The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - State of the Lakers, time to move on from LeBron, Cowboys always overpay

Episode Date: February 27, 2026

Colin Cowherd assesses the state of the Lakers after a 3rd straight loss and why it’s become crystal clear the LeBron James and Luka Doncic pairing is not going to deliver the championships LA fans expected. He credits the Cowboys for their offense-first mindset but does question Jerry Jones consistently overpaying for players every offseasonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart 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.

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Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jench can win.

She's an outsider to win the French fame. and she likes Clay. Listen, Leonard Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. 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. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

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It's the herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. we've spent a lot of time this week talking about the Lakers for good reason. They're the number one brand and the number one villain in the NBA, and we're watching them melt in real time. So if you had a leak in your house, right, a small leak, you could convince yourself, yeah, I'll patch it up, no biggie. But if your pipe bursts, well, then you get real clarity.

I got a problem. So losing to the Celtics, the Lakers said, do we have a leak? Losing to Orlando, oh, we do have a leak? Oh, we do have a leak. Losing the banged-up Phoenix last night, you've got water in your living room. The Lakers have lost three straight, five of seven. They're falling apart. The Sons didn't have Devin Booker or Dylan Brooks or one of their top rotational guys.

They'd scored 77 and 81 points in their previous two games. Ah, but the slump busters, the Lakers defense, the offensive slump busters in the league, the Sun score 113 and shoot a marvelous 44% from 3. The pipes for the Lakers have burst. There can be no debate. And for the record, it's a perfect thing. It actually is the best case scenario. Because it illustrates that if you're a Laker in the building,

new owners or a player or a coach, there's real work ahead. Let's stop pretending LeBron and Luka work. It's a year in. They don't. This team is 11 and 16 against just winning teams. And not all winning teams in the NBA are actually any good. That's just against teams with a winning record.

I mean, Phoenix couldn't score in the last week. Last night they were humming, moving the ball, wide open jumpers. There's nothing you can point to to to this team. Awful defensively, not enough athletes, can't defend the rim, don't shoot threes, not athletic enough. and it's all on display and it's actually perfect. This isn't a championship team. This is perfect. Because when you get into trouble is when you have an off season and you go to the big meeting rooms

and everybody sits around in debates, hey, we are good. Our company is good. Yeah, our stock price is going to move up. And I think our management team is excellent. We've got great employees. It's much better to be like, yeah, we need four new really good players. and we got to move off LeBron. I mean, even the thing they were good at this year,

clutch games, they've lost the last two of those. So the Lakers bench, which I think is the worst in the league, was outscored 56 to 25. And think about that. Phoenix was missing three, two starters. They're two best players, Dylan Brooks and Devin Booker, and a top rotational guy. So the bench for Phoenix is third string guys.

It still doubled up the Lakers. So they need four players, probably a couple of B pluses, maybe an A minus. The good news is they have three available first round picks to trade this offseason. They have a ton of cap space and they're going to move off LeBron, but you're watching this big, glossy brand melt. And I think a lot of times when you bring in, when you bring in Luca,

every Laker fan thought, oh, this will solve our issues. But there's just new issues. And the issues are clear. he is such an atrocious defensive player that you can't have a 41-year-old as his best teammate. So, and speaking of LeBron's exit, Byron Scott on a popular local L.A. radio show yesterday said what a lot of former Lakers and maybe current new Laker executives think. I just thought it was laughable, you know, coming from one of the greatest players that ever played a game, to say that it was harder, it's harder to play now than it was then.

Are you ready to see him go from the Lakers? Yeah. You know, I mean, like I said, I'm a fan, but, you know, I don't mince words either. I mean, I think this should be his last year here. So do I. LeBron is 41. He's averaging the fewest minutes of his career. He's shooting under 30% on threes.

the fewest points per game since his rookie season, and he is the second slowest player in the entire league. LeBron had leverage over the NBA for 21 years, 22 years, it's all dried up. And he's been such a mercenary, and I have defended him for his mobility, good for him. But he has been such a mercenary. There's no reason to be sentimental and romantic about it. There's no need for that. He bailed on teams.

