The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - The Suns are now the favorites

Episode Date: February 9, 2023

Colin discusses Kevin Durant being traded to the Suns and the impact it will have on the league The Lakers are now playoff contenders after their trade Why the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving team up was a failureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Hurd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Live in, well, Glendale, it's the herd, wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. We are officially at the Super Bowl.

It is great to be here today. I don't lose my phone ever. I have twice in my life, both times in Phoenix, both times on the first day I cover the Super Bowl. I finally found it. I went to bed last night and Kevin Durant's career was in the toilet. I woke up this morning and Kevin Durant's going to win a title. What in the world is happening? He is now a member of the Phoenix Suns, J-Mac, alongside as always.

That's a wow move. Yeah, late night fire drill for you last night after a binge drinking night for Colin Cowherd. And now we pivot to football in the NBA. Okay. Sons make a blockbuster move. This is a really good friend. that doesn't have a championship. They're tired of waiting.

They now have Kevin Durant. So just say it out loud. That's one of my rules in life. That's one of my rules in life. You ever get in trouble at like three in the morning? Say it out loud. Three in the morning, convenience store, drinking too much. Doesn't sound like you should have been out.

Say it out loud. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, really good coach, veteran Hall of Fame point guard, and a big that can run the floor. I think Phoenix this morning, argument, best team in the West. Now, I don't know about the chemistry, but hey, listen, Brooklyn got a lot of picks, so we'll talk about them in six years. Right now we're going to talk about Kevin Durant and the Sons. I am genuinely happy for Kevin Durant.

Way too much talent to be in a franchise that's up and down, chaotic, new coach. Ben Simmons, you're getting nothing there. James Harden came in out of shape. Whatever you believe about the vaccine, if you're part of a team probably should get it. In the end, Kevin Durant made a really bad decision, and that's okay. We all make them, but don't double down on them. Just say, you know what? Made a mistake.

Kevin Durant now has made three moves in his career. One ended up being brilliant, Golden State. One Brooklyn, not great. The other one, Feels like to me, it's fantastic. And what I like about this move for Kevin Durant, it's the first move without huge drama or expectation. So he joins the Warriors.

They just won without him. You got to win the championship. They won without you. If you don't win with the warrior, Steve Kerr, Draymond Green, Clay Thompson, Steph Curry, dude, it's on you. And he goes, didn't love it, he goes to, Brooklyn with Kyrie. It's going to prove everybody wrong. A lot of expectations. Boston good, Milwaukee good. They have great cultures. This move, warriors still, the dynasty in the West.

Everybody's falling in love with John Morant in Memphis and oh, keep your eye on Denver. Don't trust them. Phoenix never won a championship. People have been banging on Chris Paul. I don't know why for years. He's too old. Devin Booker's good, but he's not that. DeAndre Aiton, everybody was selling the farm in him a year ago. Even his coach was mad at him. There's no pressure here. Love the move. Kevin's going to come in. I mean, this team is exactly what championship teams are. Rookie head coaches, we've seen them implode. Veteran head coach everybody likes. A communicator. Really smart veteran point guard who doesn't need to score, but can. Two wings, one a guard, one a big, both can score, but they're both kind of.

of chill. Like Kevin Durant's not going to demand the final shot. Devon Booker's not going to demand the final shot. They're not as ball-centric as like a Luca who I like, but needs the ball. Hardin, needs the ball. Devin Booker and Durant, you can give him a ball late in the shot clock. They can hit it. And then I got a guy in DeAndre Aiton. Maybe he's not what people project, but he's big. He can give you 17 points. He can run the floor. You need to have some rim protection. I like it. Is their bench then? Yeah, so is Golden States. I mean, Golden States playing like seven guys.

I mean, that's all they play. I don't love Phoenix's bench, but we all know this in the playoffs. We all know this. The bench shrinks. You play seven to eight guys. I mean, I got news for you. Celtics aren't going to 10, 11 guys. Milwaukee, they want Middleton, Ingalls, Janus, they want their guys back on the floor.

