The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Injuries plague Lakers, Miles Simon joins the show

Episode Date: April 6, 2026

Colin Cowherd discusses the devastating injuries the Lakers have suffered to both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and why this has displayed the flawed roster LA has been competing with in a stacked Western Conference.The NCAA Tournament has shown that college basketball is as good as it's ever been Guest: Miles SimonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Thanks for making us part of your day. middle cop from the volume former NFL scout who does a great work for us here and at the volume is joining us drafts a couple of weeks away i think we're all locked in to what we view as a football school michigan which has the best basketball team potentially john in a lot of years here arizona you live down uh for a long time you still do down in arizona wildcats met the conclusion that many have is michigan's not just good are they great right Yeah, not sure Tommy Lloyd saw that one coming. Well, last week there was a game Thursday.

Lakers played OKC. Boy did that turn out to be a disaster. Austin Reeves oblique injury, he's done. Bluka, Dantish is going overseas to get treatment. He's done. And I see all this criticism this weekend. I'm like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I see all this criticism.

Jay, J.J. Reddick, why is he playing him all these minutes? This was the inevitable conclusion. LeBron's 41. J.J. Reddick inherited a completely lobsided roster. He should be up for coach of the year. They have no bench. They can't shoot threes. They can't rebound. They've got

no rim protector. They lack three and D guys in a three and D league. Luca got stretched like a rubber band that had been stretched for weeks to the limit. I mean, Luke is playing 37 minutes, which isn't outrageous for a star, but they had a heavy schedule, 17 March games,

and he led NBA in usage rate by a mile. But again, you've got no bench. And people say, well, Austin Reeves has been banged up all year. Again, he has to. LeBron's 41. And you have no bench and no three-point shooters. And you're a poor rebounding team. Think about this. The Knicks and the Lakers have the same record. But the point differential for the Knicks is 400 times better. Why? Because the Knicks can Barry crappy teams. The Lakers can't. The Lakers are 1 in 10 against the top four teams, so forget beating the good teams,

but they get stretched to the limit against average teams. And that's why I said last week, the OKC loss, you didn't want it to be this, but it was necessary for the new owners to see. This is not a J.J. Reddick issue. That's not what this is. This is J.J. Reddick, you inherit things, right? Sometimes, you know, you buy a company or, you know, you're a principal and you get a job at a new school, you inherit dysfunction. That's what J.J. Reddick, that's where he's at.

So you've got to play Austin Reeves. You play LeBron as much as you can. You have to play Luca because they step off the floor and you run out of points. They have the second worst bench in the league. So it's almost like the Lakers are a sports car and their answer for everything is more power. handling, don't worry about it. Aerodynamics, somebody else's problem. Breaking tires,

as somebody else can worry about it. Let's give us more horsepower. And that's been Rob Polanka's answer until Marcus Smart to everything. DeAndre Aiton, Rui Achimora, offense, offense, offense. And now this was inevitable. Luca usage rates,

I mean, Austin Reeves having to play this many minutes. It's a remarkable. LeBron is still this good. I mean, it's insane. It's Brady with the bucks. You're like, is he still a top five quarterback? So, I mean, in the NBA, the best general managers, like Sam Presti at Oklahoma City, they build rosters with complementary pieces that can win when their star rests and can win

multiple ways. That's not what J.J. Reddick inherited. He didn't build the roster. He should be up for coach of the year for giving them to third in the West. Can't be good teams. Win, but can struggle against middling teams. The Knicks have a point differential. They're like in a different sport.

So they lose to Cooper Flagg and the Mavs last night. And here's J.J. Reddick after. Poor defensive night. And again, we got to figure that out as coaches and give these guys the answers to the test in a better way. You know, in terms of just the rotations, again, you know, just trying to find just, you know, nine guys that can go out there and help us compete. We've got a week left of the regular season and then a week to prepare. And we've got to have the commitment to do it on both ends.