I supported it. They were good business moves, and the Lakers, probably and should bail on him. Listen, this was always going to be, let's be totally honest about LeBron and the Lakers. Let's just be frank about this. It was always a Hollywood marriage, right? Two hot stars. And you know what happens in Hollywood.

One of the stars eventually starts dating somebody younger. That's Luca. LeBron had all the leverage, but he bounced around, left Miami, didn't give deep. waiter, Basha, heads up five minutes before it happened. They found out. And that's okay. I defended him. He was the best player in the world for 18 years. But this Hollywood marriage, hey, listen, the good news that lasted longer than Nick Cage and Lisa Marie Presley or Billy Bob and Angelina. You know, it wasn't just a weekend in Vegas. It lasted a while. But again, I think from day one, Laker fans looked at Luca as, oh, this is the solution to our problems. And it just

really illustrates there are different problems with Luca. Luca is not Wemby. He's not like, he's not even, to be honest with you, he's not SGA, because SGA is infrequently hurt and in great impeccable shape. So we are at a point now that there can be no debate. Nobody's going to the meeting room and trying to convince themselves the LeBron Luca thing works. That's the great thing about analytics. You know, I talk a lot about analytics, whereas I like analytics, but sometimes, you know, in the biggest moments, I just want guys to make plays.

I don't care what the numbers say. It's fourth and one. Give it to your star running back. I don't care what analytics say. I don't want to kick a field goal. But the analytics and the data are really instructive. LeBron and Luca don't work because they're now both awful defensive players. And Luca and Austin Reeves actually do work.

because Austin is much more willing to be the valet to the Bentley. And it works, and the data all says it. So Luca is absolutely such a gifted offensive player. He's absolutely an asset. And to maximize that asset, you've got to move off LeBron. And you got to free up cap space. You got to go get four players. Three have to be very good defensively.

Two have to be able to catch and shoot because Luca's always got the ball. But LeBron's bailed three times. defended him every time. It's time for the Lakers to bail. Here was Rachel Nichols yesterday. There is a big sort of let's go to the summer, let's get there, let's move forward.

And while the Lakers have said LeBron is welcome back in the organization, it's very clear that building around Luca does not involve LeBron James. I don't really blame some sort of the lazy plays or the not getting to the rim as much or some of the falling apart that we've seen

because I think everyone's mind on that team is we're going to fight as hard as we can, but we all know we're not finals contenders right now. You know, sometimes when I used to live on the East Coast and work for the other place, I had commented I'd never really listened in Northeast Sports Talk Radio, and it was very powerful in Boston and Philadelphia, New York. And I believed that a lot of times, like managers and executives listen to it and panicked If the fans came out and said, we want this or we want that and the Jets and the Mets or the, you know, organizations, not the Belichick Patriots, but they would panic.

And I feel like the new Laker owners, they really understand Los Angeles. Los Angeles is distracted and wants to win. And the bus family, one of the poorer families in the NBA, when they own the Lakers, like they were afraid to move off Kobe. They were afraid to move off LeBron. and what about merchandise and ticket sales? But the new Dodgers owners have a real understanding they've got much more capital, much better capitalized.

They've moved off Cody Bellinger and Manny Machado briefly and Zach Grinky and Scott Seeger, Tray Turner, like great players to get better players. So I imagine the Lakers will be all in on Janus, which, by the way, with Luca's defensive liabilities, is not a bad move. but LeBron's not magic. Magic Johnson is so popular in L.A.

It's kind of remarkable. When he goes to a Laker game, even now, he lives in Los Angeles. You can see him at the lunch or breakfast seven days a week. If he shows up at Staples, the crowd rises. Oh my God, there's magic. That's not what LeBron is. That's never been LeBron. Shaq has that feel.

