The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - What were the Ravens thinking?

Episode Date: April 10, 2023

Colin reacts to the Ravens signing Odell Beckham Jr and why this doesn't do much to fix the broken relationship between the front office and star QB Lamar Jackson The NBA playoffs are set - What are the Lakers chances? The Dallas Mavericks completely collapsed at the end of the seasonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Heard. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, back, ready to go, live in Los Angeles. It's The Hurt, wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for Meganas, part of your day, one hour from now. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, plenty of both. Jay Mack and the fam back from the islands of Hawaii. Ready to go.

How are things, my friend? Excellent. Love being rested and coming back to a lot of news today, Cowher. A lot. Monster Show. Yeah, we got a lot of things. So the big story that broke yesterday afternoon is Odell Beckham signed a one-year deal, a lot of money, $15 million guaranteed.

So I reached out to a couple of different executives and said, what do you make of that contract? And it was a lot of L-O-L and W-O-W. Wow. So if this gets Lamar back to the table and he gets Lamar happy and back to the Ravens, for a year, it's worth it. 15 million guaranteed close to about double what he's worth. Nothing against OBJ.

I love him as a number three receiver, but that's paying him like a number one. He's not a number one. Amari Cooper makes $20 million and gives you nine touchdowns and 75 catches and is available. Always. Last year, OBJ didn't play a single game. So it doesn't feel like it's a long-term fix.

It feels a little desperate. It feels like basically you gave Lamar a cool pre-Christmas present to get him back to the negotiating table. But the Ravens are in a tough spot. It's quarterback league and they don't have one. So, you know, having another kid or buying another house will not fix the marriage. You probably need to work on the marriage. And I think that's Baltimore's issue.

They got to work on the marriage between Lamar Jackson and the franchise. He thinks he's worth far more than they're paying him. And the market disagrees and the Ravens disagree. So the market in any business, I don't care if it's law, football, or tech. the market will dictate how good you are and how valuable you are. And there's no market for Lamar Jackson. In fact, where he's really valuable is Baltimore. And sometimes that is your market.

Joe Burrow, Kenny Pickett looks decent. Deshawn Watson's improving. And the AFC is a star quarterback gauntlet. You've got to have a guy. So it doesn't really matter too much that there's not a gigantic market. It's like you can have a great star that works for a, a movie series or a trilogy, right? Like you have these movies and you have this star.

He's not wanted by any other studio, but he's great in your movie. So if you want the movie to keep selling tickets and the merch to keep rolling, then you sign your star. And Lamar doesn't have much of a market. We've seen it. But it doesn't really matter because he's what Baltimore needs in the AFC. Maybe if they played in the NFC South, it would be different. But Baltimore's got Burrow.

and then there's a Josh Allen and there's a Justin Herbert and you start looking around. Here comes Trevor Lawrence. You got to have a dude. And Lamar knows. Look around the division. Look around the conference. Make me happy. So now I'd like to remind you the noisiest teams in the NFL last off season were the Packers,

the Broncos, and Arizona all had discouraging seasons. And the year before, the noisiest team was Miami and they missed the playoffs. And the noisiest team the year before that was Dallas, the Zieg-Dak stuff. So noise usually equals disappointment. And I do think a little less of the Ravens today. I mean, they make the Cowboys these days feel like a monastery. They are noisy every day of the week. And this is like a present that doesn't really solve the issues in the organization.

It makes Lamar happy today, gets them back to the negotiating table, and they've got to have it. I think the bigger picture, though, is there's a lot of different. discussion about what's the market for Lamar Jackson. And it doesn't really matter. Baltimore needs him. And they right now currently are not in line for one of the young quarterbacks that's in favor in the NFL draft. So you've got to pay Lamar or at least make him happy for the short term. I think this works. But would you be shocked if by week six, OBJ is hurt, Lamar is unhappy, he's got a new contract and the Ravens are stuck at 500? That wouldn't shock me either.

So the NBA playoffs are set, and the NBA has always been about two seasons. The regular season, stars miss games, it's not as physical. Then you get to the playoffs where it's significantly more physically demanding. You don't play all the dogs in the league. So right now, the Lakers are on fire against bad teams. LeBron's healthy, AD's healthy, and they've made their way to the play-in game, and they will beat the T-wolves in the play-in game. that team's falling apart.