All right. Like many of you, I had Michigan in my single bracket winning the national championship. had them beating Florida, Iowa knocked them out a couple weeks back. I thought Yukon would be good, but I've said all year. I feel like they need another dependable score, but yet it's Yukon and Michigan. And it's interesting, Michigan's really good. They demolished a good Gonzaga team. They demolished Arizona.

They demolished Illinois. They're good. But I'm hearing people say, are they one of the best teams ever? And I would say this, they're just a reminder of how great college basketball was in the 80s and 90s. You go back to 1982 Final Four. It had Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Patrick Ewing, and Drexler, Akeem. I mean, it was like, it's insane. And that's what you used to get all the time.

You don't anymore. But NIL is going to allow more of it. I mean, Yaxel Lenniborg for Michigan should be playing for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging six points a game, first guy off the bench. Instead, he's in college. Why? NIL? it's not perfect, but the quality of college basketball is so much better than 10 years ago

because the players are older. We said this about the Indiana Miami National Championship. It's just when guys stay in longer back in the 80s and 90s, the teams were older. You had stars, Tim Duncan's, Ewing's, staying for three and four years. You know, pre-NIL, the minute you could be drafted anywhere, you were off to Europe. Or you were going to the G League or you were going to the association. So you saw it with Duke and Yukon. Duke had a bunch of 19-year-old five stars.

And in the second half, they got nervous and muscled by veteran Yukon. And that was Arizona against Michigan. Arizona is ridiculously talented. It's all freshmen. Michigan didn't have a freshman starter. So it's not just about talent. It's about weight room. It's about two and three and four years for a Yukon place.

or Yaxel to be in a weight room and get bigger and stronger. As much as we like Cooper Flag, you can see his growth in just one year with NBA nutrition and NBA trainers. And by the way, it's not like Duke is second tier. So I like Michigan tonight. I'd be surprised if it wasn't close. But just to give you some example when you say, well, is Michigan an all-time team? You've got to have perspective.

There was a Houston team that had Akeem, drag. Rexler and Michael Young. Could not win a Natty. There was a St. John's team that couldn't even get to the championship game that had Chris Mullen, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, and Bill Winnington. That was just common in college basketball. So I think Michigan's great, but I think what they are, they're exceptional. But I think what they really are is a reminder of how great college basketball can be

if the NBA doesn't try to marginalize it with the G League. and if the NIL doesn't get changed. The NIL's not perfect, but ratings, revenue, and quality of play is through the roof. Again, I looked it up this morning, the 1982 final four head, MJ Ewing, Akeem Drexler, and James Worthy. And I love Braden Burries, but I'm going to say he's not going to be Jordan.

I'm going to go on a little bit on that one. Here is Michigan coach Dusty May. We've played with great physicality all year. We've done the great job in the weight room. We've done, I think, a real solid job of not beating our guys up in practice, but yet preparing them for the mental and physical wear and tear of these type of games. But it's a mindset. The Big Ten schedule prepared those guys for this.

So the largest point differentials entering the championship game in March Madness. Michigan is sixth. It is not the best ever, but it's really. really, really good. Now, the last four that have done it have won. A Duke had a huge point differential back in the 90s and lost. I do like Michigan. I wish their best player wasn't at about 70%. I think the game's going to be very difficult to officiate. That would be my guess, because the way for Yukon to win, they have to get super physical. They need the whistle. And Michigan is not, Michigan can also play that style. So these are the two.

most physical teams. Coaches have different styles, but they're both big and they're physical. It's amazing to watch Adai Mara, who at UCLA was a really, really good player, great defensive player, average five a game. He's become an incredible offensive

hub for Michigan. I like the Wolverines tonight, and if they do win, let's see, the UCLA women, Big Ten, Indiana, Hoosier Natty, Big Ten, Michigan wins Big Ten. anybody see a theme here?