The late Jerry West, Kobe had that feel. LeBron does it. He bounced around the league. He went and found the best. spot for him. I supported him every way. In fact, after he left Cleveland the first time and people burned his jerseys. I'm like, he gave a million

bucks to the boys and girls club. It was a little clunky. Move on. Everybody else, including the commissioner, David Stern was crushing him. And I'm like, it's not the end of the world. They couldn't get him an all-star. Seven years. He gave Cleveland everything. But now, nobody has

leverage forever. Nobody, nobody has leverage forever. Even our presidents have term limits. J. Mack, I know this was a rough opening for you. But as I said, when the pipes burst, it creates clarity. And I think losing to Phoenix, clobbered by Boston, can't close out Orlando at home. It is like, hey, we need multiple new guys.

And Reddick, Austin, and Luke are here for the long term. Everybody else is going to get moved. Well, remember early part of the season, they were winning all these close games. In the clutch, they were one of the best teams in the league. Now they lose two in a row, and it's like, oh, boy, here we go. Here we come playing. You know, there's just, I think, one game out of the playing at this point, which would not be great. Well, also.

I'm going to stay the course, Colin. I know you're going to be negative Nancy here. It's fine. It's a beautiful Friday in L.A., 80 degrees. You can't dim my Friday. I think the Lakers are going to be fine. Offseason ahead. bringing in Janus. Let's go Lakers.

I love your optimism. 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. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube, and you can be a part of it. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Radio. Hit that subscribe button and smash that notification bell

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Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? 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.

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. 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 headwriter, 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.

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. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me.

And she likes Clay. Listen, Lerner Rabakina 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. 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. Robert Mays, who is great on this show. He's got a great football podcast for the athletic. We'll be joining us in about 45 minutes from now. Chris Finch, T. Wolves head coach is joining us. Lakers melting down.

We'll have more on that. So if you're a Dallas Cowboy fan, there's a couple of realities. Your defense stinks, but you do have two first round picks. Both of those should absolutely be used on your defense. So you don't have a second or a third, but you've got a couple of firsts. And it's a pretty good defensive draft, especially edge rushers, a couple of big time corners in the first round, a couple of nice safeties. Cowboys should spend their draft picks on that.

News came out today on George Pickens. Reportedly, they're going to franchise tag the dramatic, sometimes high maintenance, but marvelously talented wide receiver. And here's Stephen Jones on Pickens. We love George and want him here. And it's real important for us. I think George wants to be here. On a long-term contract.

Yes, I'm sure he wants to be under a long-term contract. No one ever just loves the franchise tag. We want George here. I mean, it's real important to us. We thought we had really played some of our best offense we've ever played. Having CDN, George, I mean, they're both, you know, elite receivers in this league. For the record, I think. can't quibble with what the Cowboys are doing in theory.

Offensive coach, spending a lot of money, third straight year, they'll be, they'll have the most expensive offensive player. That beats having the most expensive defensive player. And they were the number two offense last year. And George Pickens and C.D. Lamb and Dak Prescott are really good. So I can't quibble with that. it would be nice to occasionally, like the Seahawks or the Rams, get a player like Puka, at least at a bit of a discount for several years.

Brandon Aubrey, the cowboy kicker, is also seeking the highest kicking contract in the league, and he'll get it. It's like the Cowboys have a self-imposed tariff on all their players. They walk out of the dealership. We got the Bentley at 15% of the bus. asking price and they brag about it. So Dax at 74 million, CD's almost 40 million. Pekin's is going to be 28 and a half million. Tyler Smith, hell of a player, he'll be 28 million. You'll have the highest paid kicker. So, I mean, listen, they got an offensive coach. They're

spending money on the right side of the football. The offense is very good. But when I watch the Rams and the Seahawks play, there are seven to eight players for both Seattle and LA that are highly productive on both sides of the ball and aren't getting paid a ton. It should be noted, Kenny Clark's cap hit is going up. Quinn and Williams, going up. So if you're wondering why they have all these star players and they're not very good and the Seahawks have a bunch of star players and just won the Super Bowl, it's because the Seahawks and the Rams do a really good job on draft day.

and they get lots of players who are great early and can play early and they don't have to pay. So the Cowboys are top of the market on everybody. But again, I can't quibble with CD Lam's the number one. Pickens feels like a really elite number two. Little hot and cold, little moody, pouted a little last year. Dax absolutely a top 12 quarterback in the league, offensive coach. Here's Brian Schottenheimer on Pickens. This is going to play out the way it's supposed to play out.

