The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The NBA can't keep up

Episode Date: June 15, 2023

Why the NBA can't keep up with the NFL There's a NIners QB battle between Trey Lance and Brock Purdy Looking at the impactful players in the NBASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We got a lot to talk about. Live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Jamack, I've got a lot of big picture, holistic views on a lot of topics out there. Are you ready for it? Listen, I think I'm ready. I just want to caution you.

Big picture stuff is a little risky in mid-June. A lot of it can change here heading into the football season, Calvert. I also, one hour from now, I'm going to lay out, I'm going to make my a little too early NFL predictions before we go to camp. I'm going to go through divisions. I've got one shocker. One shocker. I want to start with this, though. NBA finals are over.

and on the inner web over the last couple of days, a graph emerged showing the NBA final average ratings the last 30 years. You know, like any graph, there's good years, bad years. It has been made out to be a definitive commentary on the mess that the NBA is today. So at the NBA's height, its highest ratings, that was Michael Jordan, Utah, jazz, swan song, 25 million people watched the finals. That was its high point. Every business has a high point, right? Like, it didn't matter if it's Amazon, Facebook, Apple. There's all, you can't look at the high and say, what's wrong with the other decades or years? Businesses fluctuate.

Cultures change. So at its high point, it averaged in that finals, 25 million. It is mostly over 30 years averaged about 16, 17 million. Right now it's at about 12 and a half. Celtics Warriors, Nuggets, heat, about 12 and a half. It's dead, they proclaim. Oh, the kids are so fun and cute and adorable. It was dead in the 70s, I was told. That's when the NBA finals were on tape delay after your 11 o'clock news, yet it rebounded. Why? Michael Jordan emerged. Stars emerged. It was dead in 2003 and 2007, 30% lower than today. Why? Because Tim Duncan and the Spurs were boring.

They were getting $9 million and there was no politics involved. Also didn't have the cable world having the power it does today where far left, far right, big opinions. The NBA is fine. Look at its TV packages. But what is also never discussed is this. At the height, the Michael. Jordan era. New York was very good and really relevant with a star, Patrick Ewing. Biggest city in the country. Los Angeles, the second biggest city in America, had stars, was well-run,

viable. The third biggest city in America, Chicago had its greatest team ever and the league's greatest team ever. The first, second, third, biggest cities in America were freaking rolling in the NBA. New York, Chicago, and L.A. in the last 12 years, one bubble year finals, and combined losing records. Markets matter in everything except the NFL. In fact, the NBA actually should do a better job rigging the league so big markets are better. Atlanta, D.C., Detroit, Philadelphia had an eight-year trust the process. New York, Chicago, mostly crappy. Clippers underachieve. Lakers are a bit of a mess. Those are their big markets. Oklahoma City's well-run. San Antonio's about to emerge again. Miami's not a big market. They're well-run. Milwaukee's good and now Denver's kicking butt. It's not exactly who you'd pick to be the centerpiece of the league. Yes, the NFL is market-proof.

But in the NHL, they just got terrible Stanley Cup ratings. Why? Because it was Vegas and Florida, non-traditional hockey powers. In March Madness of Duke, Kansas, Carolina, Syracuse get bounced early, the ratings go down. In Major League Baseball, no Yankees, no Dodgers, no Braves, Cubs, the postseason ratings aren't as good. We know this to be true. The NFL is market-proof.

Everybody else needs big markets, big cities, or traditional powers. I also think you can make an argument, politics does hurt Kaepernick. Whether you view that as politics or not, many did, the ratings dipped. Black Lives Matter. I didn't see it as politics. Most or many of you did. Probably dinged a little. But the two things that never get discussed with the NBA, because we know the clicky world we live,

are one, the big markets stink. New York, L.A. and Chicago markets at its best that were kicking major butt haven't been very good for about 12 years. And the second thing is the league is getting very international. Now, I think international makes the game better. I think baseball's got its most talent ever. I think hockey has its most talent ever. I think the NBA has got its most talent ever.

