The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR 1-Zion, Lakers, Aaron Rodgers

Episode Date: August 4, 2020

Colin believes Pelicans F Zion Williamson is better than we thought, says Packers QB Aaron Rodgers' skills are fading fast, and wonders what Lakers F Anthony Davis will do in the playoffs.Guest: Doug Gottlieb Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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 Clifford 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 I Heart 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. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down

and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Herd. Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. Absolutely jammed on a Tuesday. These shows are now easy, man. It's a layup now. Live in Los Angeles, this is the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on iHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. Nick Nurse, Coach of the Raptors, stopping by today, who my sources are telling me, Colin, that's the new best coach in the NBA.

Other coaches stay up at night. Look at their game film. The copy stuff from Nick Nurse. Apparently, Nick got word of my compliments. My word travels to Canada. So he's on the show today. Joy Taylor is joining me. Well, it was Zion and John Morant.

Oh, my. It was a great game. I spent the entire day on the couch yesterday. So did I. It was wonderful. Yeah. I almost, I was very close to digging into my second bag of cheese. It's always have a backup bag.

normal. I resisted. It's so great. It is so great. Let me start with this. Zion Williamson is better than I thought. He's more impactful. And I thought he was going to be great. I told you he's going to be a top 20 player by the end of his first year. I loved him out of college. He didn't look like anybody else. The charisma, the style, the size, the power. He's better than I thought. He's more impactful. He's more powerful. He's more powerful. He scores more easily. He's more efficient. He's a little better in transition. And he shoots better than I thought. It's similar to Andrew Luck. I loved Andrew Luck out of college. I told you Andrew Luck was going to be a star. He came into the league first year as a rookie. He was better than I thought. He threw for 4,400 yards,

had 28 touchdowns running or passing, led the NFL with seven game winning drives. Andrew Luck was better than I thought. Tom Brady was not athletic enough to go 11 and 5 with that Colts roster. 4,400 yards, 28 touchdowns, seven game winning drives. Andrew Luck was better than I thought. Woods was better than I thought. Tiger Woods won three straight amateurs. He was coming up. I was a sportscaster in Portland. I used to go golfing. I was into it, really into it then. People used to complain to me. All you talk about is Tiger. I'm like, no, no, no. He is going to be the greatest golfer of the next 50 years. There's going to be nobody like him. Tiger was better than I thought. He joined the tour in August of 96.

He won the Masters in April of 97. And for the next 12 years, he literally was winning majors by like eight strokes, 9, 10. Zion is better than I thought. He's averaging 22 and a half points a game and shooting almost 60% from the field. Anthony Davis, rookie year average 13. James Hardin was on the bench. Russell Westbrook shot 39% average 15. Kauai averaged eight.

Yonis average seven. He's shooting almost 60% from the field. He's averaging 22 and 6.5. And last night against John Morant, who was the better player? Who was the more impactful player? In fact, if you look at LeBron James' rookie year numbers, the chosen one, Zion's numbers are better in 10 less minutes on the floor. So he is significantly more efficient than LeBron James.

And John Morant is going to be a Westbrook-level talent. John Morant's spectacular. He's Westbrook but can shoot. And if you go look at John Morant's numbers with the Grizzlies this year, offensive rating, net rating plus minus, Memphis is pretty much the same team on the floor and off. If you look at Zion's numbers, and they have better players, They have better players than the Grizzlies.

Offensive rating, net rating, and plus minus. Pelicans are a different team. It doesn't happen very often when I fall in love with a player and he exceeds expectations. There is no question. Andrew Luck, if you go back to that rookie year, how bad that football team was, they were atrocious. They had like a good corner, a kicker, and him. 4,400 yards, 23 passing, five rushing,

seven game winning drives led the entire NFL. It led Aaron Rogers. It led Brady. It let everybody. Zion's better than I thought. More forceful, more intimidating, more impactful, more charisma, scores more easily, better in transition slightly, and he can shoot. And it doesn't happen very often.