We got a lot of stuff. Speaking of Cooper Flag, who was at Duke, obviously, last year. Sometimes in our space, our business, the media business, you know, broadcasters can be a little reluctant to be honest because they don't want to be called out if they're wrong. And sometimes you just have to take a swing and let the chips fall. And Cooper Flagg is absolutely what we predicted. very quickly, you're watching him and going, is he better than Jason Tatum?

Yeah, it's okay to have those conversations. This kid isn't just excellent. Are we looking at an all-timer here? I mean, the numbers he's putting up as a teenager. You start looking at the names and the comps. You know, Zion came into the league and put up a couple of games, and you're like, he's putting up will at games. But we always worried about his weight and his commitment

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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. And 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 oh yeah but thanks for remembering

that guys listen to hey Jonas on the iHeart radio app Apple podcast 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 SportsSlice comes in.

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

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices 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.

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Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. Subscribe. Hit that thumbs up icon. and comment away. You ever notice that UCon players ride with their coach? They don't bail to other programs, even if they were offered and they could be more substantial

and get more points. They stay. And players don't bail to the NBA or the G League the minute they could. They stay for Dan Hurley's intensity. It's an old roster. They've got three and four years starters. That's why, to me,

that's why they can beat Illinois and Duke. I think Illinois and Duke have more. talent. I don't think they have the toughness, the maturity. They haven't played in as many big games. I thought Illinois for the first 10 minutes of the first half looked a little out of sorts and kind of nervous. And I think a lot of it is Yukon's culture and Yukon's toughness and experience. Jim Calhoun got crap for his personality and Gino, everybody says is arrogant and Dan Hurley's intensity. They're all cut from the same cloth. They're great. They're smart. They're demanding. And you ever notice their players really like them a lot?

And that is the price for being great. Is that Mike Shosheski, he was rough. You know, Bob Knight was inappropriate often. But, you know, Hurley is one of those guys that I think this is his best coaching job. Michigan's got more talent. Arizona had more talent. I think Illinois's got more talent. I really do.

But he is 7 and 0 as a coach in the Sweet 16. And this has been a team that, you know, a couple of years ago, he had a team that won the national championship. They were blowing out elite teams. I think Purdue was one of those teams. They rolled and it was a great Purdue team. That's not what this team is. I mean, they are all about fight.

They've never needed Dan Hurley's personality at Yukon more than this team. And he talks about it. The year hasn't been a joyride. We haven't been a machine of destruction. We've been a team that's had to kind of grind out games like this. So we're comfortable in a possession game. like that we're a tough program we're a group of fighters you know it's not appealing to everyone i'm

sure there's some people in here you know that it's off putting for you know and but we are a group of fighters we're incredibly tough we've got uh credible will um and we go into these games we're ready for battle and let me tell you something talent isn't the only thing that's intimidating will is intimidating. Discipline and toughness is intimidating. Tonight you have the two most physical teams. Illinois is good. Illinois was intimidated out of sorts. It wasn't until the very end of the game when they had a really nice run with their NBA guys

that you were like, oh, that's the game I thought I was going to see in the last seven, eight minutes. But this, what you're watching with Yukon, it's one of their least talented teams that has a chance to win a national championship. And I lived in Connecticut for 10 years. I've seen all of them. I saw a lot of them live. This team is not just talent. It's coaching, intensity, culture.

I mean, it's funny watching Terris Reed, the big guy. Everybody's like, well, he's not really built for today's NBA. And I'm like, yeah, whatever, he's built for Yukon. He's built for tonight. That's what I know. Here's John Middlecough of the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Okay, Collins, take it with basketball. Let's go to the NBA, where we had a clash of the big man Titans. Wemby and Yokic went at it. They combined for 74 points, but Yokic, he came out on top. Here's what Wembenyama had to say about going head to head with the former several-time MVP. I think it was an amazing game, you know, very fun. One of the most fun games.

