaurant good tonight? I don't care if you want a Zagot Award five years ago. Are you good tonight? This minute, I would take Jalen Hertz over Lamar Jackson. I don't care about two years ago. A lot of things were great two years ago. A lot of these tech companies growing to the sky two years ago. Then the world changed. Like this second, today, now, I'm taking Jalen. First of all, I think he's more focused. He's got a real agent. He's not hurt as much. I still think he's an ascending player. Can't say that about Lamar. This moment right now, I would take Jalen over Lamar. And I think Jalen is a great example for all young people out there.

He's focused on football and let clutch sports and the people that do that do his business. Don't negotiate your own contract. Keep your eye on the thing. Keep the thing the thing. Like LeBron's had one bad year that I really banged on him when he first came to L.A. the first year, he was way into basketball, way into basketball's whole life. And his first year in L.A., it was more about his production company. And he got keep the thing.

thing, the thing. Let your other people run the other stuff. When it comes to negotiating, I told you about when I sold the big lead, the website, right? Yes, yes. So I had a company that won it, a great management. They offered me good money. And then at the last minute, two media members, you know both of them. I think we've talked about this. They came in, no, no, Jason, we've got stuff. We got this. We'll be able to come with more money. I said, no, I'm going with these people who I trust the management. And I think that's a good point you made on Jalen Hertz. Like, Philadelphia has their stuff together. You see that dumpster fire in Arizona right now?

Buda Baker asked for a trade. He said, get me out of here. I'm not staying. They gave Kylo Marie all the money. He has all the power. And now he's hurt. So you've got to be careful where you go with your business. Listen, I have in my entire life, I've, nobody cares about this.

But I've negotiated 12 different contracts in my life. And I've had somebody else always do it. I'm not smart enough to do it. I've absolutely in my life at times given somebody a bit of a discount because I trust management. Absolutely. said you know what i'll take 10% less just give me my space keep supporting us like if you're just looking for a payout congratulations because bad companies often have to overpay to get you never forget that the good companies you know sometimes when they have leverage and power

they won't pay you quite as much but that's because you're benefiting from that now they're obviously there are if you're selling a company and somebody's offering you this month and that much and you're 59, 68, 72 years old, maybe you should just take the money and go to the beach. That's different. But for a young ascending athlete, young ascending musical artist, entertainer, like that you're going to have a window, right, like what you want is great management because that money's not going to be that impressive. Money is fine, but if you're really gifted at what you are, it doesn't matter if you're an actor, a lawyer, you're busy working. You're not going to be able to enjoy all your money and you already afford nice vacations.

So what does it matter if you have, you know, you already fly private. Jalen Hertz is not flying commercial. He's already flying private. He's probably got a couple of nice cars home. He's already got a great life. Jalen gets the value of, yeah, I could hold out and, but the dude's got total franchise momentum. It's like clutch. Let's get it wrapped up.

I've got to take a little bit less team friendly. I win, they win. We all win. We all love each other. You don't want anybody resenting anybody after a, if you take the most money a lot of times, They resent you. Then the building feels different. The Eagles win here.

Jalen wins. Clutch sports wins. Everybody wins. This Philadelphia franchise right now in the NFC, I don't see anything getting in the way. They're drafting well. They're developing well. They've got to start quarterback.

Just protect Jalen Hertz. You're going to have a nice half-decade minimum. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. This is Steve Kavino. And Rich Davis. And together we are Covino and Rich. Kavino and Rich.

Thanks, buddy. That's right. Kavino & Rich, Fox Sports Radio's newest hit show. Heard weekdays from 5 to 7 Eastern 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Every Kavino and Rich show is available as a podcast. Just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and subscribe. I'm such a rocking dude. The show features our unique take on sports,

injected with some fun, humor, and relatability. Listen to Kavino and Rich five days. a week on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Covino and Rich, give me your hell, yeah. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health,

purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday on Fox, some of baseball's best show out in an early season showdown as Pete Alonzo and Francisco Lindor lead the Mets against Brandon Crawford and the Giants,

or Bruce Robare and the White Sox battle, Randy Arizenoza and the dominating race. It all begins Saturday at 4 Eastern on Fox. Colin Wright, Colin Rowe on top of next hour. Absolutely loaded today. So it is kind of an interesting trend. Kevin Durant going into the playoffs had not lost a regular season game since November. And yet he's lost seven straight playoff games.

Coincidence, maybe, maybe not. obviously playoff games, better defenses, better coaches. But I would say this. I didn't think the sons were ready to play. I think the time off, they took too much time off. KD wasn't playing last couple of regular season games. They just had too much time off. They got buried early.

It happens. And it's also a cliche, but when you watch the game beginning to end, it did feel like the clippers just kind of wanted it more. And they were playing with incredible intensity. But KD had fewer shots in this game. then DeAndre Aiton. That can never happen again. And he also, in the last six and a half minutes of the game,

had one shot. Monty Williams, not good. Bad coaching afternoon for Monty Williams. You cannot allow that to happen. You call timeouts. Bark from the sideline. You can't be just observing a game. You've got to be into the game.