Not always good for business, the globalization, right? Everything's more international, but baseball ratings are down, hockey ratings are down, basketball ratings are down as it's gotten more global. What ratings are up? Football. The only domestic sport left. It's minor league system, completely domestic. Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State, USC, Oregon, big brands, Texas, Oklahoma.

It's minor league system, completely domestic. They tried NFL in Europe. Nobody watched. Even the current NFL games in Europe, don't get big ratings. The NFL is us. It's American. It's traditional. Many of it sponsors, military, beer companies.

It's a domestic league. I think it's hit a ceiling because of that. I think basketball is so much more talented today than ever. Same with hockey and baseball. Football, it's always had good players. It has good players. But it is what it is. a global sport. So you can tell me the NBA's dead. No, it was dead in the 70s. The finals were on tape

delay. And then all of a sudden, the 80s arrived, and Jordan arrived, and Magic arrived, and Bird arrived. And you can tell me it's dead during the Spurs years. It was. It was getting nine million people watching the finals. Spurs were boring. Maybe Denver becomes that. But it rebounded because stars and teams and players take the NFL out of the equation. And even the NFL got dinged for a while. I can remember when like Marino and Elway and a lot of the top quarterbacks all left around the same time, it dipped a little. The good news now, you got star quarterbacks.

They're all likable kids. Jalen Hertz, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen. They're all likable kids. Lamar, hard not to like them. Herbert, Burrow. But when I hear this, it's dead. take a deep breath. The NBA is content.

Content remained for the last 30 years, King. They'll be bidding wars for the contracts to keep it. Hockey signed a record deal in Canada and a record deal in the States. And I've said for years, the best thing on ice is vodka. Now to this, George Kiddell is a great football player

for the Niners. and he talked about, well, he talked about Brock Purdy, the last player selected in the draft for the Niners. Went 708, no. And then there's Trey Lance. The Niners gave up picks to get Trey Lance in the first round. It hadn't been great. So he was on the Dad Patrick show.

And he was asked if Brock Purdy is still the guy. Are you expecting Brock to be starting week one? Oh, yeah. I am. I mean, if you win eight games in a row, it's hard to bench that guy. I think, I mean, he's been throwing. I think he looks good. I've seen him throw once or twice.

He's confident. He's in a good place mentally and physically. So I'm excited about that. Like I said, we were rolling with him average 30 points a game. So I mean, looking forward to it. Trey Lance is simply a reminder how difficult it is to get quarterback right in the draft. think of the Niners current roster.

It is the best in the league, I think, easily. All their scouts, GM John Lynch, appear to have missed on one position, quarterback. It's hard. Hall of fame executives miss at quarterback because things that are important like leadership and toughness and resilience

and intellect can be hard to quantify. Let me show you the draft position of the current five studs, five of the best quarterbacks that almost everybody in the league would want. Five teams passed on Justin Herbert, six passed on Josh Allen, nine passed on Mahomes, 31 passed on Lamar Jackson, and 52 times people passed on Jalen Hertz. This is not a new thing. let's go to the old established veterans in the league where were they drafted

Aaron Rogers 24th Derek Carr 36th Russell Wilson 75th Kirk Cousins 102 Prescott 135 oh no no no we're not done let's go years ago to all-time legends where they were drafted Marino 27th maybe the truest purest thrower of all time Breeze 32nd, Fav 33rd, Montana, 82nd, Brady 199. Now, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 40 years ago, quarterbacks hard to draft. Running back's not.

You either make people miss and you're fast or you're not. Wide receiver's not. What's your 40 time? Do you have good hands? Do you run good routes? Edge rusher. A lot of the great ones show up in the first round, early second. Quarterback is hard.

People say, Colin, you really missed on Sam Darnold. Yeah, don't lose sleep because you all missed on Baker Mayfield. And Johnny Mansell and Jamarcus Russell and Zach Wilson. And I didn't like any of those guys. It's hard. There's certain things in life. You just have to bake in whiffs. Stocks, relationships, and drafting quarterbacks.