So I love this. And again, so much of life and happiness is expectations. If Phoenix gets better, because we all kind of look at Phoenix now as, yeah, it didn't work. Let's say they get to the Western Conference finals, and I think with this roster, they will. And you lose to the Warriors in six. Nobody's blaming KD. It made it significantly better. I don't know how this looks in Phoenix in three years.

Katie's getting older. Chris Paul's getting older. Those Brooklyn picks could be really tasty in about three years. But today the story is KD, resurrecting his career, and I like it, a lot. All right. Now, this is a story I knew about before I lost my phone. The Lakers, I've been banging on the Lakers. The Lakers don't like me, which is hard to believe because I'm very likable.

The Lakers don't like me. I've been banging on this franchise for years, and I live in Los Angeles. And they look at me weird if I'm in the arena. I can't believe they pulled this off. I can't believe they got this much. They gave up an awful contract and one pick, and they got two shooters in Malik Beasley and DiAngelo Russell, two guys that can shoot. they also got rid of the worst contract arguably in the league and somebody that couldn't play

with LeBron and Westbrook, no reason to pick on him, but he doesn't work with LeBron. And then they also need like versatile wing defenders. They just don't have them. And they got two of those too. And I'm like, how? It is hard to make these trades. I mean, nothing against the jazz because all the jazz want right now is picks. And nothing against the T-Wolves, who, by the way, got better because Mike Conley's one of the

smartest guys in the league. He works great with Rudy Gobert. DeAngelo Russell didn't. And let's slow down on the DeAngelo Russell love. Lakers had him once they let him go. He's bounced around the league. Here's what we know about it. He's skilled.

But he's really inconsistent. He's not a leader, and he wore Steve Kerr out. Virtually everybody works for the Warriors. DeAngelo Russell didn't. my takeaway is he's good for the rest of the season he won't end his career as a laker that is okay you got out of the westbrook contract ask yourself this if you were a laker fan if this morning you just got out of the westbrook contract and got like a bench shooter you'd be like we're a better team the lakers are absolutely a playoff team today now where are they i don't know but lebron

always makes always makes his shooters better. He did it with Badiye and Mike Miller. He did it with Ray Allen. He did it, Kyrie. Even his bigs, Kevin Love and Chris Bosch have to sacrifice their game a little, but he gets some great looks.

Outside of Magic Johnson, LeBron does as good a job as any guy with size I've ever seen getting teammates great shots. So Malik Beasley's an excellent shooter. He'll get the best. shots of his life. DeAngelo Russell's a bit more streaky. He'll get the best shots of his life. Listen, Westbrook got shots. He just couldn't hit him. He just couldn't hit the shots.

And also, everything is relative. So compared to the Kevin Durant move, it feels like, yeah, a bunch of disparate parts, but it's not. The Lakers had two huge flaws. Not enough versatile wing defenders and players, they got two. And not enough shooters, they got two. Who cares? They gave up a draft pick. I've said this before. In Los Angeles, you can sell draft picks to smaller markets. Memphis, Milwaukee, or Salt Lake City. You can sell draft picks in the future. Those almost feel like college towns. Very hopeful, very optimistic. L.A. is got a beach. It's got mountains. It's got two of this,

two of that, two of this, two of that, things to do. You can't sell 2029. Nobody cares. The Dodgers are too good. The clippers are viable. Lincoln Riley now at USC. Like the teams are too good. You got to be good now.

And the Lakers got young and versatile. They're better shooters, complimentary pieces at the trade deadline. And all they really had was a bad Westbrook contract. How? I mean, I got to say, I have been, and by the way, it's substance over flashy. And, you know, one of the things, like when you don't have money to waste, you don't waste money, right?