And you'll want to believe, when you look at the Lakers, you'll want to believe it's magical. But history tells you they cannot win a playoff game and four long series. AD will get hurt. LeBron's in year 20. It's like traveling with young kids in the back seat of a car for a long road trip, and they're all getting along and they're all happy. You know you're just one tantrum for a really quick meltdown.

You know it's coming. But right now, it's all good. And the Lakers are beating bad teams, and LeBron's ankle is good, and AD hasn't crashed to the floor in a while. And we haven't had any situational moments where DeAngelo Russell can melt down and do dumb things. That's why Golden State got rid of him. So they do deserve credit. In fact, you know, I got to give Darvin Ham credit. He got a roster that didn't work, and everybody knew it wouldn't work with Westbrook to start the season.

And then halfway through the season at the trading deadline, they give him a new roster. And they're engaged. And they've won 9 of 11, and LeBron's happy, and Austin Reeves has a role, and they play real defense, and they're very efficient on the defensive end, and they kind of protect the rim, and it's kind of working against bad teams. But something to note, the playoffs become much more physically demanding. Stars are going to play more minutes. The bench shrinks.

You're going to need more from AD. and I'm waiting for the meltdown. The kids are all getting along. It's all great. We just stopped for ice cream. But I am waiting for the tantrum in the meltdown, which would be DeAngelo Russell doing something that makes LeBron shake his head in crisis. LeBron re-aggravating his ankle, AD crashing to the floor and can't get up.

Now, for the time being, though, Darvin Hamm has sort of made it work. They're beating teams they should beat. he was thrown like a curve ball at the trading deadline. He was given a roster to start the season as a rookie coach with a big brand that wasn't going to work. And they've moved off it. And they're headed to the playing game. They're going to beat the T-Wolves. They're going to be a tough matchup.

I don't think they're built to win four playoff series. But I do think a playing game in the first series, they'd be a handful. They protect the rim. They move the ball pretty well. they get to the free throw line, they create contact. I mean, yesterday, you know, I watched the entire game. I was flying home from skiing. I watched the entire game, and I'm like, they're having fun.

They're playing hard. They're having fun. You know, there's a lot of teamwork going on. LeBron's totally utterly engaged. Here's Darvin Ham after. We're just looking forward to the opportunity, starting where we started at early in the year, now where we are, where we find ourselves sitting. we're excited.

The guys are ready to go. We got great synergy in our locker room. Need to clean up some stuff defensively. But outside of that, I mean, we're ready to go. Darwin Ham is one of the lowest profile Laker coaches ever. Tip of the cap to him, though. He's leaned into what he does defense. You know, he made the Westbrook thing work enough so that Westbrook

viable enough to go to another team. Austin Reeves is undrafted. He's gotten AD to toughen up and play through pain. That's been the knock on AD his entire career. He won't play through pain. He's soft. He's gotten him to be a much harder player. All of it's gotten a tip of the cap and a nod from LeBron.

It's kind of all working. Everybody does what they do pretty well. Now, playoff basketball is more physically demanding, and it becomes situational half-court basketball, and that's where with DeAngelo Russell, you cross your finger. There's a lot of finger crossing. the Lakers right now in terms of health and decision making. But it's been a good two, three weeks, and they deserve credit for that.

It's the playing game next. I will say this. Clipper Sons is about as good as a first-round playoff series gets. I'll take the Sons to walk through the Clippers. I also think the experienced warriors against the inexperienced Kings is a very tasty first-round matchup. I think that probably goes six. I would take, you know what dynasties get.

They get the whistle. They know how to manipulate the refs. Golden State's going to get the whistle. They'll manipulate the refs. They'll win a game somewhere on the road in Sacramento. It'll be close. It may go to overtime and they'll pull it out in six. But I think those in the West are excellent first round matchups.

As far as the east goes, J-Mack, I kind of feel like we know who's going to be good. Nothing against the Knicks, but Julius Randall's banged up. They don't have the fiber power to be to Clemachups. Cleveland. So I kind of feel like I know who's going to win the first round matchups. Sun's Clippers, and I've been a clipper fan, I think that's a bad matchup without Paul George for the clips. Yeah, how about Russell Westbrook versus Kevin Durant? This is like the revenge playoffs, right? DeAngelo Russell Revenge Series against the wolves. By the way, not to look too far ahead. Did you see Lakers Grizzlies? Did you see what happened during the regular season?