GP loves football. And my relationship with GP doesn't change. It's like it didn't change with CD or DAC or those guys that were going through certain things. And it's all part of the process is the business side of it. But hell, I was talking to CD last night. And so, you know, it doesn't change. I've been around George from the time he got here from the time he came in. And I say this respectfully.

And I kicked his ass in shooting free throws in my office. He might not remember it that way. I knew this guy's a competitor. loves football so I hope so so big D used to stand for Dallas now it stands for deficit so they've got a hit on those first two draft picks they've got to go defense and they have to hit on them because the only way you can pay all these players top of market you got to go five for five in your first five picks in the draft and the Cowboys don't have a second and a third couple of first then middle rounds J-Mac with the news

no no no turn on the news this is the herd line news. All right, let's start with the report cards that some people like to talk about. The NFLPA did not make the NFL team report cards public this year because of a grievance filed by the league, but the report cards leaked anyway. And the dolphins came in with the best overall ratings. The Steelers came in with the worst. I don't, I have no idea what to make of this stuff, Colin. The dolphins have a real estate mogul as their owner. So the dolphins facility, because he cares a great deal about real estate are reportedly great. So it doesn't shock me.

Stephen Ross is a kind of a luxury real estate guy. It would not surprise me the dolphins have luxury real estate in terms of facilities. Bottom five are Bengals at 28, bucks at 29, Browns at 30, Cardinals and Steelers. So some not good teams grading out pretty poorly. The Rooney's reviewed as a little cheap, a little bit on the cheap. side. Yeah. I mean, I guess I would ask, like, why is this stuff being hidden and have to be leaked?

Like, I just don't get all that. I don't know. Well, I know why. The owners don't want to get called out on the carpet. And, I mean, look, the Steelers got an F on team travel. I mean, I don't even know what that means. Did they have amateur pilots on the plane? I don't even know what that means.

Yeah. And ultimately, like, look at all the bad grades for the Steelers, right? But we consider them a blue blood organization with a great owner. Yeah, but what's going to change? change? Like, is this going to lead to any change? The players have no power. The owners can treat their players and employees like crap and nobody can do it. The players do have power. Leaking these report cards is power. And so the Roonies, I can guarantee you, are embarrassed about this. And that's why this stuff does matter. You don't need to pander to players and baby players,

but if players are all saying, yeah, team travels an F, you need to address that. These are hardworking employees who have limited careers based on the regulated violence in the sport, and the players do have leverage. That's why I believe these report cards should be public. I agree they should be public. I just don't see why a billionaire would care. I mean, clearly, Mike McCarthy doesn't care. He's going there to coach. Aaron Rogers, I'm ready to go back to Pittsburgh. You're asking why they care. The biggest egos in the world are these oligarchs. The richer you are, the harder you fall, the more sensitive you are. I mean, I'm guaranteeing you.

The Rooney family doesn't love this being out with several Ds and Fs. I like that. The billionaire, well, we shouldn't talk about taking down billionaires. Anyways, let's move on to the Raiders, Colin. And Fernando Mendoza, he met with the Raiders who have the number one pick. Everybody's excited. And listen, man, Fernando Mendoza is the best. We should do an hour on him every day on the show.

Listen to him talk about meeting with the Raiders. Well, right now I'm unemployed. I have no job. So this is my job interview right now. And like everyone says, it's the most important job interview of your life. So right now I'm just trying to do everything to hopefully get employed in April 23rd. I was lucky enough to have a formal interview with the Las Vegas Raiders. It was a fantastic interview.

The coach staff was in there. We went over some of my previous plays. We did some plays on the board. I thought it was a great meeting. And I know they had the perspective of the number one pick, but anything could happen in the draft. I'm just excited for the opportunity. Whatever team drafts me, I'm going to give everything I got to them. How do you not love that kid?