And listen, it's hard to be the perfect coach. but I thought, and Chris Paul, that's on you, KD. Now, KD and his history has done this before, where he will allow kind of a young energetic, a smaller, pesky, energetic guy, Patrick Beverly, or a Russell Westbrook to kind of get in his kitchen, get up on him, and bother him. Remember Pat Bev back in 2019?

Remember that KD is part of Golden State? And Pat Bev gets in his face. He took only, uh, Katie took only eight shots in the game. You know who I am, Kevin Durant after the game. Well, from that point forward, KD, average 41 and a half points a game in the series. But he did let Pat Bev for a couple of games disrupt him. He let Westbrook yesterday, absolutely, inarguably disrupt him. You can get physical, you can get in his space, you can get him off his game.

But he will bounce back. That's what KD does. This is a long series. I still like the Sons. Here was KD after. I got to get him credit for playing good defense, but I think we missed some good shots there in the first quarter, and we was able to get it going there in the second, third quarters. We definitely like to have better starts, but sometimes that happens, and it's about how you bounce back from it. But I think we did a solid job in the second and second and third bouncing back.

So let's talk Warriors. I predicted the Warriors would win in six, but they would probably lose game one to second. Sacramento. This was going to be Marty Grau. Light the beam very loud. So remember, the Warriors, don't overreact on a Monday. The Warriors were in trouble in the finals last year after three games, and then they dominated it. The Milwaukee Bucks in the year they won the title got down twice in the playoffs, 02. There's a couple of reasons why you shouldn't worry about the Warriors. Number one, they adapt and adjust better, in my opinion, than any team in the league for 10 years. They are great at adjusting in a series. Secondly, Andrew Wiggins is just getting acclimated.

Wiggins was gassed. This is his first game in a long time. He missed 23 games at the end of the season, and it was not because of an injury. So he's fine. He just doesn't have his wind yet. In the first three quarters, he had 17 points and shot 58% from the floor. In the fourth quarter, he shot 0%. He was gassed.

So Andrew Wiggins, and we talked about this last week, how much could you get from Wiggins? I have real concerns that in this first round of the playoffs, you can give him about 18 minutes, and that's all he's going to have. And you saw it on display. He was gassed by the fourth quarter. He had a shot in the corner. He didn't have his legs. Now, the good news, having Wiggins back, it gives the Warriors nine really good players

they can lean on. Eight of them, Cominga doesn't count, have a lot of playoff experience. Steph and Clay and Loney and Draymond and Dante de Vigenzo's, a veteran been around the block and Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole. Jonathan Kaminga didn't have a lot of playoff experience, but he's a big body. He gives them depth. And when Wiggins was out, he was able to grow his game and evolve and get better.

So they got nine deep, eight deep that have been around the league for a while. I think they're going to be fine. This is a great adjusting team and it was fairly predictable. The biggest basketball game in Sacramento in like, I don't know, forever and they pulled it out late. Here was

Steve Kerr after. You know, all at all, to come out here, 10 point lead in the second half, did plenty of good things, had a chance to win at the end. I think we're in a pretty good place, but

you know, we just couldn't complete the game tonight, but seven-game series, so we'll bounce back. Yeah. The issue here is how much can you get out of Andrew Wiggins? So the good news is Wiggins now gives the Warriors something they didn't have the last two months, front court scoring. It also allows Draymond Green to roam a little bit defensively where he has no peer. But Wiggins just doesn't have enough win yet to give you four great quarters. So it's just going to be a process. I think Golden State's still going to win this series. Milwaukee lost. I think they're going to win this series. Now, Cleveland lost. I'm not sure they're going

to beat the Knicks for a variety of reasons. That series is the one to keep your eye on. First game losses are not punitive. You can absolutely win a series. This was a fairly predictable game one outcome. There's a lot of reasons why this favors the Warriors over time. They have the better coach. I know Mike Brown won coach of the year. He's been fired twice. Steve Kerr's got four titles. They have guys that have been in the playoffs. Eight of their guys, seven of their nine, actually. You know, Cominga hasn't played a lot in the playoffs. Dante DiVincenzo had that. I don't know how many playoffs minutes he has. It's not in front of me. But you've got a lot of guys with playoff experience. They're also like Sacramento, great at home. They're not going to lose to Sacramento

at a home game. All you got to do is win one game. My guess is Golden State wins game two in the series. It all comes down to how much can you play Andrew Wiggins? Because when he was on the floor, he's a complete difference maker. I talked to Marcus Thompson last night who covers the Warriors for the Athletic. He said in all his years covering the Warriors, it was the best locker room after a loss ever. Everybody in the Warriors locker room was like, Wiggins is back. It totally changes the team. He's a former number one pick. He's one of the great cardio guys in the league, right? The fact that he missed 23 games, came out, and played really well for three quarters. Pretty good indication.

The Warriors are going to be okay. Colin Wright, Colin wrong, start of next hour. If you're planning to do spring cleaning, here's my advice. Clean your house, then protect every inch of it. Go to simply safe, callin.com. No safe like simply safe. Under 10 minutes, put a new security system in. Cavaliers could be in trouble.

Nix? Keep your eye on the Nix. Talk about that next. 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 Smygel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you're not. you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you

get your podcast this is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human