Kardashians probably waste more money a week than I make a year, right? They have money. When you have big city flash, like Los Angeles, it's easy to get flashy players. And so the Lakers often go flash over substance. It's like the Yankees often pay for a player who really doesn't fit John Carly Stanton. We already had Aaron Judge. What's the point? But when you have all that money, it's seductive. You're not going to make that move if you're the brewers. You're not going to make that move if you're a small market. But in Los Angeles, it's seductive. It's a town of

celebrities, stars. Good God. LeBron's set in the record. There's a thousand stars. And so the Lakers get seduced and often go the star route over the substance route. Not this time. Substance, versatility, youth, shooters. of a draft pick. One, who cares? I, so there were two big trades yesterday, and let's, let's be clear about this. One was a pre-lost phone. One was after. The one after probably makes the sun significantly better, but the one before absolutely makes the Lakers a playoff team. LeBron, AD, versatility, Beasley hitting a three. That's pretty interesting team, if you ask me. All right. So we are just outside the stadium. You will notice,

as our cameras show you, this is a very strong set, steel beams, very powerful set. A lot of wimpy sets from other networks, not this set, very powerful. We'll show it off for the next two days. It is Great to have you in. Around the corner today. I don't even know who's on the show. A bunch of people who want to be under these steel beams. That's who's on the show today. Great to have you in.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast. 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 what 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 it 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. Yes. 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. All right, welcome back. Our first day, kind of in the cockpit of this plane, and it is a big one. It's one of those luxury. liners, unbelievable set. People took a lot of time to get this puppy done. Super Bowl, of course, Sunday on Fox. Looking forward to that. You're now entering a no bull zone sponsored by credible. Great rates, none of the bull. All right. So when people make mistakes, or I make a mistake or you make a mistake, do we learn anything from it? So what did we learn from the Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, James Hardin, debacle? What did we learn from it?

Talent's got a ceiling. Like we've always known that in football, but in basketball sometimes, it's so tantalizing because there's very, very few guys that move the needle, can win your championships. I mean, we just had a football team in the NFL with a seventh round quarterback,

the most important position that got to the NFC championship. Doesn't work that way in basketball, man. You need stars, and it's tantalizing. There's not a lot of elite stuff. So talents got a ceiling, and you've got to have a culture. I know, I know, I know. Kevin Durant said we don't need a coach.

He probably regrets that. Listen, the more talent you have in basketball, the stronger culture and coach you need. There's a reason Chuck Daly coached the dream team. There's a reason Popovich, Mike Shishvsky, coach Olympic teams. They only give those jobs to a couple of people. They're strong.

They know exactly what they want. The more talent you assemble, you can't roll out Steve Nash. It's never been a coach. It's the opposite of what you have to do. And so, in fact, if you look at recent dynasties in the last 10, 15, whatever years, who have they been coached by? Phil Jackson about 20 years ago. Steve Kerr, who learned from Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich, Eric's Bolstrel.

Those are Hall of Fame coaches. By the way, all capable of adapting, but all tone setters. They set the tone, not the player. I said yesterday, anytime something's a mess, there's a moment when you can spot, it's going to be trouble. And when that KD. Kyrie tape came out, we could coach this team. Yeah, that's not right. That's not the way it works.

The more talent you have, the goal. the greater culture and the stronger coach you need. Let me tell you something. Kobe and Shaq should have won four titles. They won three. Kobe and Shaq would have eaten alive 95% of the coaches in the NBA, many of the good ones. When you watch that Michael Jordan documentary

where Jerry Krauss and Reinsdorf and Rodman's nuttiness and my takeaway in that whole documentary was, damn Phil Jackson smart. I mean, whatever that Zen thing is, that would have eaten people alive. You go read that book, Three Rings Circus by Jeff Pearlman, about the Kobe Shack days. I read that thing last summer. I couldn't believe the chaos. Every week there was turmoil, and they were great.

And so we've learned in football, bad coach, bad culture, crappy team. That was Denver this year. Nobody argues about it. If you don't have the right coach in the right culture, Denver's got a bunch of good players. Didn't matter. We know in football. It's over. Let's be honest in basketball.