I wish we could have closed it up. And my conclusion of this game is, moment is good for us. Anything that happened tonight's good for us. Surrida, it's a team that's actually playing for something right now. So I've had a little bit of playoff lives. Obviously, I really get the best offensive player in the world. So when you come into these games,

you always have to be focused in defense. Yeah, I mean, six, seven different times, Yokic just went right at Wembe, who is in a class now of the best defensive players at all time. And it was a little, you know, it wasn't teacher student, but he is such a gifted offensive player that Yokic over Wembe, you're like, it doesn't look nearly as hard as it does for every other big guy in the league. He sort of controlled. The other thing about this game, John, 49 free throws, teams were 44 of 49.

I went back and looked after the game. I'm like, how many free throws were missed? This was two really, really good teams. Maybe not O KC great, but two exceptional teams. I mean, how many guys in the history of basketball would you say are better offensive players than Nicole Yokic? Less than five? Oh, I mean, their shack was more powerful. Akeem had maybe better feet.

Kareem had the unstoppable shot, but in terms of passing, screening, distribution, he's a better defensive player than people say. I think he's the most gifted offensive center I've ever seen. You know, I was looking at it. Last year, they took OKC to seven games. Yeah. And Aaron Gordon got hurt. They easily could have won that series.

The Thunder are heavy favorites to win it again. And the Spurs have better odds than Denver. I think Denver is a pretty live dog. If they're going to, Aaron Gordon, healthy and Nicole Yokic, I mean, how many MVP's the guy won? He's having one of his best seasons this season. I mean, I think they can win. the championship. I think the one criticism, and it's not a criticism of San Antonio, it's a reality, is they're young. Yeah. And I mean, they haven't made the playoffs. So you're asking a team that

hasn't made the playoffs to win it. Now they got a great culture, ownership. So that part we know. But you start looking at OKC now as a champion in Denver's experience. That's why the Lakers, you know, the Lakers didn't have the bench or defensively to win a championship. But you can see them stealing games. Now the Lakers are done. So it feels like a three, team raised to me in the West. The Spurs kind of feel like that early KD. Russ Hardin group, though their future's a little brighter

because it looks like Wemby's going to be there for a while. Let's move to the NFL. Around this time of year, Colin, we do a lot of talk about who's at offseason activities and who's not there. Typically, the quarterbacks attend. Well, Lamar Jackson for the last several years

has kind of been a no-show, but as many people noticed a couple months ago, they fired their coach. So things change. The new offensive coordinator made it pretty clear. Lamar, we need you here. And credit to Lamar, he's given up $1.5 million the last two years missing these OTAs. He's not giving up that money this year, Colin. He attended today. Yeah, and I think with a new staff, I remember criticizing Aaron Rogers, it's like when you have a new staff and you're in a new place, you got to show up. He's not in a new place. But with a new staff, Jesse Minter, who could be

actually be great. But John Harbaugh, I mean, you're talking like NFL, nuts and bolts. It's like Andy Reid. I can miss a camp with John Harbaugh. I think it's important for him this year, maybe not next year, but this year to be there. I think the Ravens and the bills, I mean, when it's all said and done, we'll pay Josh and Lamar probably combined billion dollars. These guys are in their late 20s, early 30s over the next course of this year and the next couple of years. It's pretty important to get it done. Because if not now, more than likely, especially Lamar the way he plays, it's hard to see him winning a Super Bowl when he's like 38.

You know, now's the time, get Jesse Mentor. I think Grave has bounced back. I think they're going to be pretty frisky. Let's go to your guy, the Broncos. They got all the way to the AFC championship game last year. Obviously, they might have done more if Bo Nix doesn't get hurt. But whatever success they had last season, Sean Payton has made it very clear he wants to deal with a brand new clean slate

heading into this season. It's not let's run it back. Let's understand one thing. It's anything but that. When you win 11 to 13 one score games, like you saw the flip in just one season between Kansas City, it's how do you improve your team? And the better you get,

the harder it is to improve your team. Yeah, I will tell you, that's why I think the Jaden Waddle acquisition, with Cortland Sutton, Harvey, you start looking around at their skill pieces now. Franklin Mims, you're like, yeah, it's time. Like, you're going to have to pay Beau here in a couple years. It feels like, to me, just roster composition. Denver's got the best roster in their division and maybe in the AFC.