I mean, he's the bad. I'm unemployed right now. Like, I guarantee you 90% of the guys go in there. Yeah, I'm the man. Look what I just tested on the vertical leap and on the bench. Mendoza, I'm unemployed. I'm hoping to get a job come April 23rd. He's just, he really is a treat.

I'm such a fan of this kid. Yeah, so am I. And it's, he just, I just, you know, what I worry about is the last quarterback to get drafted number one and go to a Super Bowl with the team that drafted and was Peyton Manning in the late 90s. So, you know, you've got bad organizations and stingy owners and lousy executives, you know, drafting at the top of drafts. Now, the Raiders have a new coach, a new GM over the last couple of years.

Brady's involved. See, you cross your fingers. I mean, I will say this. They've got a lot of picks, and they've got a star running back and a star tight end and a star pass rusher. they checked some boxes and they hired a smart offensive coach. I haven't been fired up about the Raiders in a long time. Yeah.

But I've said this. If they can, if they can, you know, if they can hit on their first four or five picks and get real players who can contribute as rookies, I think you've got to feel pretty good about the Raiders for the first time in a long time. Because I think this kid, yeah, I mean, he's not Elway, but I think he's really good. Yeah, and I'm sure some people listening are like, why do you guys love this kid? so much. He was on Indiana. He didn't have any offers really from big time

schools coming out. That's why I like you. Nobody wants that's why I like him. And the authenticity Colin, when he's talking to the media, even when he was on this show, the way he speaks is, that's real. You know the acronym Whizzywig. What you see is what you get. That's Fernando Mendoza. He's not

pulling any punches. He's being authentic. And I think that's one of the reason we cut through on the show like, hey man, I don't like this report card. I think I'm going to tell you that. I don't like these billionaires dominating everything. I'm going to tell you that. Fernando Mendoza keeps it real. He's honest. I'm like going to become a bit of a Raiders fan.

Still a Jets guy. But Raiders are going to be my team. Final story, Collins, go to the NBA, where your guy, Mr. Burner, Kevin Durant, went off again last night. Hey, isn't that something? Post-All-Star break, he's going off. He had 40, including 26 in the second half, Rockets with a nice win over the Orlando Magic.

KD became the sixth player in NBA history to join a 32,000 point club. Wow. And, oh, by the way, he will. be passing Michael Jordan here very shortly for most points scored in NBA history. LeBron is obviously one, Karim Abduljabar 2. Jordan is currently 5. KD will pass him probably in March, maybe April. And KD is also tied with Kobe for fifth most 30-point games in NBA history.

Let's put some respect on the Twitter lover, Kevin Durant. I like KD. I think, I don't know. I think he's one of, I've had, you know, I've seen him play live. I've watched a lot of television. I think he's just an all-time talent. I like him. He's quirky, but I like him.

Yeah, yeah. He's, I don't want to quite say an Aaron Rogers of the NBA, but he's certainly different and operates in a different attitude and zone and everything. He's a really good basketball player, though. I just, I don't know, you know, I know the legacy talk comes up a lot. And he came close with the nets, with the toe in the line against Janus. He came close. With OKC.

He's going to be a top 25 player of all time. He's probably... 25? Why not top 15? Yeah. I mean, closer to 15 than 1, but yeah, I have no problem with it. I'm a huge fan. I like his game.

I, you know, I mean, when it was Westbrook, Hardin, and Kevin Durant and O.K.C., he's the one I would have kept. You know, I mean, it's like they let Hardin go, and Westbrook eventually wore KD out. But KD to me has been, you know, I've used the jokes every. times, not necessarily a joke, but if there was a one-on-one, if you take centers out, you take, you know, that's like a genetic advantage, take centers out, and they don't handle the ball very well

anyway. But if you took all centers out and had a one-on-one basketball tournament in the history of the league, I think KD beats Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron. I think Katie wins it. I think he's devastating. That is a hot take. Holy cow. Yeah. Jay Mack

with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. So when Luca came into the NBA, he was young, Euro, dominant score, and everybody's like, that's unbelievable. And I said the same thing. But I did say he's a better Carmelo Anthony. I don't think he likes defense at all.