Lakers kind of beat him to 1 and in the loss, LeBron did not play. Yeah. So not Penn. canceling the Lakers in too far ahead. But Colin, if AD can stay healthy, it gets exciting. There is luck. I mean, and timing. The Lakers got very lucky facing the T-Wolves who imploded over the weekend. They lost their best wing defender who punched a wall. He's out.

Best wing defender in their center, Rudy Gobert, who couldn't get along with people in Salt Lake. Now can't get along with people in Minneapolis. So they're melting down. So Chris Finch, the coach has this toxic situation going on that he's got in 48 hours figure out. So the Lakers catch, you know, listen, they've had some bad breaks. They catch a little bit of a timing break with the T-Wolves. And all, by the way, if they play a Memphis, Stephen Adams is out. That's right.

So Adams is out. What does that mean? Huge break for Anthony Davis. Because Adams is one of the stronger, more physical interior guys in the entire league. So the Lakers get a little bit of a scheduling break. Memphis is a good team. Again, they can be highly emotional. They don't have a ton.

You know, John Morant, a playmaker. but they don't have a ton of consistent. You know, Darvinham will dare you to shoot threes, and the Grizzlies have knights. They don't shoot them particularly well, so that could be a Laker advantage. Doesn't feel like a lot of upsets happening in the first round. And by the way, just for the record,

I know the kings are higher seed than the Warriors. The Warriors are minus 300 to win the series. I mean, it's significant. And listen, this is the way the playoffs work. It's harder for young teams. So the Warriors have Clay and Draymond and Steph. And by the way, Gary Payton's an unbelievable defensive player who just in the nick of time can go defend De Aaron Fox, who is their go-to guy late in games.

Gary Payton is one of the best on-ball guard defenders in the league. So Warriors shrewdly bring him in a month ago. He's got a core issue. He gets in shape. He's healthy. Now they can throw him for 24 minutes a night at Deerrin Fox. It's a nice, the betting market's figured it out. Warriors got a break.

Old team, they don't have to travel. It's a bus ride to the game. Warriors got a huge break. and also the sun's got a break and the Lakers got a break. Yeah. Can't wait. Can't wait. Colin right, calling wrong, top of next hour. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports

Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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 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? I 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 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. So I would be known as a golf casual. I'll watch the U.S. Open, the Masters, an occasional rider cup. the Masters is a little too uptight for my taste, but it is beautiful, but I don't watch golf courses for flowers. I watch for golfers. And so when the PGA golfers decided to jettison the tour

and take the money from live golf, people were outraged. But Patrick Reed sort of polarizing, and now Phil Jackson's always been sort of polarizing, and Brooks kept because a little polarizing, and they all took the bag, and then they returned over the weekend, and they were the most interesting part of the Masters. Sorry, they were.

John Rom's great. He's boring. I mean, he's just really a nice guy, and he's boring. Phil Jackson wasn't, and I thought the most compelling part of this. And again, I defended the live golfers. I myself probably would not have taken the money, but it was $200 million for Phil. I get it. Money changes a lot of decisions. Don't get on your high horse. You've never been offered $200 million. You have no idea what you do. And I guarantee you guys, a lot of our family members, wives, and kids would say, take the money from a place with a well-due. documented relationship with our country for 25 and 30 years and longer. So Phil took the money and now he doesn't have the adoring crowds and people crossed

their arms at Augusta when he hit that put and capped off a seven under 65 at 52 years old. And you know what? You know why he took the bag? Because he didn't like the way the PGA golfers were treated. He didn't want to have to be in the grind and deal with all the pro-am stuff. He wanted to make money, play less and be treated like the rock star he is. And guess what? That's the best he's ever looked.

He was thin. His skin was good. His body looked great. His golf was amazing. He was hitting his pots. He proved his point. And three of the top four golfers were live golfers who all played incredibly well and took the money because they didn't want the grind.

It reminds me of Sean McVeigh, who years ago got people in the NFL upset when he decided to not play any starters in the preseason. He said it was a bunch of hooey. And he was right. The Rams started 8 and 0. and now none of the good coaches or the good young coaches play any starters in the preseason. It was always dumb. It continues to be dumb.