Better than players, better the coach, better the culture. And by the way, this is why I think the Phoenix move for Katie works. I've said this before. There are players in the NBA that you build your franchise around. Janus, Steph Curry, magic, MJ, LeBron, there's a certain personality needed. And then there's guys that you bring in little quirky, little different, Kauai Leonard, Kevin Durant.

They'll elevate it. So the fact that you have a strong leader, Chris Ball, you have a strong coach. Even the young guys on the Sons, Devin Booker, DeAndre 8, and have been to a finals. They've been a big playoff series. So you're not asking, Kevin Durant.

You're not building the franchise around. Franchise has been good for several years. What you're asking him to do is what Kauai did in Toronto. Hey, man, take us to another level. And that's exactly when KD is at his best. JMAQ with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

It's a beautiful day for some NBA trades, huh? A lot of stuff happening. And the trade deadline is later today. So there will be more ancillary moves here? We'll talk about more in about a minute. Okay. But first, let's go NFL, Coward. Let's talk about Super Bowl 57 and quarterback injuries.

Jalen Hertz, we know nursing the shoulder injury, and Patrick Mahomes still dealing with that high ankle sprain that he suffered against Jacksonville. Mahomes gave us an update yesterday on how the ankle injury is progressing. I don't think you'll know exactly until you get the game day. I'm definitely in a better spot. I mean, I definitely can move around better than I was moving last week or two weeks ago. And so it's just trying to continue to get the treatment in the rehab. We get to as close as I can to 100%, and then rely on some adrenaline to let me do a little bit extra when I'm on the field.

So it's going to be definitely better, more mobile, be able to move around a little bit better for sure, and then we'll see on game day how close to 100% I can be. It's weird. Who you feel better about health-wise going into this game? is we have heard a lot of Mahomes talk about the injury. I haven't heard anything with Dylan Hurts. Well, good organizations hide their issues. Right?

Like stuff leaks from a bad White House or a bad team or a bad organization. And so my takeaway is Philadelphia and Kansas City have little nagging things, but they're not going to let it out. I still don't remember a Super Bowl. It's the only Super Bowl I remember that I like the props. Betts way more than the game bet. I'm not sure who I like in this game. I'm going to wait to the very end, but I don't have a strong feeling either way.

Yeah, we'll see what the injuries are. The injury reports come out later today. But I think Jalen Hertz is going to be good to go, Cowherd. I have this gut feeling. He's going to be running a lot against those light boxes, and I like the Eagles. Next story, Cowherd. So listen, the Lakers last night traded away Russell Westbrook. He's going to the Jazz.

They get DeAngelo Russell from Minnesota. Utah's expected to buy out Westbrook's deal. And there is reports. I don't know if we can believe this, that the clippers want Russell Westbrook. Maybe needling the Lakers. The Chicago Bulls apparently claim that they're interested in Westbrook as well. The Miami Heat are a team to keep an eye on,

according to Brian Winhorst. The Lakers also, within the last 10 minutes, just traded away Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets. So a lot of deals. They're big. I think it was a Hoosier. Indiana, went to Indiana. Canada and the Lakers.

In that D'Angelo Russell deal, they got Jared Vanderbilt, who's a solid big. They got Wendland Gabriel, who's a really hustling dude. And they got a free up minutes. So Thomas Bryant out. They also pick up three second round picks. So that's ammo for another deal. And a lot of the speculation is Patrick Beverly is going to be on his way out of town. We'll see what happens here in the next couple hours.

Okay, what is the inner web saying about a Pat Bev move? What would they get in return? That's the thing. Are they still chasing Bogdanovich, the wing perimeter shooter? But, Colin, there's a lot of traits to make if you're the Lakers in like a, what, a four-day span? Well, I will say this, though. You know, I feel this. Magic Johnson and LeBron James have a gift.