And I'm not sure he's in great shape, and he'll age fast. In the last week, and I'm proud of the media. Brethren, in the last week, there has been more criticism, all valid, all legitimate on Luca. Tom Haberstro, I'll just read this to you. Over the last two seasons, this is a tweet. 27 NBA players have made a shot to tie or go ahead in the final minute of a game. Luca is not one of those 207 players. Tuesday night's bizarre grenade to LeBron is no aberration.

So listen, I've always kind of believe. Like, it's like the transfer portal in college football. If Georgia lets a great defensive player go, he has baggage. They were not letting Jalen Carter go and he had red flags. A.D. gets traded multiple times. Why? He's brittle and never in great shape. James Harden been traded five times.

He's an all-time great. Luca got traded and there were reasons. He was falling apart. He couldn't stay in shape. he was increasingly brittle, and he didn't necessarily make teammates better. And you're seeing it. So like the transfer portal, even though the Lakers got the better of the deal, nobody was letting Kobe go.

And nobody was letting MJ go or bird go or magic go. You know, Akeem got old and eventually centers age quickly. But, you know, I, if Luca would have been an impeccable, shape and an elite defender, Dallas would have never even picked up the phone irregardless, regardless of the offer. So 10 years ago, you didn't have the data that you have now and the data is very true on Luca. You know, in the past 10 years, the Warriors could have multiple times treaded Steph Curry if they

wanted to. They didn't. Why? Because Curry's a great leader. He's in impeccable shape. he is still absolutely relevant. He plays well with others. He's committed in the offseason.

So the Lucas stuff, it's not like I don't think Luke is great. He's going to win the NBA scoring title. He's obviously great. But I've been watching the NBA since the early 70s. I've seen a lot of lob-sided offensive players. James Hardin is one of them. Say what you want about Larry Bird three times, all defense. Kobe defense.

Most of the great players in league has. Almost all of them play defense. Russell did, Kareem did, Kobe did, Bird did, MJ did, LeBron and his prime did. So, you know, and I think what happens is when a player goes to your team, you see all the warts. So I want to show you something last night. It's a prime example of how the league views Luca. So the Phoenix Suns set up a play at the very end. And what do they do?

top of the key they go right after luka and the laker defense to save him has to collapse and then the sun's backups do what everybody does swing it and hit a jumper but if you look at they go right after luka fly by him you got to collapse and now you're just trying to play catch up as a defensive team eventually they find an open shooter again devon booker didn't play dylan brooks didn't play But I mean, this is how the league views him. They need a game winning shot. Go after Luca. Create space and go after him.

Here was JJ Redick on this play. Essentially, we ended up with two low men. And so, you know, it would have been smarts rotation had Jalen Green not shifted towards the corner. Really, there was no one there to go, you know, Jake where Jake was to be able to get the contest. There was no one to rotate, essentially. So, you know, you got a clean look.

he made it. Yeah, I mean, so you can talk, you can throw the palm palms up in the air, but that's what an NBA team did late. A team that was struggling to score, go after Luca, create space,

get him in open space, abuse him, move to the rack, make him collapse, and then just swing the ball around to the open shooter. As JJ Redick said, we got a clean look.

We got a clean look because the defense broke down, and you have to always save Luca. So there you go. Oh, New York Giants. Boy, what an offseason for one New York football team. The New York Giants may be making some news. That's coming up.

Live in Chicago at 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, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast. 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. We're starting a trend. 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 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. 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. Jenschen win. 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

Rabakina 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. 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. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. We got a huge top 10 showdown on Fox College hoops tonight as Yaxel Lendiborg in number three Michigan look to keep their dominant season rolling against freshman phenom, Keaton Wogler, and number 10, Illinois tonight, 8 Eastern only on Fox. That'll be one of the better college basketball games of the year. It's at Illinois. It's about an hour from where I sit. And Illinois is a home dog.

Very much a home dog. You want to back the Illinois, Illinois here, Colin. You're back in Illinois? Yeah, I'm on them. All right. I know Michigan fans are going to be upset. Great game. Great game.