I don't know if I would have taken the money, but I'm a golf casual. And according to TV ratings, that's 90% of golf viewers in America. I watch for the golfer. I don't watch for the flowers. I don't watch for the history. I don't give a rip about it. I watch great golfers. And I watch Brooks Keppka and I was rooting for Brooks and I was rooting for Phil Mickelson.

And I know a lot of you think they're. amoral and you don't like him, but you know what? They prove their point. Phil Mickelson has never, I mean, that's as good as an old guy plays golf. He's not as grint. He lost a lot of weight. He just looked fantastic. He's a little more humble.

He's not as boisterous. He's not as cocky. He doesn't have the adoring crowds that he used to have. I get it. But, you know, everybody in golf freaked out. Villains are good for all sports, including golf. Yes. And I know y'all love the masters and the flowers and oh, it's just, you know what?

Phil Mickelson right now, he won by not winning. He proved his point. He doesn't play as much. He took care of his body and his relationship. I saw a quote yesterday. He's like, I'm ready to go on a tear. I'm playing great golf. A lot of guys on that tour at 52 are shot fighters.

They are done at 48 years old because of the grind of the tour. In every other sport, we acknowledge that we watch for stars. Golf has convinced people, the PGA has convinced people, we watch for the courses in the history. No, we don't. If you go look at the Masters, the highest ratings have been when Tigers winning it a bunch of years ago or Phil won it three times when Stars won the tournament. I don't have to love everything about every golfer and their decisions. People got on their high horse, and I actually found myself glued watching Phil Mickelson

and Brooks Kepka, who have now become villains on the tour. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You know, Mondays are supposed to be positive, everybody excited. Collum, we got to start with a fight in the NBA last night. I mean, goodness, gracious, Rudy Gobert got sent home.

Here's the footage, if you're watching it home, Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson arguing vociferously, and then Rudy Gobert hears something he doesn't like it. What? throws a little punch at him. Now, listen, I can't repeat. what was said, but other reporters have said what Kyle Anderson said to him. But basically, Rudy Gobert was a little injured Saturday night against the Spurs, so he wasn't in, wasn't 100 percent, and he wasn't defending well. And Kyle Anderson basically said, hey, go block a shot.

And Rudy Gobert said, hey, why don't you go grab a rebound? And then Kyle Anderson said a couple expletives. Yeah, Rudy Gobert couldn't get along with anybody in Utah. Donovan Mitchell left Rudy Gobert to Cleveland and has exploded as a leader and as a player. So, Donovan Mitchell, by the way, Quinn Snyder, a great coach, left Utah because he couldn't fix that goofy chemistry. And Quinn Snyder then took, what, the Atlanta job? Like, is that a good job? He just wanted out of Utah. You not, don't blame Utah, the owner of the state, the Rudy Goberer wore people out.

And now in Minnesota, he's wearing a bit of a bum rap. You really think he's that bad of a guy? Like, doesn't get in trouble? Who does that? I mean, listen. By the way, did notice how he pushed him and backed off? tough guy. Well, there's this, I think there's a narrative around him.

He's a little soft, you know, French guy, soft, seven-footer, doesn't do much. You don't do that, too. And you can talk to him. You don't do that. At halftime, they went back there and Kyle Anderson said, I'll knock your bleep out in the locker room to a seven-footer. Now, this team doesn't have any leadership. We were talking about this yesterday. Anthony Edwards can't even rent a car on the road.

He's 21 years old. Yeah. Carl Anthony Towns, I think we agree. He's got one foot out the door in Minnesota. He's probably going somewhere else soon. And Gobert's not a leader. So, like, who's stepping up to bring him? this up. I feel bad for Finch, who is a good guy

sat here about a month ago. We talked to him. Colin, there is another issue with the wolves. Jaden McDaniels, their best wing defender, was so angry during that game, he punched a wall, fractured hand, out for the season. Here he is. Walking to the tunnel, just angry for picking up a foul. Yeah, you know what? Walls always win

those fires. Not a good decision. So I don't know who's going to guard LeBron. He would have guarded LeBron. He's an all defensive player. Yeah, no, they're done. They're done. Lakers, by the line, by the way, the line moved up. Lakers six and a half. Now Lakers seven. I will be in the building for that Tuesday. Are you interested in going or not? I want to go to the Clipper's Sons.