Yeah, I think they're going to be a very sexy pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. I think the Waddle, I think why you've got to like the Waddle. model move. Sean's, the offense is his baby. He's utilized a lot of these type guys. You can move them around. But there's a lot of pressure. This is going to be a high price team. They've kind of got over that hump with the Russell Wilson contract. Like you said, they still have the rookie quarterback contract working to their advantage. That's why they could make the move. But they just gave their first and third round pick for a guy. So they're all in right now. Yeah, I mean, Jaden Wall's a very good player. First third is a lot. But I think that also tells you. I mean,

that's Sean Payton basically saying, guys, we got two years to pay Bo Nix. Like, what are we waiting for? Let's go get a certified one or a one A. So, I mean, offensively, I always feel like if you have an offensive coach, like Ben Johnson or Sean Payton, you can overpay. Like, they'll squeeze the most out of the talent. And I kind of feel with Sean Payton, it's, it's, this is validation. He was right about Bo Nix. We can now say he was right about Bo Nix. And his take is, this is what I think the Ben Johnson's are doing too. It's like, hey, I'm going to have to pay Caleb a fortune in a couple years. Load up now.

And the one thing when you close your eyes and you think Bo Nicks at Oregon, the type guys they have, Waddle feels like that type player. So I think he goes and he fits with Bo Nix, getting the ball to him behind the line of scrimmage. But man, Colin, they're going to be a lot of disappointed teams in the AFC because there's only one team that can win it. Yeah. and they're stacked. John with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Ly News. So Dallas beat the Lakers. Lakers season's over. Let's just be honest about it. It's not fair to ask 41-year-old LeBron to score 38 points in playoff games. If they play Minnesota, it'll be a disaster. It'll be a sweep. So Cooper flag lit up the Lakers.

His last two games, he's averaging 48 points, 61% three-point shooting, 92% free throw shoot, youngest active player in the NBA. So, and I said this earlier, is that, you know, there's all these blogs and trolls, and there's so many places to get called out now. And, I mean, it used to be the worst thing possible is your boss got madderia or a letter to the editor

Saturday at your local sports page. Now people can light up the president, connect with Jay-Z. And so a lot of people I notice in my space, like they like qualify their opinions. And with Cooper Flag, I refuse to do it. I said he's going to be better than Jason Tatum. Not his first year.

By his second, you're going to look up and go, oh, he's like Jason Tatum. If Jason Tatum was super aggressive. And I got to tell you, the gap between Tatum and Cooper Flag right now is, is millimeters. Like, it is tiny. And let's just stop the safe taking. I mean, he looks like, I think. think he's over delivered like lebron did like tiger did like otani has none of you thought he would be this good and so it's okay to take a swing put it out there and say yeah he's going to be better than

jason tatum his personality works better and by the way first year in the nba jason tatum averaged about 13 14 points this kid's at 21 and and because dallas has nothing else around him you know you can really sag off on their other players and try to attack Cooper flag. And it just, it doesn't matter. I mean, I remember when he went to Duke. He led Duke in everything. Concanipples there. He leads him in everything. He's 17. He should be a senior in Maine. So, you know, and whenever somebody comes out with a strong opinion, you will often hear, well, that's a lot of pressure. Well, it's mom and dad's job to protect their kid or his agent or his manager. It's not our job. Our job is to tell stories. And the story of Cooper Flag is, that's the best basketball player at 17. I think I've ever seen.