And Michael Jordan didn't do this as well. Michael could really, it was hard. You had to acquiesce to Michael Jordan's game. And a lot of guys early in his career could not. Pippin finally did. But Magic and LeBron have an ability to get the chemistry right. fast when Anthony Davis came to play with LeBron. That second game, I remember watching the second game thinking, yeah, this works. I remember the D-Waid LeBron stuff, and they had kind of similar

games, right? It took about 15 games. Remember they struggled? The He'll struggle for about 15 games. And the parts never perfectly fit, but LeBron figured it out. LeBron's really, and magic was this. Magic could just sense, feel what worked and what didn't. So I never worry about chemistry with LeBron. Kyrie didn't work with anybody until LeBron. LeBron made J.R. Smith work. Don't bag on J.R. Smith. All right, listen, we don't want to do any grave dancing on Russell Westbrook.

But we've been talking, it's over for him. Right, right. Both of us that are in lockstep. He's probably done in the NBA. However, there are teams that may add him. Like, what are the clippers doing adding Russell Westbrook, Colin? If they have John Wall already on the bench, why would you add another point guard who can't shoot?

I don't get it. I don't get it either. I will say this, though. I was watching the game about a week ago, and he had a, I forget who it was against. He had a great tip in, and it was a close game late. He has his moments athletically. I'm not going to build around him. I don't want him late in the game.

Are you going to tell me Westbrook, 16 minutes a night, energy, late second quarter, late third? I don't want him on the floor with four minutes to go. Is he going to handle that? If you say Russ, you're going to play 15 minutes. Well, how about this? You're not in the league or that. I mean, we saw Carmelo Anthony. I mean.

No, but he came to turn. terms with who he had to be. Ultimately did. I don't think it's going to come as easily for Westbrook. This is a guy who's playing like 28 minutes a night. By the way, the numbers are ugly. He's shooting 41% from the field. His worst since his rookie year, among point guards.

Russell Westbrook is 25th in player efficiency rating. Coward, it does feel like the end for Russell Westbrook. All right, final story. Kyrie Irving made his debut for the Mavs last night. Yeah. Look at Kyrie. Crazy good handle. Obviously, the finishing moves are elite.

He's got an elite layout package. Yes, you love what I say. that. He had... Look at that. Oh, a little show and go. Twenty-four for Kyrie. And they won. They won without Luca. Look at him dancing. He's all excited. Feeling good. Listen, because it's Kyrie Irving. We know he was on his best behavior. Here's what he had to say after the game about beating the clippers. I think the most important thing that we stress as a team was just don't force the ball to me. You know, we talked about that as a squad where we just want to play natural basketball. You know, I always have to come to me. You could play off me. I can play off the

ball. I can cut. So they're just getting used to playing with me and just seeing how many open shots I can create for them and the double teams that are coming. So our rotations are just getting better. And then I'm sure when number 77 gets back, it'll be even more enjoyable to see and play out there. So last night is why I would have made the deal. For all our misgivings about Kyrie, without Luca, they put the ball in his. hands and he took the game over. Again, I don't have to love everything about you, but he is an elite offensive player and without Luca, now, could it be harder with Luca? But how many, I mean, if you look at that roster without Luca, it ain't a great roster, and he won.

Western Conference Finals last year. So you opened the show saying the sons are now the team to beat in the West. I think Golden State. I will push back heavily against that. I mean, the Dallas Mavericks know who they are, Colin. is everybody orbits around Luca and Kyrie Irving, you're going to have your chances to score and you're going to run the team when Luca rests. What are the Phoenix Suns? Tell me, what are they compared to like a Dallas Mavericks team with Kyrie and Luca where everybody knows their roles? Shooter, defend, rebound, rim run. Okay. Booker's not ball-centric. Kevin Durant's not ball-centric. A veteran point guard who likes to distribute Luca and Kyrie need the ball and

need to score to be effective because they're terrible on the defensive end. I think Phoenix gives me every, if you look at the history of the playoffs, I need two elite scores, I need a veteran running the show, I need a coach who's been in the playoffs, and you've got to get me at least a competent big. Now, is Phoenix's bench good enough? Probably not. But Golden State this year is not playing anybody. So Phoenix lost all their wing defenders in the trade. Cam Johnson's gone. Jay Crowder's gone. And by the way, Jay Crowder, I just got a note, he got rerouted to Milwaukee. Jay Crowder, who didn't even play for Phoenix this year, but is a good wing defender. He's going to the Bucks.