This is Ohio State Buckeye first round. So the Buckeyes may have five players drafted in the first round. Sunny Stiles, a great linebacker. Arvel Reese, maybe the best player in the draft. Caden McDonald. Caleb Downs is unbelievable. And, you know, I was thinking about this. Five Buckeyes could go in the first round.

No Michigan Wolverines. So the minute Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan, Ohio State completely pulls away. And, I mean, as great as Jim Harbaugh was, it took him seven years to beat Ohio State. Now, Michigan has the better fight song, the better uniforms, and the better academics. But let's be honest, Michigan's always as good as its coach. Ohio state's good, sometimes great depending on a coach.

So this draft is going to be, and right now the best football program in America, we've just got to be totally honest, it is Ohio State. It was Bama for a long time. It is now Ohio State. So, and the truth is, Ohio State's always been the better. football program, and then there's the occasional pop years by Michigan. And I love Michigan. I wish I could have gotten into Michigan.

But Harbaugh's first six attempts to beat Michigan, to beat Ohio State. Loss, loss, loss, loss, loss. How did Urban Meyer do against Michigan? Year one, beat them. Year two beat them. Year three beat them. Your four, five, six beat them. Your seven beat him.

He never lost. Jim Tressel, nine and one against Michigan. So, I mean, when it takes Jim Harbaugh, seven tries to beat you, you're a different level program. So when I look at this draft, to me it's an Ohio State draft. And over the course of, you know, I've been watching college football like most of you since the early 70s. And there have been, there was a time when Notre Dame was the best program. And there was a time when Nebraska in the mid-90s felt like the best program. And then Spurrier in Florida got hot, and Bobby Bowden in Florida State and the Miami Hurricanes and USC.

And then Alabama took it over for a long time. And Clemson was close and Georgia was close. Ohio State right now is the best football program in America. And there are certain positions like linebacker and wide receiver, offensive tackle, running back where they kind of feel like they're playing at a different speed. I know everybody's got Indiana now as the team to beat. in the Big Ten, no, they're not. They are not. Ohio State remains the best.

So this is interesting. Life moves fast in the NFL. So there's a story today by Connor Hughes, and stuff in the NFL could happen this weekend. The New York Giants, and I love their offseason so far, are listening to trade offers for K. Von Theobedo, the rush end, who they drafted back in 2022. But then they got Brian Burns in a trade with Carolina.

They just drafted Abdul Carter. And because of that, he's like the number three pass rusher. And his numbers are regressing. And so you say to yourself, well, what are you going to get for the number three pass rusher? Something is happening in the NFL. And I was talking to former NFL scout John Middlokoff on my podcast last night. The world has changed. because of all these aggressive young general managers.

Because the cap is so big right now, there are so many options with trades. And I talked to Howie about this. When I first started working for Howie in 2010, he was on the forefront of the NFL Forever. Wasn't that trade heavy. So people are willing to, hey, you want this guy, you want to trade draft picks, you want to do this. So there is just a lot of action, which I think stalls some deals because it gets so expensive. It's like a house. So all these young GMs are battling against one another.

And we talked about, J. Mack and I talked about Malik Willis. And J. Max, like, he's not going to get $35 million. Just think about this. Who needs a quarterback? Arizona. Oh, they've got a young, aggressive GM. And the Falcons may need another quarterback, and they've got a young aggressive general manager.

And the Jets could use Malik Willis. And they have a young general manager. And the Steelers could use a guy. quarterback and they've got a first time general manager. So it used to be, I mean, last year, let me look this up. Last year there were, was it, 22 in-season trades last year. That is the most since 1995. So what you're getting is this new world of all these sharp young offensive coaches and

sharp young general managers and they are trade-centric. So I think Malik Willis and people say, well, Malik Willis only has six starts. I think that's very, very interesting. Can you tell after six starts if a guy has it or doesn't? Now obviously, the Packers are well run. They've got a good offensive coach. They have weapons. But I will say this about Malik Willis.