He's the best teenager I've ever seen in the NBA. And we said this when he was in college. He plays real defense. Even LeBron came into the NBA. You had to kind of figure out how to play defense. He's not an elite defender yet, but he's a slasher, a cutter, a left hand. He can spot and shoot. handles both hands. It's like, what am I washing? This isn't a good player. It's not even a great player. I think we're looking at an all-time player.

I think if this kid barring injury, I think you're looking at a 15-time All-Star. I think he's that kind of player. So in people's, and also, can we, this is uncomfortable. It does matter. We have not had a domestic player be an MVP since 2018. James Harden. It matters. I mean, if you had an Italian basketball league, don't you think

they'd want occasionally it'll lead to produce one of their better players? Like it would kind of matter. You know, Canadians root for Canadians when they watch the Olympics on CBC. It's okay. It matters. I mean, we have not had a domestic player be dominant. Even when James Harden won the MVP, you know, he didn't play much defense. He was ball-centric. Is he a great teammate? He was just wildly productive offensively. This kid is, I mean, he is, he is everything. And for the record,

I remember his rookie year he came in. And, and LeBron spotted Luca a week in when he was young. He was like, this Luca guy, it was like in the first week, he's like, that's real. He was even as or more complimentary

about Cooper flagged from the very beginning, LeBron was like, that is legit. obviously special i mean i've seen that all the way back to like the a u days when you know he was coming up in the ranks and playing uh with his team out of main and just doing the things that he was doing on the circuit um so knew he was special from there um and he's just taking that from from you know what he was doing back home to the aAU circuit to duke and now here he's just getting better and better it looks like he loves the game he's putting in the works so he's got better but it's a great

rookie class so he's the first rookie with three 45 point game he's a little bit of he's getting since MJ. Only rookie with back-to-back 45-point game since the merger. Only teenager to score 50 points in NBA history. A teenager. You know, he obviously leads the MAVs and everything. I'm telling you, I really want the MAVs who have the six pick to get Caden Vogler from Illinois. I think it would be just perfect as a teammate. I think they're both. Now, now, now, now, Cateen's not this level. He's really good and he's ascending. But don't be afraid to just say it out loud for anybody to listen to.

This isn't just a great young player. This has the potential. When I watch him play, I'm like, what part of his game needs work? When he's doing left-handed floaties and cutting and slashing and baseline, and it's like, wow. Who knew Maine? I mean, writers of horror movies and Great NBA stars, Maine, as an unexpected caller voicemail, saying you owe back taxes is probably absolutely a scam. IRS impersonators, you know, April, March, April, watch out IRS impersonators.

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What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a 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 and 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 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 Oh no 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 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 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 who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more,

Follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and 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 concerns. I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levan 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 I-Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Now, this won't last long, and Miles Simon was the most outstanding player of the tournament. He is joining us, former assistant coach for the Lakers for a pretty good stay, and he is now Fox Sports Analyst. So, listen, I picked Michigan to win. It wasn't a big swing because of a couple of things. One, they were older.

And I think it matters. I think, you know, Duke really good, young, Arizona, stacked young. Did you notice as a former Arizona wildcat, were you concerned about that youth against guys who have been in that college weight room for three years lifting or bigger and stronger? Were you a little worried about what happened? I was only a little bit worried only because of the Karchenkov Lendabor matchup, which really didn't come to fruition because Lendiborg, you know, hurt his legs,

hurt his knees slash ankle early in the game. But Braden Burries has been, had been doing it all year and been such a stud for this group. So it wasn't as big a concern. But the thing that was concerning to me is Arizona had been like the big bully on the street all season long, like punishing teams in the paint, punishing teams on the glass.

But Michigan has been that same way with Mara, Johnson, Lendeborg, and they were the bigger bully on the block on Saturday night. I mean, that was as impressive of a performance as you's ever seen in a Final Four with the way they did it and how they neutralized Arizona's size and Arizona's like finishing ability at the rim. That was the game changer. Yeah, and you know, it's funny. You know this because back in like the mid-90s and beyond in the 80s, there was a final 4 and 82 that had Drexler

Akeem Michael Worthy Ewing. Guys just came back and now the NIL guys come back. If Yaxel wasn't in Michigan and there was no NIL he'd be coming off the bench or the fifth starter for the Atlanta Hawks.