And McHale Bridges, their best wing defender is gone. Bridges is a tough loss. Oh, that's a huge loss. And by the way, DeAndre Aden, I'm sorry. We're out here in Phoenix. I don't want to go in on the guy. But you know he's going to be demanding the ball inside. And you've got Devin Booker and Kevin Durant and Chris Paul.

I mean, I'm just saying, I don't think the sons are as good as you believe they are. I do not think this team is ready to be built. to win the championship. Not yet. They're close. Well, before the end of this hour, I'm going to go through what I think the best teams in the West are in order. Are you going to do top eight?

Yeah. So the Lakers will not be in there. The staff was beside themselves when I did this this morning before we put it on the air, but I strongly believe, listen, you've got to have strong opinions. I have them, I believe it. I think Phoenix is going to work, and I think it's going to work pretty fast.

All right. J. Mack with the news. So there was a really interesting quote from LeBron James, and this was before he broke Kareem's record. Specific words matter, we know this, and LeBron can be very deliberate with his language. So here was the quote by LeBron James. This was right before he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record.

He goes, I feel like I got plenty of gas in the tank. to help any franchise win a championship. I'm here with the Lakers right now. Any franchise right now. Pretty clear message is, guys, I'm good, I'm committed, I'm playing for several years, you better make a move. And they did. And this is not a move I would have made if AD was my number one guy.

He's not as committed. I'll make a prediction here. Anthony Davis will not be a Laker next year. My prediction will get into it later. We'll get into it later. I think eventually he's going to be a Dallas Maverick after the season. But we don't need to get into that today.

I'm just theorizing my gut feeling on that. He's not real happy. You saw his body language. I'm hearing AD's not happy. That being said, you do this move. I'm not going to do this with a quarterback who's non-committal in the office. season. You know who I'm talking about. But LeBron James has never been more focused. He's never for year 20s the best player on the floor, almost any given night if he's not playing Milwaukee,

if he's not playing in Dallas, he's the best player on the floor. And I think you make this move. And again, LeBron makes chemistry work fast. DeAngelo Russell, this could be very quick. Anthony Davis, my guess by next year, could be a Maverick, won't be here forever. But you sent a message to LeBron. We hear you. You're committed. This is, by the way, why the Mavs went and got Kyrie to Luca. We get it. You're great. We're going to take some big swings. We're not going to sit here. So I like it. And after the break, not yet. I will show you who I think in order are the best eight teams in the West. And I think it has massively shifted this morning. That after the break. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Hey, what's up everybody? It's me three-time Pro Bowl of LeVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real life.

experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LeVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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 what 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 it 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 all 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. Thank you for 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. Sunday, it's going down in the desert with the Super Bowl pregame show on Fox, featuring performances by Jason DeRullo, the Black Keys, Chris Stapleton, and more. Plus, Michael Strayhan sits down with Rihanna, and the guys break down the big game. It all kicks off at 1 p.m. Eastern Super Bowl Sunday, only on Fox. Okay, there is a story, NBA trading deadline today.

The defending champ warriors, there's been a lot of speculation about trading a young kid named James Weissman doesn't really fit. He was a number one or two pick a couple years ago. According to his story, the Warriors are working on a deal to trade him. Yeah, according to Yahoo Sports, James Wiseman could be moved. Discussions happening between Golden State and Detroit. James Wiseman in some sort of deal for Sadiq Bay.