It's not the perfect business. Draft a lot of them. All you need to do is hit on one. You can date a lot of guys, a lot of women. To be truly happy, you have to connect with one. And most wealthy people in America do not have mutual funds. They have hit on one. stock.

All right, Jemak. There we go. There's my 10 minutes to start the show. You know, you said one stock or there's entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs. Yes, yes, yes. But you do realize that a majority of Mark Cuban's wealth is in the Dallas Mavericks. And he had one company broadcast net that allowed him to sell, become a billionaire,

and buy the Mavericks. He has two companies all time where his wealth is over. Now, from that point, he's bought stocks. He's bought 70 companies. Mark's brilliant, but Mark made his money on one big company, and now most of his holdings, a majority I would imagine, are in the net worth of the Mavericks, which has to be worth $4 to $5 million on the market. $4.5 billion. Billion. Billion on the market.

Hey, real quick, to go back to your ratings for the NBA, just for fun, I looked at 1997 network TV, the biggest shows on TV, because you've seen the network TV's declined a lot. Do you want to guess how many people watch Seinfeld millions in 1997? You'll just guess. The final episode? No, no, just the year 1997. I don't even know what year. On average. It was the number one show in America.

16.5 million people. 34 million people a week watch Seinfeld. Okay? Friends was at 25 million a week. Every show now is, you know, cobbling to catch up Sunday night football, which is currently around 17, 20 million a week. Okay? So TV ratings have gone down.

Yeah. YouTube has helped really hurt linear TV. We're not watching TV as much, period. DVR, like all these guys going after the NBA. All my kids, all my kids watch YouTube TV. Yeah, I'm not. They don't even know where dad or stepdad is. They think I go and work in a warehouse somewhere in Sheboygan.

They have no idea. The bottom line is TV ratings are not the metric you can use. Now, the NFL is market-proof, city-proof, star-proof. 100%. That's it. That's the way. one. Yeah, but when you see all these NBA takes about all the ratings.

By the way, if you look at the stock market right now, it's embarrassing. Apple is beholden to their products. Okay. Microsoft is beholden to their products. We have one company that's not in America. Amazon, because we all shop. Amazon's the only company that's not beholden to a singular product. When Microsoft misses on the phone, stock goes down.

When Apple waste money on whatever it is, or Google goes, Google Glass and it fails. There's one company, in my opinion, that is kind of misproof. It's Amazon. Because they sell everything and it's our retail one-stop shop. Do you go to the mall anymore to buy stuff like you did 20 years ago? You mean the Wisconsin Dells? No, I do not go to a mall. Go on Amazon. Oh, I'll get this tomorrow. It really is. I think it's dishonest intellectually when you take Michael's the height and go, well, compared to that, well, yeah, you know, if you take any business and go to its height and compare any era or year to it, everything shrinks.

Again, the NFL is a separate business commodity from everything else. And it's easy to just say it's dead. The NBA was literally dead in the 70s and the Spurs years it was getting 30% less than now with a dynasty and a likable star, Tim Duncan. Nobody was. It was nine million. You remember what gaming was? You know, you play video games against your friends in your house. There's no streaming gaming happening in the 1990s when Jordan's at his height.

There just weren't as many options. Like DVR? I don't watch anything live now. Do you? Any live TV? Other than sports. Yeah, that's it. Sports and political years.

So, I mean, election years, you get two or three months before an election. I'll watch a lot of politics and I always watch sports. I'm fascinated by your interest in politics. I don't talk about it, but I like it. Oh, I know you consume it. I'm aware. A lot. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekday.

in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered, conversation. with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black. black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You're now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by credible great rates. None of the bull. We got into a really interesting conversation yesterday about what's impactful and that there's only about four players, five players per draft that end up being impactful NBA players. What's impactful. A defined role, the kind of player that helps you win a playoff series, a winning player. Aaron Gordon's not a star. He's highly impactful. Andrew Wiggins was just talented in Minnesota.