I want to go. Over a Lakers playing game? Oh, I think the Clippers Sun's going to be unbelievable. You just want to laugh at Westbrook, right? No. I want to go see Kevin Durant. I think Phoenix is going to end up in the Western Conference finals. I can't believe how many people doubted that would work. What are they 8 and 0 with Durant? They've never lost a game. And their net rating is like the highest in league history.

It's early. Let's settle down. All right, next up, the Golden State Warriors, who you love, they're locked into the six-seat to face the Kings. I don't know what they're calling this, but it is an in-state rivalry. They are kind of close to each other. I'm not a geographic expert, obviously. But Golden State's hot. They won eight of ten.

Clay Thompson, very confident about their chances in the postseason. I would say we have to value the ball more, take great shots, and communicate on defense. We do those three things. I don't see a team who can beat us in a seven-game series when we're healthy. So if we do those three things going forward, I think we'll be in a great position to repeat. Andrew Wiggins back? Well, it's interesting. So Wiggins is back, but, you know, playoff basketball ready.

And then Cominga, who's this really athletic young player, now he's getting real minutes. So you've got to pull his minutes back and give Wiggins more minutes. That's a weird chemistry situation. The key is Gary Payton returns. They brought him back from Portland a month ago. He's a tremendous elite, like his dad, a great defensive player for the Sacramento series, so you can put him on Deerran Fox. Now, they're not going to start him, but he could end up playing Clay's minutes, big minutes.

So Wiggins is coming back and Gary Payton's coming back. Who's losing minutes in that top five, top six? Well, that's the interesting thing. They have to convince Kaminga that next year's his big year. Oh, I always keep hearing that. What about Jordan Poole? I don't think I think

that he I think the warriors tolerate Jordan Poole if you listen to their comments all the time even Clay Thompson if we have value good shots that's like saying

Jordan Poole stop taking bad shots if we communicate on defense that's like saying yeah we all do except Jordan Poole doesn't communicate on defense they're not saying that about Looney Steph Clay who are they saying that to you can

they've veiled jab Vail jabs verbally at Jordan Poole constantly on both ends. They're going to need time when Jordan Poole has to come in and give them that shot in the arm of massive offense. He's a human highlight reel. I'm a big fan of Poole. Of course you would be. Cocky and shoots too much. He's a bit of a chucker.

All right, final story. Paul George will not be ready for the start of the postseason. He's making progress from his knee injury, but there's no timetable. It sounds like no shot he plays in the first round against the Sun's. Listen, I've heard for so long about how Ty Lou is this great coach. Colin, I don't know what he could cook up here. Even if you put Kauai Leonard on Kevin Durant, what's the matchup for Devin Booker? No, this is a bad matchup.

So basically, they don't have a lot of shot creators. Now with Durant, Phoenix has better size. Phoenix has two of the top three shot makers in the series. Phoenix has the better floor general. I would argue the Clippers have the depth, but they both have good coaches. I think this is a bad matchup for the Clippers. If Paul George was healthy,

I've always thought he got a bad rap for his playoff games when his playoff averages are right along his regular season averages. Shooting percentages a little bit down. But I'll ask, who's the second best player after Kauai Leonard in the series for the Clippers? He's gone. Well, who's the second best player? Is Norm Powell? Is that the second?

I like him a lot. He's hot and cold. He's good player. Then they're getting swept if he's... Where's the offense coming from? No, I think it's Phoenix in five. I do too. I'm really interested to watch Phoenix live.

I want to go to one of the games. I want to watch them live. I think Phoenix is fantastic. I just am taken back by the people that thought Kyrie Luka was going to be a title team and that doubted Kevin Durant. Do we all understand? And by people you mean me, right now? No, I mean, no.

I was wrong on that one. To me, it's like Kevin Durant is the best player in the last 20 years. in the NBA in terms of put him on any team. Olympic, West Coast, East Coast, a small ball. You can put him anywhere. Anywhere. He wins everywhere. You can go look at Brooklyn and roll your eyes at it.

But he was winning in Brooklyn. Simmons wouldn't play. Kyrie not available. Harden out of shape. Rookie head coach. The only thing that worked in Brooklyn was Kevin Durant. I saw a stat where the last like 32 games he's played in Brooklyn and Phoenix, They're like 30 and two or some ridiculous number.

He just doesn't lose basketball games. No. But the interesting subplot, let's keep an eye on this Russell Westbrook versus Kevin Durant thing. Because you know with Paul George out, Russ is going to be the guy. I got to be Russ. And I just wonder, is he going to make it personal? I got to beat Durant. I got to beat him.