I'm sure everybody remembers him, good Villanova wing player. Smart kid. Smart kid. High IQ would easily fit into the Golden State system. I think the big story here would be, are the Warriors really moving off James Wiseman already? Well, you know, listen, if you look at, it's, there are, if you go to the last three or four drafts, you'll find a guy drafted 25-ish, who's better than a guy drafted four. It's very difficult in the NBA, even if you're a great evaluator, because you're taking 19-year-old kids. In the NFL, I got three and four years of college tape, and you're going up against NFL guys. You draft college basketball players. You play in the Big Ten, you play at Michigan State. How many NBA players are on the floor? or ever guarding you. Maybe Michigan's got one. Maybe. So I think it's hard to evaluate, guys. So Wiseman had a lot of the physical tools. And Golden State, it's a hard team offensively to

adjust to catch and react offense. It demands a lot. They go out, not shocking, get a Villanova kid potentially. Be a great fit. Villanova kids play multiple years in college. Jay Wright's system. A lot of character, really bright kids. They fit into. That's why Wiggin. work. Super smart guy fits into the system. It's hard. Golden State demands a lot, and it sounds like something that could work. Okay, so I said this. It's weird worth the Super Bowl. You can hear the helicopters, the security circling. It's going to be like this up until kickoff and after kickoff. But that we're talking NBA, but it's trade week, and we had big moves, big stars, big teams. So now what is the, we know what the east looks like. Milwaukee and Boston are favorites, should be,

and then Philly and Cleveland are really interesting. We all know what it looks like. Can Philly and Cleveland win a title? I don't think so, barring an injury to a Celtic or a buck. To me, I think Milwaukee now, if Healthy's the best team in the East, Boston's very competitive. Again, Middleton's playing healthy. They probably win the series.

Out West? No idea. The Mavs got better. The Lakers got better. The Sun's got better. Warriors trying to get better. Minnesota slightly got better. Utah got more picks.

So if I had to go in order one through eight, I'm not saying this is how they'll finish. This is what I believe this morning, barring some injuries, are the eight best teams in the West. This is what it feels like to me. I got a lot of pushback on this. Phoenix and Golden State are one and two. I love their starting fives. Rotation shrink in the playoffs. I don't care that much about bench.

I don't love either bench, although Golden States could get better here in the next couple of hours. Suns Warriors have big stars, competent veteran coaches, complimentary players to the stars, those feel like right now the two best teams in the West. The Clippers and the Grizzlies have more depth, and I like both coaches. But they don't quite have the star power, and that matters in the playoffs. The refs swallow the whistles. The stars take control. Sorry to disappoint you. So the Clippers Grizzlies have more depth.

I like their coaches, but do they have the star power? Not sure. Lakers Nuggets next. Now, I know everybody loves Denver. I get two players I love, LeBron and Yokic. But do I trust A.D.'s help or DeAngelo Russell? No. He makes them better.

I don't think he makes them great. And the Nuggets, I know Yokic is great. But give me all the great playoff games I've gotten from Michael Porter, Jamal. I don't know about the complimentary guys. I don't know. And then the Kings and the Mavericks are great stories. I'm not convinced they're great teams. Dallas is better.

But man, defensively, Luca and Kyrie can be completely worked in a long series. So again, when I say Dallas 8, yeah, I think they could go toe to toe in a lot of games with the Grizzlies. But I think the Grizzlies play better defense, much better than Dallas will, much better. and they've got depth, and so I would take them. So those are the eight, that's how I see it. You think I'm crazy? There it is. So I had a few adult beverages last night, and I'm a little foggy. I need to see it on the screen again.

Cowherd, is that the Lakers? Are you serious? The Lakers who are 13th in the West, do you have them at 6 on your list? I think this morning they have the best sixth, best collection of talent. Oh, you have them fifth. I'm sorry. Goodness, gracious. of of no no i i like i like what darvin ham's done oh really i think he's done a good job okay i think they lose toxicity i think they've added youth wing and shooters i don't think they're as talented as the sons warriors clippers or grizzlies but if the lakers play the nuggets tomorrow right tomorrow

tomorrow nuggets four one i don't even know that it's that close i mean anthony what anthony davis are we getting i mean the guy's bailing against mike muscala of okayc what's going to happen when he goes against the two-time MVP and Yokic. Colin, I don't know. I'm really selling my Lakers stock today. Very disappointed in their performances lately. I know it's a little early. All right.