And it's like, you know, it's like instead college basketball is such a wonderful experience for so many reasons, the coaching, the atmosphere. When you look at Yukon, Listen, Hurley's intense. But the Yukon, it's not the most beautiful campus.

It's, they don't get sometimes Duke recruits. I think the way to win in Yukon is Calhoun and Hurley, is demanding, you know, listen, guys, we have to be more physical. We don't, I mean, that's my takeaway. What is your takeaway? Because I don't think Yukon has Michigan's talent. I don't think they had Duke's talent. They don't, but they find guys that fit within their culture.

and what they want. I saw this thing on Hurley just a few days ago. As a matter of fact, he says, we don't ever look at the rankings. Like, they just go with their eye tests, and then they find out about the individual and the kid, right?

And can he fit into what we do? Like, is he tough? Does he play hard? Can he take hard coaching? And, like, I love that. I love listening to Dan Hurley.

I love his coaching style. Like, the biggest compliment I can give, I have a 12-year-old son who plays basketball, right? I would want my son to play for Dan Hurley. And then you can tell that the players are so bought into him and believe in him. They fight for him tooth and nail. They take to that tough coaching.

But you can also tell that Hurley lifts him up and gives them love after he gets on him and after he coaches him hard, right, which is just teaching ultimately, then the players respond to him in such a positive way. and I was telling the people I was sitting next to on Saturday night, look at how they respond to him over and over again. Like, it's really, really cool to see. Listen, I said, I like new stuff. I think college basketball was great in your day, great in the 80s.

And then I thought it got pretty lean. Guys were going to the G League, guys were going overseas. And I'm like the sport. And if you're any good, you're there. You know, it's like an airport. You're there for a cup of coffee, get on the next flight, leave. NIL's like, no, Zach Edie's going to stay and the Yukon guys will stay. I think the quality now, so I love quality, radio, revenue and ratings are great.

But what I really like is the games are better. The players are older. How do you view the sport right now? I love it. It's at an all-time high. And listen, Colin, I've been in the NBA the last eight years. I'm diving back into college. I always still followed it, even in the NBA.

but man, you hit it right on the head. The talent level is so high. Guys that would normally be drafted in the second round, maybe the late first, talented, talented players. Like you said, they're all coming back. And that's just making the game stronger. Yeah, are they going to different schools almost each and every year? They are because they're going to take more money.

But the talent level is so good across the board. It makes it really fun to watch. It's been the most exciting that it's been in many, many years. And you're seeing this product night in and night out. Big 10, big 12, big east. You know, it doesn't matter. Just deep, deep conferences. SEC.

And it's so fun to watch and people are tuning in. And the numbers are bearing that out, you know, with how many people are watching. So as a kid, I loved the Sonics and I would go to the Coliseum. And then they started playing games in the Kingdom, which was a baseball, you know, it was a baseball football stadium. and I can remember going on the floor one time and thinking, this is weird. It's like shooting baskets in an airport hangar.

So Michigan, Dusty May had his guy's practice. We have some slides of this at the football stadium for depth perception. Now, you could say it's hokey, but what was your interpretation of that? I thought that was awesome. I saw that video clip about an hour ago, and I think that's really smart outside the box thinking by Dusty. May. I played in the RCA dome, now Lucas Oil Stadium for our national championship. And it was different than anything else that you can play in because the depth perception, like the seats are

so, we're so far back. And it kind of messes with your eyes a little bit. And then I'm not going to, I'm not going to lie. Like even during our practice sessions in 97, in the dome, I almost felt a little breeze while you're shooting the basketball. You know, it's like, like playing like, outside in Newport Beach or something like that. But you can see like on that still shot right there, you could see the net was swaying, right? But super, yeah, see the net's like move. It's not straight. It's not straight up and down.