He's very intense guy. We see like an 11 turnover game one from Russell Westbrook. And it's like, well, I'll be honest with you. They're going to need Russell Westbrook to drop 22. Outside of Kauai who you cross your fingers, he'll play or be game in the series. I would trust Terrence Mann more in this series. Well, that seems personal. He's going to make it personal, man.

I'm telling you. Listen, you've watched a lot of basketball where guys want to go at dudes, and it's like he's losing track of the series. There's a chance of Clippers get swept here. I'm dead serious. They're in deep trouble. It's not a good matchup. And the other thing is Phoenix has given Kevin Durant and Chris Paul.

They've been giving them time off. So the one thing you worry about Phoenix is old legs. They come into the series completely utterly rested, whereas the Clippers had to win games to get their seating. So now you get a very well-rested team in perfect harmony against the team with turmoil, missing their number two score. They've had to play their guys. And then the Sons would draw, I believe, Denver in the second round.

Who are the Denver wing defenders for KD and Booker? Oh, God. They've nobody to defend them. It's damn it, sons. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. for stopping by. The herd lie news.

So the Mavericks just unraveled over the weekend. Luca Dantage is saying now he is happy. He'll come back. They sat players in the final game. The league's investigating. They could lose a first round pick. And I want to give you a comparison. I'm going to use four players.

I'm going to use Janice and LeBron and then compare them. And then Luca and Carmel O'Anthony. And I think Luca is becoming a little Carmelo Anthony. And let me compare the two. So Carmelo Anthony, one year of college, very young comes into the league. Luca, European ball, no college here comes into the league. They're immediately great scores. And they have some really nice team success early.

Don't get along with everybody, but they score in the NBA. That means you're worshipped. Their offensive games are very refined, very early, very mature. But then after like four years in the league, you do really. realize that Mello and Luca are never in great shape, won't play any defense. And they're kind of stuck in their ways. Both get very prickly. Carmelo and Luca, when you suggest they should evolve their games a little,

but Luca does that high screen ball-centric, it's my ball, you can watch me play offense. He's not changing. And Carmelo, a great mid-range shooter, refused to take a step and a half back and shoot a three. My game is my game. for both of them. And all of a sudden, they're hard to coach and a little prickly, and they can be moody. And teams and GMs try to find the perfect mix for Carmelo and Luca, and they can't,

and coaches get fired, and the results are very poor. Now there's LeBron and Janus, who work well with everybody, right? Like, you can throw LeBron, Kyrie Irving was a bust. He wins a title. Kooky J.R. Smith. They win a title together. You can put him with a player like D. Wade where they have duplicate games and no center in Miami and Mario Chalmers. And that works.

You can give him brittle AD and that works. You can give Yannis Chris Middleton. You can give him Drew Holiday, another big Brooke Lopez. They work with everybody. And the difference is LeBron and Janice always in great shape, always committed to the defensive end, work well with any teammate. and Luca increasingly is Carmelo, where he just doesn't. He's not in great shape. He's not committed on the defensive end.

He's kind of prickly. He's got his way, and his way is going to give him 30 points a night, 28 to 32 a night. But when you suggest that maybe he could evolve and be easier to play with, he gets very moody. And I think Luca's becoming a little bit of Carmelo. You get some team success, an elite score, very refined game, kind of stuck in his ways. The suggestion you could evolve a little and not always be the centerpiece does not go well. Carmelo at one point was offended by who was the guy that was big for a month? Jeremy Lynn.

Yeah, Jeremy Lynn offended him. And I mean, Luca can't get along with Jalen Brunson that great. Or now, Kyrie Irving, which I get, poor Zingas had kind of a bounce back year. Some of the stuff may be on Luca. Some of the stuff wasn't always on everybody except Carmelo. And I understand in this league that offense is what everybody pays attention to. But I'm watching it here unravel, and it's getting worse, not better, and everybody's blaming everybody. But Luca, I don't know.