Last night's another example. They decided, because of all the pressure, to go from 15 minutes to 25 minutes. last night and he was fantastic. Yes, he's not a great defender. Either is James Harden, Westbrook, and Steph. Come on. You can't, when these guys go from guarding high school to college to pros in 16 months, what do you think he's going to be Kauai? He's going to be Paul George. He's going to be Clay Thompson. He's going to be Janus. No. But I'll tell you what, he's better than I thought. All right. So I have been known to be critical of Aaron Rogers, Green Bay Packer, quarterback,

but I think he's been sensational. I think Aaron Rogers has been absolutely sensational handling the Jordan Love situation. Jordan loves a kid at Utah State, big talented quarterback. Packers move up in the first round of draft, you know, the heir apparent to Aaron Rogers. I think Aaron has been unbelievable. And he was talking yesterday about COVID and, you know, there's a Packer player that has opted out. And, you know, Aaron just talked about he's not going to do that. And again, about his career right now.

You know, I savour every moment, every season. I don't take any of it for granted. I don't know, you know, what the future holds. I know I can control this year and my play and in my approach and my attitude. So here's what's interesting. In the story about Aaron Rogers, I saw this little line. I yellowed it. Aaron Rogers, it's going to be 37 in December.

He's gotten old fast. And I'm left with a Super Bowl, a handful of division titles, on some hellaciously impressive throws. Why hasn't Brady aged this fast? I've got a theory. Now, just think about this. Tom Brady's 43. Aaron's 37.

Tom Brady feels like he's been around so long. I was watching him in high school. Tom Brady, not his rookie year, his first Super Bowl winning year. LeBron James was a junior in high school. Now we're asking, 17 years later, is LeBron too old to win a title? That was Tom Brady's, not his rookie year,

his first Super Bowl year. Tom Brady's first Super Bowl year, Ichiro was the rookie of the year. Eiji Roe played forever in Seattle. He's been retired two years. Tom Brady now, fresh start, reboot in Tampa, and looks really good. The NFL offensive rookie of the year, the first year Tom Brady won a Super Bowl, Anthony Thomas Bears has been retired 13 years.

Tom Brady feels like I've been watching him forever. Aaron Rogers? His first division title in Green Bay was within this decade. It wasn't that long ago. Aaron Rogers has become old really fast, and I have a theory on it. Aaron Rogers broke into this league, and it was physical gifts that we paid attention to. His arm, his mobility, his feet, his release. He was physically special.

When Brady, if you look at Brady's gifts, they've been efficiency, accuracy, pocket manipulation. They have not been physical. They've mostly been academic. They've been in the grind. And this is the difference between Tom Hanks and George Clooney. We never watched a movie because Tom Hanks was handsome. He's a good-looking guy. Wouldn't jump out if you were at a bar in Los Angeles.

But we watched because of his values and his moral compass and his connectability to average people. Tom Brady is still getting elite roles. We watched George Clooney. He was good looking, right? He was the heartthrob. When's the last movie he was in? When your gifts are physical, your prime is shorter.

When your gifts are viewed as mental and refined and efficiency and connectivity, you age. very gracefully. Aaron was about the arm and the release and the feet and he could move. But I watched Lamar Jackson. Hell, he ain't close to that. And I watched Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz and damn, he ain't close to that. And I watched the slightly younger Russell Wilson and his evasiveness. And he's not close to that. I'm not sure he's Kyler Murray in certain departments. that Aaron's gifts were physical, the arm, the release, the feet, the mobility, the athletic ability. Tom's were not. Hank's were not.

Aaron Rogers is already 37. December. It's like, damn, that caught up to us fast. Think about the first time you saw Aaron Rogers play. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago. He kind of looks the same, to be honest with you. Tom Brady again, Ichiro was rookie of the year. Not even Tom's first year in the league, his first Super Bowl.

Ichero was rookie of the year, retired. LeBron was a junior in high school. Not even a senior, not even a calf. I think that's why Brady ages so gracefully and why certain actors do. If you depend on looks, there's going to be somebody better looking tomorrow. If you depend on speed, there's going to be somebody faster, very good. soon. But if it's smarts and efficiency and gracefulness and the grind and and manipulation of the play pre-snap and in the pocket, it's amazing how gracefully you last.