He's impactful for Golden State. The average NBA draft gives you about four of those. Gives you 30 guys who are talented. Gives you about four of those guys that matter in the postseason. So there's a story out this morning, the Miami Heat, incredibly well run over the last 15, 20 years. with Pat Riley are going to pursue Bradley Beal. Now, I think Bradley Beal over Damien Lillard makes some sense. He's bigger. He's younger, a little healthier. He's not quite the player.

But you get a lot upside and a longer tarmac on how long he can play with Jimmy B and with Bam on a Bayou. So I was having dinner with Rick Buecker last night. By the way, I'm an amazing chef and host. That be that as it may. We got into this discussion over a cigar that the whole you need three stars to win a title is a bunch of hooey. I don't even think you need two stars. The Bucks won a title. Who's their second star? Chris Middleton? They're trying to get him out of town now. Dirk and the Mavs won a title.

They didn't have a second star and stop with Jason Kidd. He was 37 years old. He was no longer an all-star. The Raptors won with Kauai Leonard. Kyle Lowry's not a star. He's just a good basketball player. What you need is not even two stars. You need three highly impactful players. The Bucks, Yannis, was the best player in the league. Middleton had a great playoff run, and Drew Holliday has been impactful his entire career. The Raptors. Kauai was a star.

Pascal Seyaka made his first all-star team. Was an emerging top player. And Kyle Lowry's not a star. He's just a really impactful good basketball player. Miami currently does not have three impactful players. They have two. What about Tyler Hero? Oh, he once won sixth man of the year.

This year was his first year in the starting lineup. He wears cool hats watching games. But did you notice when he got hurt? Their offense got better. It did. They had the worst offense in the league when Tyler was playing. They suddenly got really good in the postseason. Is Bradley Beale a star?

Kind of. D.C. is a bad hoops market last 25, 30 years. But he is really impactful. And he would be Miami's third impactful. player, and I believe he would make them the favorite to win the East. Boston, percolating still close, Beale Butler Bam, three impactful players. And again, what is impactful? A defined role.

A winning player. John Wall was more talented. Beals more impactful when the two played together. Wall's the super talent. A lot of garbage points and assists. Forgettable. remember one great playoff moment for John Wall. Bradley Beale's a more impactful player than John Wall.

And can you be a key cog in a playoff series? I believe Bradley Beale can be. In my years watching this league and talking to players, execs in the league, Beale has been the one guy everybody wants to get their hands on that stays with a losing franchise. The LeBron Camp likes him, the Katie Camp likes him, the Chris Paul camp likes him, the smart veteran players in the league know the guy can ball, but he's been loyal. He sort of stayed where he stayed. And where Dame has done that too, Dame is regarded as an impactful star.

Beal, I think is. I think it's exciting. He finally wants to join two other impactful players. And I think Miami would get back, probably have to give up a Tyler Hero. I'm okay with it. But I think Miami would get back with Spolstra, Riley helping build it to the finals. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I like your Beal take. We're going to have to do a Beal-Damian-Lillard discussion later. I know we would agree Damian Lillard is a better player. He's a better player. Beal's younger. Younger, cheaper.

Cheaper. Fewer minutes, fewer games, fewer injuries. Healthy. No, I would take, if you're giving me both, if you're saying, and I said to you, like, for instance, I'm Pat Riley. I just want to ring. Right. Because I, you may go, damn. Well, I'm spolstra and I'm young and I have five, 10 more years to coach.

I'd probably take Beal. Let me, the Beal argument over Dame in Miami. It just hit me last night. So, Damia Lillard's been an alpha, a leader in Portland. He is the face of the franchise, meets the media all the time. He would now be leaving Portland where he's the alpha to go into Miami. And that's Jimmy Butler's team. Yeah.