I saw that with Carmelo. Great score. Team success. Kept trying to figure out ways to cover up for his bad. defense. George Carl noted never really in great shape. Wouldn't, wouldn't evolve his offensive game any because it was so refined. Hey, could you take a step back, Carmelo? No, no, I'm going to shoot here. Hey, Luca, could you give the ball up occasionally so people just don't at the YMCA stare at you dribbling the air out of the ball? I can, and Carmello is a Hall of

Famer and a top 10 score, right? And Luca is great and will be a top 10 score. But this is getting worse, right? Carmelo's career started here and then it just did this after a while because he wouldn't evolve and Luca career is here and doesn't it kind of feel like we've plateaued? It's not, Janus,

got titles, still playing great, both ends, in shape, everybody wants to play with him, not moody. It is, it is now Lucas saying this about his future in Dallas. I'm happy here, so.

There's nothing to worry. Some things got to change, you know, for sure. I mean, last year, we went to Western Conference Finals. We were having fun. You know, the camera, I always talk about the chemistry we had. It was great. But some things got to change for sure. It's interesting.

Mello got to a Western Conference Finals. Then it plateaued, then it went downhill. Yeah, something's got to change. They're called mirrors. It could be. Luca, a little, kind of? Keep blaming all the teammates and the coaches. We already moved off one coach.

Jason Kidd now in the hot seat. We're going to move off another coach? Bit of the mess in Dallas. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. What do you get when you combine a three-time manager of the year at a three-time national sports writer of the year? It's the Book of Joe podcast. 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, playoff games, and what may have occurred into the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. 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. Listen to the Booker 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 game.

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. Clipper Taylor, The fourth. 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 Podcast, 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-tapped 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 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 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 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 This Saturday, Real Football for Real Fans is back. The 2023-USFL season opening kickoff weekend starts the new season Saturday at 430 Eastern on Fox. So Arizona, the Cardinals, been a tire fire the last year. There's the Kyler Murray Drama, the Bidwell owner, Steve Kime, left the organization. Now they've got a new coach. It was about their fifth choice, according to reporters. It's a defensive young guy.

So Steve Kime, the ex-GM, who I know actually well, I like Steve a lot, was talking Greenlight with Chris Long. It's a podcast. And he was talking about the Kyler Murray drama, the homework clause, not wanting to do like extra homework and film study. And here's Steve Kime. He is not a bad guy. He's a really good kid. He has a good smile and has a nice way about him. I think it's like anything.

Guys have to continue to learn what it's going to take to be great. You know, does he know what? what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady knows what it takes to be great? No. Does he work? He does work. I think it's just that side of the game, the film study, the attention to detail part that he can continue to approve upon. And I think he will. Because Carla's a proud guy, man. He doesn't want to, he doesn't want to lose and he doesn't want to let people down. Listen, in my professional career, I've never, you're either a grinder or you're not. You're either a worker or you're not. I've never met anybody in 30 years of doing this that had to be

incentivized to put into good days work and then just became the hardest working guy or gal at a workforce. It's never happened once in my career. You either grind or you don't. And a lot of people increasingly don't want to grind. Kiler Murray is not a grinder. Now, he didn't have to be in high school and college. He was called the greatest Texas high school quarterback ever. and he used his athletic ability and his natural baseball slash football talent. He won a lot of games. And so it's very possible that this is not a guy that sits and stares at film study. I had a conversation the other day with somebody in the league that you'd be surprised

that the more talented athletic quarterbacks in the NFL usually don't do as much film study. It's quarterbacks like Brady and Breeze that know they need film study to succeed. A lot of the great athletes, you'd be surprised. If I named him off, I don't want to take shots. It may not be the level of Kyler Murray, but they depend on their athleticism and their natural gifts. But Arizona got trapped, sort of like Baltimore is trapped now, as the NFL, for safety reasons, has made the quarterback position so damn valuable is that it's, what are you going to do? It's like having a Ronaldo or a Messi in international soccer. There's no replacing them.

What's Arizona supposed to do? You can say what you want about Lamar Jackson not having a market. I said this to start the show, but Baltimore needs him. That's his market. Baltimore in that division's fourth place or third without him. So I think 95% of quarterbacks like to be coached, are totally committed. They work mostly very hard on film study. Not all of them do, but you're going to get an occasional Aaron Rogers or a Kyler