Good stuff coming up. So Lakers clinched the number one seed in the West. Of course, it means nothing because they're playing in a bubble in Florida. But some thoughts on a player not named LeBron that Laker fans are counting on to win a title and I just can't go there. Doug Gottlieb this hour, the brilliant GM of the cult, Chris Ballard 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 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-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye They 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 camp?

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, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct? 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapy. Careers, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that

we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Sports are back. Your home's never been with COVID more of a sanctuary.

That's where Lowe's comes in. Bar carts, home do-it-yourself projects. Joy saying yesterday, me included, stayed home all day and watched sports and did stuff around the house. Go to Lose.com. Hashtag Lose goals. Relax. Some do-it-yourself projects.

Do it at home. So the Lakers beat the jazz last night, watched all of it, clinched the number one seed in the West. Pretty amazing for LeBron, considering all the new pieces. around him in his new position. The story of the game was Anthony Davis, who was remarkable.

He often is 42 points and 12 rebounds. Here's the thing with AD. I know he's talented. But my question is, what's going to happen in the fourth quarter against the clippers? Four times this year I saw what happened. 10 total points. Four separate fourth quarters against the clippers. They do this thing in the NBA every year.

NBA.com. It's the anonymous general. manager survey, and I love it. If you were starting a franchise today, who is the player you would pick? This year, it's Janus. Last year, it's Janice. The year before that, it was Carl Anthony Towns. The year before that, it was

Carl Anthony Towns. And then it was Anthony Davis. Three playoff series wins. You keep telling me these bigs are going to dominate, and I don't buy it. Number one, two reasons. I don't buy Anthony Davis controlling

the league. I think increasingly, the league is dominated by guys with the ball. Wing players, perimeter players, guys who shoot threes and have the ball. LeBron and Kauai and Steph, and when he's healthy again, KD. That to me is what dominates the league going forward. But number two, and I don't think there's anything you can do about this, you are what your personality is, and most psychologists will tell you by nine years old, your personality is set.

There'll be slight variations, but by nine years, years old. If you're intense, you're intense. I don't give you an example. AD is chill. AD is talented. He's got no dog. He's not going to develop that. And that's what wins in the playoffs. Day one in the NBA, Magic Johnson had leadership DNA. He had it through his career. He has it now in Los Angeles. He is the mightest touch for every athlete that comes to Los Angeles. He's a business leader. He is a sports leader. Ron James, first day in the NBA, rookie. He was a leader.

Michael Jordan first day, Kobe first day, relentless. Michael, I watched this documentary, is still competitive and relentless. He's been out of the league for 20 years. Dennis Rodman was quirky and intense. Shaq was funny, joyful, playful, and kind of cocky. That stuff is formed when you're 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years old. You don't make, you can change your jumper.

I'll tell you one of the things that bothers me about Ben Simmons. his jumper could get better if he really committed to it. I think what I see, though, that I don't love, he's a little aloof. He's kind of detached. I don't like that for my leader. I don't. Steph Curry engaged, totally engaged with all his teammates. You know, Chris Paul is a guy I loved at Wake Forest.

Chris Paul screams leadership. He's a pain in the butt. Players complain about him. But let's be honest. The Clippers were a joke. He got there. They were a playoff team. Oklahoma City is supposed to be in the tank.

Did you watch them? Did you watch the last 25 games? This may have been the most impressive leadership of Chris Paul's career. Chris Paul doesn't have a big vertical. Chris Paul's had injuries. Chris Paul shoots the mid-range. Chris Paul's a leader. And by the way, leaders piss people off.

Like, your DNA is your DNA, and it had a lot to do more with where you grew up and your parent and you're up bringing. I don't see radical shifts off that. And AD to me is awesomely talented, really chill, not a lot of dog. And that's the stuff I care about with four minutes left. That's what I care about. Last night, he was great. He's great all the time.