He would go from being, this is my team, my franchise, to, oh, Jimmy Butler, you're the leader. I don't know that that's going to be easy for a guy like Dame Liddard, who's a rapper, who sells sneakers. He's, I don't think it's a seamless move for him to Miami. It's Jimmy Butler's team. He's the guy there. Everybody falls in line after Jimmy. Bradley Beale can seamlessly just roll in, hey, 20 points a game, do this, create. Like, I think it's an easier fit for Beal, and it wouldn't cost you as many picks and players.

No, you're not going to, I'm not going to push back. I think Dame's the better player. Yes, Dame is a better. But he's a smaller player, more expensive, more. injuries, so there's an argument. I don't think, Dame's one of my favorite players in the league in 20 years. I do not believe his ego. I think Dame's a really smart

guy. I mean, you don't have that NBA career, that music career, his business career, he's a bright guy. Like he knows his stuff. He's super loyal. I think he just wants, at this point, if he goes, he wants to win. And I think Dame would be like, I'm good. I don't, a lot of

Tyre-Everving's ego is erratic. Dame's not erratic. Dame's not erratic. Kyrie's erratic. Those guys I worry about bringing to start. James Harden can be erratic. That's what I worry about. Dane's not that guy. Is Dame Grey Goose vodka and Bradley Beale is Kirkland off-brand label generic? And if we did a vodka taste test here, I guarantee you you couldn't tell the difference. You like that analogy? Well, it's not terrible.

Okay. Kirkland vodka. Costco shout-out. All right, let's get to the news. last season, Matt Stafford's elbow prevented him from throwing all off season long. We know how that season ended. Stafford is healthy now. Full participant in OTAs. McFaid was asked about the difference, and he's excited as cowardice. Stafford, oh, it's night and day. I mean, you know, he'll be the first to tell you.

You talk about being able to enjoy it. I don't think I realize it or anybody, and he would never say it because he's so tough, the amount of pain that he was working through. But to have our quarterback out here, the command, the way that he elevates, really defensive offensively, his communication skills. It's been huge for us. He makes a significant difference. He's our guy, and I've really enjoyed this offseason with him.

Yeah. No, they are, I think you're really selling them short. I like the Rams. My buddies are giving me heat for this. I just looked up the offensive line rankings heading into this coming season, according to PFF. Do you want to guess? 24th. 26?

No. What? 28. 28. They're going to be starting a rookie at left guard. Note boom, who was supposed to be good last year, allowed five sacks in six games before getting hurt. Their right guard played center in 2022. Like, Colin, a lot of makeshift on the line.

Do you want the other teams at the bottom for offensive line are Giants. Seattle, which is surprising. By the way, those two teams made the playoffs. They did. You can make the playoffs if you don't have a great O line. You don't want to be tragic. Last year, because of their injuries, they were amazing. mess. But they drafted the best guard in the draft. They will not be that injured. I don't love

where they're at at left tackle. The right tackle, Halverstein's a top five right tackle. Brian Allen's more than good enough at center if he's healthy. The kid they drafted out of TCU is going to be a high-end starter. Left tackle is what they have to address in next year's draft, in my opinion, with a first pick. I like Rams. I'm rooting Rams. We're not in line yet, but there's still two months to go. All right, next up, Lamar Jackson is at camp after signing his new contract. He'll have a new offensive system to work with with O.C. Todd Munkin. Here's what Munkin had to say about Lamar learning the new system. He's embraced. He's embraced trying to be louder, trying to be in control.

He's embraced learning the system. And we still got a ways to go. You know, it's always a work in progress. We're always under construction in terms of making sure that we execute a I execute a high level because execution trumps everything. They're very boom and bust. OBJ gets hurt. Lamar gets hurt. Uh-oh. But I will be honest with you, we have both agreed that Lamar's a better passer than

anybody gives them credit for. The problem with them is all their star offensive players not named Mark Andrews all have an injury history. Yeah. That's just the reality of JK Dobbins, Ronnie Stanley, Lamar, OBJ, all of them. What are we to make of Munkin turning Stetson Bennett at Georgia from, you know, a guy who had a future in accounting to a drafted quarterback who won a lot at Georgia and was like more than capable and look good. Like that has a lot to do with Munkin, man. And I'm starting to come around on the Ravens, a bit of an about face from me.