He came from Tennessee to Green Bay late in camp in August. They were playing him three weeks later and he was exceptional. And it's like, okay, so this is. guy can learn a playbook fast. That's important. And he also fit into Green Bay's culture very quickly. There were discussions last year. People were saying, is he better than Jordan Love? I don't think he is. But there were discussions about it. So, and remember when the Colts gave up two first round picks for Soss Gardner. Why? Because they probably had to give up two first round picks because there was another aggressive general manager. The Packers last year spent a fortune, 77 million four-year deal on a

guard. Why? Because they weren't bidding against themselves. So you are right now, it's like a hot real estate market, driving up one house, several bidders on everything. So if you look at the free agents, now let's look at the notable free agents right now. And these are good players. So Malik Willis, I think he's going to get $32 million. I really do. Kenneth Walker, he's a bit. Now Seattle, he was banged up a lot in Seattle. He did deliver this year. My guess is they move off him. Breece Hall,

Travis Eton, it's a bad running back draft class. There are good running backs here. The two or three players that really interest me on this list. One is Malik Willis. The other is Alec Pierce, the wide receiver from the Colts. I think he's a really good player.

K. Doughton, Tampa Bay, tight end, great hands. like him. I think the best player available is the center for the Baltimore Ravens. Tyler Linderbaum. I would pay a fortune if I was like the Raiders. I mean, that's what the Chicago Bears and Ben Olson and Ryan Poles did. What was the first thing they did with Caleb Williams? It wasn't go and get receivers. It was guard center guard. They went and got Drew Dalman, Joe Tunney, Jonah Jackson. So Linderbom is going to get paid. Elijah Vera Tucker's good, but banged up a lot. Jalen Phillips, to me, another very interesting player.

Eagles had him. So there's some really, really interesting free agents out there. And several, and I, you know, you can say what you want about free agents that only 35% hit. But New England did a really good job last year, getting the right kind of players. New England does not make the Super Bowl without spending 250 large in free agency. Jay Mack, if I said there's like Mike Evans, I like, but I'm not paying him at this point. Kyle Pitts has talent. Forget it. I'm not

paying him. K. Dotten, Malik Willis, Alec Pierce, and Tyler Linderbaum are guys. Jalen Phillips is also good. It just depends on what the number is. No, no. Phillips, the Eagles are not letting him go. He's very good. Let's go back to this Malik Willis stuff real quick. You think he's getting 32

mil. Give me two teams that are paying 32 mil for Malik Willis. Arizona? Okay. That's one. I don't know that they'd go to 32 mil, but I think that yes, they'll be in the mix for him. Well, all you need is two. That's the thing.

That's the problem. Who's the two? And no, don't say the Jets. That's a non-starter. Honestly, coming out of Jets camp, the stuff is, hey, we're going to kick the tires on Spencer Rattler. They are not spending on Malik Willis, the Jets. I can guarantee you that.

Let me ask you this. Good kid learns the playbook fast. You think Kevin O'Connell wants to finish in fourth place? Why not in division? Go buy him. Again, it only did. You got an offensive coach. Arizona in a rookie year, you got an offensive coach off a bad year in Minnesota, Minnesota and

Arizona, NFC teams get into a little bit of a bidding war? I don't think that's insane. I think that would probably nuke J.J. McCarthy's mindset. I mean, you don't pay 30 million from Malik Willis to have to be the backup. If I run Minnesota, that's not my problem. Yeah, Kevin O'Connell has to save his own job. And finally, to go back to, was it Tibado you were saying, I was looking at his contract. Like, I don't, this is similar to a Jermaine Johnson situation where the Titans are going to be like, hey, prove it and we'll pay you. I don't, do you think, Tibino? I think he has a market. I absolutely think he has a market.

Yeah. Buffalo? Why not? I mean, again, he's not as good as Brian Burns. No. But I also think he's probably at this point, you know, Abdul Carter is really talented. But, you know, there were a lot of reports on meetings missed. Yeah.

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 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. 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. 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

your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving

you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know.

I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs' tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garros. Jenchie win.

She's an outsider to win the French win. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. and I actually can win on any surface. 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.

This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.