And Mavs 8 is, that's insanity. Okay. Okay. Yeah, seriously. Respond to my text messages from now on. I'm trying to tell you, I tried to text Cowherd the Durant deal last night. No response. I guess he left his phone in a car or something.

I did. So, a football note before we head to our second hour. is that there's a lot of talk about Jalen Hertz's health. And there's a lot that I love about Jalen Hertz. I like his character. I like his work ethic. And I think he's a really good athlete. A little smaller than I'd like.

That's life. But it is interesting now. And I've watched this. So the media, the sports media in my lifetime, has gotten younger. Why? It's cheaper. corporations, profits, you know, you've got all sorts of things happening. So the media has gotten younger.

And young media people are always in unison. Give him the bag. Pay him. You have to pay big money infrequently and to only the right positions. Now, Jalen Hertz is the right positions. But I'm hearing this a lot. I'm reading a story this morning is, will he land a new contract offer? Again, he's got a lot of stuff.

I like. But the thing about Jalen Hertz that worries me, 11 rushes per game. Now, think about this. Cam Newton was 6'6 and 245, averaged about 8. 11 rushes a game for a quarterback that is not the ideal size. It worries me. I have been banging on Josh Allen for two years. He's 6-6-255. Dude, live for another day. Last year, Jalen Hertz got banged up. This year, Jalen Hertz got banged up. So to me, would I wait? Listen, ask yourself this.

Running quarterbacks. Now, Steve Young is probably the greatest running quarterback ever. But it's weird. For at least 10 years, I think of Steve Young as a runner. But at least 10 years, I believe Steve Young, Steve Young held the record for the highest passer rating. I could be wrong, but I think I'm right. I think Aaron Rogers surpassed him at some point.

So Steve Young became a great pocket quarterback. A not good. If Joe Montana was not a Niner and Steve Young didn't have to play in his shadow, we'd think much more highly of Steve Young. He was one of the most underrated players. He, Roger Staubach, guys that moved around but could also throw from the pocket, two of the most underrated guys in league history. But you think Cowboys, you think eight.

Stoback was unbelievable. You think Niners, you think Montana. Steve Young was absolutely absurdly talented. So Young was a runner who became a pocket passer and a great one. But just ask yourself on quarterbacks that run more than you'd love, Lamar Jackson. Did we or did we not two years ago feel differently about Lamar Jackson? than we do today.

Eleven rushing attempts a game. The only other, only two quarterbacks have ever rushed that much ever. Lamar and Jalen Hertz. So yes, I know everybody. Give him the money. Give him the bag. Jalen Hertz. And I have total trust in his character, his resilience, his work ethic.

but I also understand when you are going to pay a quarterback, this franchise Philly got burned by Carson Wentz. I mean, the Rams felt they got burned a little by Jared Gough. Like, I get it. For every quarterback that got in the bag and you save money, Mahomes, there's another situation where it's a bit of a tire fire. So I can love 80, 90 percent of Jalen Hertz. But when you look at 11 rushes a game,

that is a historic ton. And he's a little smaller than I'd like. So I get pause. It doesn't mean I don't like him. I get the, he's banged up again. Let's get him to the Super Bowl. Let's push this thing down the road a little.

If I have to pay him more, but next year he's an MVP candidate again, I'm good with it. I got no problem paying MVP candidates. None. But I do have a problem paying a guy a tad early to get a break and he gets broken down. That's a disaster for a franchise.

So, you know, I'm reading these stories. If he's great Sunday, listen, last playoff game for Jalen Hertz, he struggled. And he struggled because he's hurt. And he's hurt because he moves around a lot. It's the thing. Got to talk about it. It's okay. All right.

Hour one is over. The Super Bowl, there's our very formidable set. A lot of steel beams. Hour two next. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Cliford Show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast, And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.