Murray, who are so gifted and so talented and they, you know, go to the beat of their own drummer here, they're going to do their own thing and they're not going to be at every non-offseason function or they're not going to take as many hits and they're going to do things their way. But again, this is what the league has created. And they created it for an obvious reason because of safety. So they've taken away a lot of the defense and the violence and the hitting where even a guy like Belichick now feels outdated. Sean McDermott,

kind of reeling, defensive head coaches that are good. Vic Fangio. Mike Zimmer, too rigid. They're moved and now coordinators. So this is what the sport is, is that the more important, these are just human beings, the more important you make quarterback,

the quarterback knows it. Most will still be great guys. But you're going to get some diva. And you get diva in international soccer because there's no replacing Ronaldo. though. You see this in the NBA for years where, I mean, there's just no replacing, you know, a Michael Jordan or a Kobe Bryant or a Shaq or a LeBron in their prime. And the player knows it. Now, that doesn't mean LeBron doesn't work hard or Kobe didn't work hard, but you're going

to get the occasional Shaq didn't want to put in the hours, put on weight, you know, just wasn't as committed as a lot of coaches like. That's okay. You get the great eight years out of him and then the following eight where he's kind of beat up and not physically ready to play some nights. I like Kyler Murray a lot. And they rolled the dice. He changed the franchise's trajectory. He got him into the playoffs. But I just think this is the natural progression for a league that has moved because of safety concerns into a quarterback

dominant league. 90% of these guys are going to be great all the time. And 10% are going to have, I'm not showing up to OTAs. I just got married. I'll see you in August. I don't want to sit and watch film all day. I got natural talents. It won everywhere.

Kyler Murray can say, time out. State championship in high school, great in college, and I got this franchise to the playoffs. My film study is not the issue. You guys drafting better players that are as good as me is the issue. I get it. It's like Lamar Jackson saying, all right, roll the dice without me. What are you going to be? Joe Burrell twice a year.

Mike Tomlin twice a year. Deshawn Watson twice a year in the AFC. So I think, I hope that the NFL does not become the NBA and panders to its stars. And I don't think it ever will be because the union is so weak, the player union is so weak in the NFL, that it's really a shield GM coach league. That's, you know, I love the NBA, but it can pander. I mean, they're trying to have to, you know, jerry-rig stuff to get their stars to play regular season games. But I will say is, I think you're going to get more of this.

And that is, this is why. When people criticize a Will Levis for all the buffed, you know, shots in the bathroom, look at my gun show, all of that is absolutely legitimate. I will defend teams who will look at Will Levis or at Johnny Mansell or a Baker Mayfield or a James Winston and say, I see a lot of ego. I see a lot of not a lot of urgency. I see a lot of a guy who loves his muscles more than he loves like throwing smart passes in football. So just be comfortable with it. We're going to occasionally get a quarterback with a little toad. But the questions about your attitude and your character are going to be more important than ever.

And I think it's absolutely fair. And I've defended Will Levis. I think he was getting brutal criticism. But in the last three weeks, he's done himself no favors. it's a gun show. Dude, you care about film, winning games, or how cool you are? Like, what do you care about? So these questions for these young quarterbacks,

I got ripped for years for Rippin' Johnny Mansell, Baker Mayfield, James Winston, Cam Newton, the character, the work ethic, the decision-making. Because these teams now are like, if you get the wrong guy and you get trapped, and you've got to pay $55 million to a guy who's really talented but doesn't have the team above self, it's a country. concern. So, and I think Kyler's a massive talent. I think he throws the prettiest ball in the league. I don't think he wants to get hit much anymore. That's okay. He's a small guy. It's a big man sport. But I do worry that in my life, I have never heard about somebody who has to be incentivized to work just being a great grinder from that point forward.

I've never seen that. In my experience, if you've got to be incentivized to work hard, you're not a hard worker. In my life, that's what I've seen. Listening to that rant, do you recall the Alan Iverson practice rant? Alan Iverson, supremely gifted talent, incredible high school football, basketball player, goes to Georgetown, amazing. And gets to the NBA, carries a bad Sixers team to the finals. He did not want to practice. He did not want to grind. Did not want to evolve as a player?

He was out of the league as soon as he started to get brittle at like 33, 34. And by the way, it is different in the NBA because you play 82 games. So it's more shoot around than practice. practice. So I would defend NBA guys a little on the practice schedule. These guys are literally with these six feet 11 bodies on planes across the country. It's fair. Practice is, it's really How about putting down a video joystick, Kyle Murray? Could you, could you try that to the off season? That seems personal. It's accurate. Spot on, Colin. Colin, right, Colin wrong, 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 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 and 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 taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.