Okay, so I've talked you into the Ravens for the last two months. You have talked me into the Saints more over the last two months. You talked me into the Giants last year. I think I talked you eventually into the Vikings last year. This is a collaborative process. That's right. We make each other better. What's our consulting firm called?

JNC, Jason and Colin. I like C and J. but okay. Ravens will see. Can they win the division? Yeah, of course they can. That Burrow got hurt. I think they were leading the division last year. Yeah.

No. Before Lamar went. I tend to just, I believe in that franchise. I like the owner, the front office, the coach, the toughness. I like their culture. They're good at home. I just like the Ravens. I like the way they do business.

Yeah. All right. Final story. Damian Lillard is the big name that could move this offseason. And weirdly, he mentioned the Nets last week. I thought that was a smokescreen because he wanted bridges. But on the Dan Patrick show, Reggie Miller, a very good shooting guard in his era, believes Lillard would be a great fit in Brooklyn.

When we were doing the Brooklyn Philadelphia series, game two or three, I believe it was, or game four. He was in attendance in Brooklyn, and I was like, uh-oh, and all the conversation started. Because I think he would be great on that team with Cam Johnson, Mikhail Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie. I think they need a closer. I don't know. I don't know what Reggie's what's going on.

I mean, we know he struggles as an announcer, but Colin, come on. What are the Nets giving up for Damia Lillard? He just named their best three players. McHale Bridges? No, he just said Bridges and Dame would be a great combo. What do you give it up? Dinwiddie? Nick Claxton? Come on. Brooklyn's not doing that.

Unless I'm missing something. Guys, hit me up. Why would Dame want to go there? I mean, I... Following Kyrie Irving would be good because anything you do is going to be better. If I'm going to New York, I'm going with Jalen Brunson, and Jalen and Dame aren't a good fit

because they're both smaller guards. It'd be a weak defensive back court. That's not the fit. It doesn't make sense. So, my nice drive... Bradley Beal and Jalen Brunson's interesting. because Bradley's very good off ball. Right.

And Jalen's great on ball. So that I think like Luca and Jalen didn't work because they both need the ball. That's at their best. Bradley Beal's better. Bradley Beal is like Clay Thompson. He can handle the ball, but he's better off ball. Beal and Dallas to me is intriguing. It's very.

I don't think Washington wants anything to do with Aiton. But. Phoenix, it doesn't have a, they don't have a shooting problem. This is a guy that works for teams. The Knicks could use a shooter. Miami could use a score. Yeah. It's, by the way, the Lakers,

you're talking about what the Lakers want. Austin Reeves? No, no, no. If the Lakers are making a move, it's bye-bye Anthony Davis. We got the max out of you. We know you can't stay healthy. We'll take a chance on Dame or Bradley Biel.

And a lot of Laker fans don't want to do that. Well, most don't. Yeah, but you wanted to do it for most of the season. No, I looked smart saying, let's get out. I have been consistently a Bradley Beale guy. anybody that listens to me on radio or watches on TV for eight years, I have been a Bradley Beal guy. For eight years, I've been, this is the guy that you trade for. I just, I want to know what LeBron's thinking.

Because remember, there were times where we thought LeBron and AD, like this ship had sailed, we got a title. I think LeBron is, if, I don't know, if I was LeBron James, what does LeBron do, make shooters better? I'd give up Austin Reeves in 15 seconds for Bradley Beal. I would sooner give up AD. You're going to lose it. Reeves is not enough, by the way. Say what you want.