But super smart by Dusty May to try to get his guys adjusted to it. You know, there's nothing like that. And it obviously paid off because they shot the cover off the ball. A lot of them being dunks and layups, but they knocked down a good amount of threes too. Miles Simon joining us, college basketball analyst at Fox Sports. Play, we just mentioned the Italian League about a half hour ago. He was an MVP of the Italian League. And I just like guys playing college now as long as they can.

You know, you were in the NBA for a long time with the Lakers for several years. And I think what JJ Redick has done this year, they don't have a bench, they don't rebound. Even though they have the same record as the Knicks, their point differentials, 400 points worse, meaning they can't really bury teams. They can't beat the good ones. They can't bury it. People are crushing him for playing, you know, for Austin Reeves injury and Luca. And I'm like, guys, he's got to play Luca and Austin Reeves.

LeBron's 41. They've got no bench. Your takeaway, you know, JJ, your takeaway on the Lakers. And I'm not blaming Rob Polink. I'm not blaming anybody. I'm just saying in the NBA, you got to win multiple ways. You got to have some depth. The Lakers don't.

They have to outscore you. I thought the Oklahoma City loss and injuries were almost inevitable. What do you make going forward with LeBron's contract with J.J. Reddick? Are the Lakers in a good place or are they on the outside? Look at it in the next four or five years? I think a couple things. So like when you talk about JJ's coaching, he's done a really good job. And you talk about adjustments.

So one thing that they did as a staff is they started to play more zone towards the end of January. That changed their defense, right? So their defense got a little bit better. They don't have these like 3 and D guys, these like great stoppers. They have, but they got some guys. You can mix it up,

play some zone, be good enough in your man to man. And you like use your length and size. If you got Luca and LeBron on the floor, you got guys that are, you know, 6-8 or 6-9, so you use that type of length.

So that made their defense better. That helped them get that winning, that great winning record in March. But it's disappointing, obviously that Luca and Austin, are hurt and, you know, if they're going to miss the first round, I know Luca's in Europe now trying to do everything that he can to maybe get his hamstring ready for possibly the first round.

But that's disappointing because this is a team that can challenge somebody, I think definitely in the first round and win a series because you have greatness on the floor. Luca can carry you through a series maybe two. Austin's been obviously a stud. So they can definitely score with teams, just a matter if their defense was good enough. Now, LeBron going forward, does he want to stay?

Like, he's technically, he's taking a little bit of a backseat as a third option. And that's a credit to LeBron. That's a credit to LeBron and, like, him still being committed to winning. Does he want to do that for whatever his final year or final years of his career are? Is he going to take a money hit to do that so that the team can get stronger? Or is he still going to want $50 to $60 million a year? So I think they're going forward to answer your question. I think they're still in a tough place going into this offseason.

But I was hopeful to see them make a run in the playoffs. Because you really only need in the playoffs, you're going to shorten your bench anyways. There's only going to be seven guys playing. And three of those guys are going to be LeBron, Austin, and Luca, which can carry you. And you got to remember in the first round, a lot of times you get a longer break between games. So the last year, when I was with the sons, we have, we, we, played like our first game and then we had like a three-day break. So that suits, that suits those guys. You can still play 40 to 42 minutes. And then you're going to get, you're going to get a lot of rest.

Miles, it's been an absolute pleasure. We'll have you on again. Miles Simon doing more college basketball stuff at Fox Sports specifically. It's great seeing you. Thank you, man. I appreciate you having me. Miles Simon. Go back to that great Arizona year. He was the most outstanding player in 97, the late, great, Lute Olson. Yeah, that was a wild team. A wild, wild final four. All right, calling right, calling wrong.

Mark Few, gone Zaganax. 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. Nice. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to us. We get to ask other 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, 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 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. 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 it. on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard

Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening and 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 are armored? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.