If Yokic is in the West, AD can at least... Do what? Let him score 30 a game in the Western Conference Finals? I think... Come on. No, I give... Everybody loves Austin Reeves. I like him.

He's your fifth best starter. He's not a true point, and he's not a true shooting guard. He was their third best player in the place. Well, that's why they're not. That's why they got swept. To the conference finals! Swept. By the champions who went 16 and 4 and obliterated everyone.

I can't... Austin Reeves, you really want to move off him. Well, not now. but if Bradley Beale was offered in a second. Okay. Austin's fine, but he should be your fourth best player. It's got to be, by the way, Reeves and like Hachimura and draft picks and a lot. You give up way less if you just AD, thank you for your service.

Enjoy the nation's capital. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. So when we do this show, we do things we know will be very good on TV, may not work on radio. Very good on radio

may not work on TV. We're balancing it with a simulcast and something that'll be big on digital. Is that a tease? This next thing will be big on digital. No, I've got an opinion and in the last 25 years, 25 years of college football, there's

only one program that has disappeared from a powerhouse Nebraska to irrelevant. One. Notre Dame went there, now they're back. One. Like, that was literally vying annually for national titles is now irrelevant. I think we have a second.

It's problematic for that school. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, this is Tom Verducci from Fox Sports, MLB Network and Sports Illustrated. And I'm Joe Madden, and we're going to be around to talk a little bit about managerial decisions and what may have occurred to the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. It's the Book of Joe podcast. I can't wait for this, Joe. We're going to dive into what goes on in the dugout and behind the scenes in Major League Baseball.

Cars, whined, whatever else we want to talk about. Yeah, well, there are no boundaries, right? Listen to the Book of Joe podcast on the IHeart Radio app, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman.

documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite

athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space.

For honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Baseball fans, you still have a chance to win $10,000 this weekend playing Fox Bet Super 6. Download the free Super Six app on your phone and enter your six weekend baseball predictions for a chance at the jackpot. So be careful what you wish for. A lot of people, you know, in the career, you're climbing the ladder and you get more power.

With more power comes more responsibility. You want to be paid more money. All right, but you'll be the first one to get cut if the bosses have to make real decisions. In college football, ooh, Texas, Oklahoma, join the SEC. SEC's like, we are more powerful than ever. Yeah, and you added revenue, but holy hell, are those schedules going to be tough? Anybody see the schedules yesterday for Florida, Alabama? Yikes.

Also, the Big Ten, joining the Big Ten is USC and UCLA. I got news for you. It's hard enough to beat Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State. luck at Camp Randall. Now you've got to go out and face Lincoln Riley. The downside to adding these teams is it's going to be tougher schedules. Florida's is insane. Texas, Oklahoma, tough schedules. But I was thinking about this looking at the schedules. I always laugh when like Southern guy tells me USC football's dead. That would be like West Coast guy saying Alabama's dead every time they have a downturn. Schools like Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, USC are never dead. Florida

State. They're never dead for very long because the minute they get the right coach, they're in states that have so many great high school players that they rebound quickly. USC has put together back-to-back really interesting recruiting classes and they are rolling. LSU with Brian Kelly, they're going to be great. Second year on the job. LSU, Georgia, Bama is a state that, despite its small size, what 3.5 million, 4 million people produces 20, 25 Division I players. There was only one college football program in the last 25 to 30 years that went from a national power, and I mean vying for titles, big brand TV to irrelevant. Nebraska. And there are three reasons why. Number one is they're from a state that doesn't produce high school football players.

They have to convince every kid who didn't grow up a Husker to be a Husker. That's harder than convincing a kid in L.A. who grew up a Trojan to be a Trojan. Or a kid that grew up near New Orleans to be a Tiger fan. Nebraska had to convince every kid that wasn't a Nebraska fan because most kids are fans of local teams come to our state. Secondly, they joined the wrong conference. When Nebraska left the state of Texas in the Big 12, they left a lot of recruits who now couldn't watch their sons play.

They couldn't get those home games and watch them play. Now they've got to fly up, drive up. They joined the wrong conference. So number one, Nebraska lost a legendary coach and was always from a state that didn't produce a lot of high school talent. Number two, they joined the wrong conference. And number three, they couldn't get the coach right. Keep your eye on Oklahoma.

Is Oklahoma going to be the second program in our adult lives that disappears? Number one, the state no longer produces big numbers of players of the Sooners 26 Sineas in their recruiting class. Three are from the state of Oklahoma. That's having to convince kids in the South, convince kids in Texas come to us. Secondly, they joined a tougher conference. Like Nebraska, this is going to be harder. Most of those southern kids have grown up on the SEC. Those football players want to stay with traditional SEC powers.

And number three, in an offensive era, they hired a defensive coach, and he was completely utterly over his skis. They didn't get the coach right. I'm just saying, I may be wrong. Oklahoma is a great brand. But Lincoln Riley, remember, you don't necessarily leave a great top six 7 program historically. But why did Brian Kelly leave Notre Dame?

And why did Lincoln Riley leave Oklahoma? Both great coaches. Because Brian Kelly knew when he faced Georgia the previous couple of years and lost both times. Georgia had better players. It's hard to convince kids to go

to tiny private, religious overtone Notre Dame in South and Indiana. It's way easier to get him to go to LSU. He went because of players. as good as Kelly is, you can only do so much when you have the second best players on a field against Bama and Georgia. And why did Lincoln Riley leave?

Because he was joining the SEC, looked at it, looked at the Bamas and the Georgia's and the LSUs and the Florida's and those states and those kids and their leanings. And USC was wide open. By the way, you think Lincoln Riley didn't have a gut feeling somehow, some way kind of felt Oklahoma to the SEC was going to be a hard pull.

You go into Alabama and Georgia and LSU's backyard. Welcome to SEC football. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but the three things Nebraska and Oklahoma have in common, states that don't produce a lot of high school stars joined a conference that looks like it could be trouble for the program and couldn't get the coach right. Jay Mack, am I nuts?

It's going to be very digitally popular. What, Oklahoma getting destroyed every year in the SEC? No, me having that opinion on it. They'll all freak out. But if you just take the emotion out of it, I mean, last year they lost, what, seven games? Well, they lost Caleb Williams. They didn't lose the defense. They were horrible.

I mean, Lincoln Riley took four wins to 11. They took 11 to 6 or 7. You can't. I've never been to Norman. Oklahoma, is that like a good fun city? Will super talented second tier kids in the South want to go to Norman? Yeah, I mean, it's got beautiful facilities. They have a great tradition. I'm not saying I'm right, but everything aligns that this is going to be difficult. Their schedule, the first year, 2024, that ain't a big 10. That's not a big 12 schedule. Sorry, it's no more cupcakes. No more spread offenses in 240 pound

the vensive lineman. Like it's SEC dudes. It's just an opinion. Could be wrong. I don't think that's the worst take ever. I think the Oklahoma fans will be upset with you. Texas should be fine, right? Listen, I probably will no longer be invited to be a Grand Marshal of any of

their parades. I know they loved my Baker Mayfield stuff, though I was proven right. Yes. But whatever. You know, whatever. It happens. Can't please everybody. Thank you. It's impossible. Exactly right. All right. Danny Green will be joining us next hour in studio.

Wow. The highly controversial Alexi Lawless. Don't ask me why he's controversial. He's great. He's fantastic. I don't know why he gets everybody all worked up. You know, I tried to get him on one of my dad's soccer teams for the tournament we played in. And he was like interested in close to playing, but then, you know, something came up.

So he couldn't ultimately make it. We won the title anyway. Yeah, I'm sure. It was fascinating. How do you own the day in sports? You make incredible plays. How do the rest of us own the day? With Irish Spring, when the spring hits you, you're ready to own the day.

Look for Irish Spring at your local retailer today. Hour number two next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert 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 on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.