I mean, you get him low block. First of all, he's very good defensively. And then you get him low block and he gets that butt on you in his length and his style. It's really hard to stop. I mean, last night, you know, Gobert plays for the jazz. Great defense. Anthony can just, he can humiliate you. He can really just roll up on you and humiliate you.

But I don't see that quality that Kobe had. I don't see that quality LeBron has had, the leadership, the closing, the intensity. I don't see it. What I see is a remarkably gifted basketball player. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Tom Brady was on the field today for his first bucks practice.

Oh, let me see. It was open to the media. Oh, my God. Time out. Hold on, Joy. I'm losing my breath. There he goes. He's doing the hip thing.

It's a little different than Dax hip thing. It's still a little... He looks tall and valiant. He looks tall. He grew. Look at him. God, he's just... He looks like Tom Brady at training camp.

I don't know. This looks different, Joy. It's in different colors. Joy, look at the step. Look at the pop and the step. Well, he obviously, has a lot of good chemistry with his new teammates. Oh, the crispness on that slant pattern.

Yes, it's very, it's very revealing in camp. He was spotted shouting some encouragement to his receivers and giving Leshaun McCoy a hug and a fist bump to Mike Evans. So it's apparent at this point in camp, everybody's getting along. We haven't gotten to the camp fights yet. I'm going to move back to Tampa. Yeah? Tampa is hot.

It's been hot right now. If we're going to move to Tampa, but maybe you want to make that move in December. You put this on, I'll tell you this again. If you put this on a network, I have it on all day. If you give me 90 minutes of Buck's practice, I would sit and watch that thing all day long. Am I nuts? You would too. No.

I mean, people go to training camp. Fans win in normal times. Get our bosses. Get our bosses on the line. Just set up a camera on Tom. I'll sit and watch for two hours. Hello, bosses. We'd like to watch Buck's training camp.

Put a helicopter over that puppy. Well, they do have the helicopters circling. I mean, people do go, fans go to training camp all the time. If you're local media, you'll be at training camp. So people do go watch training camp. It's not far fetched to actually air it. Look at all of his zip on that ball. What's he supposed to look like?

Oh, my God. Not like that. It's an Adonis. Supposed to just be out there with a cane or something. He does look a little different in Tampa, though. A little slender. He's got the Florida tan. A little Ebor City hop in his step.

Okay. All right. So this was big news yesterday. Dwayne the Rock Johnson is part of the investor group that has agreed to buy the XFL for roughly 15 million. I love this. The group also includes the Rock's longtime business partner and ex-wife

Danny Garcia who first approached him with the idea. The two teamed up with Jerry Cardinal of Redbird Capital to submit the bid which is expected to be approved later this week. Garcia says all three will be involved very involved in the league and are working on plans to play next season.

I love Dana White love this too. Because Dana knows the whole story. Dana, people forget this. The UFC got kicked around a lot. The Fertitas came in with Dana White, bought it for $12 million. It was not easy. They had to get advertisers. They had to shift the rules a little bit, take out this gouging and that gouging.

Dana White, that was a fight, the Fertita family for 12 years. They sold it for $4 billion. You look at the end with UFC and you're like, oh, everybody loves it. It was really bumpy for several years. And people did not really approve of the product overall. And then the women started fighting. A lot of people pushed back in the media. and now it's like some of the best fights are in that division.

So UFC and Dana White are the prime example of this is not an elegant, easy, without obstacle. It's a startup. You have to be fully invested. And, you know, the Rock is originally a football guy. So it's an amazing story, too. Good dude. The Canes, not make it in the NFL, become the world's most famous wrestler. I was in my opinion.

Don't run for president. You're too joyful and happy. That's a miserable position. I think we figured out now that our best and brightest are not necessarily going into politics. I mean, I would not want to drag my family or myself through that kind of process when I could just, you know, put get together with my business partners and buy the XFL. Assuming that the sale goes through, Danny Garcia will actually be the first woman to own an equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the United States. I mean, that's his ex-wife. Yes.

Okay, I didn't know that. Yeah. They're business partners on a lot of things. But that's nice. Yeah. Their oldest daughter together. That's not. And they're friends now.

Yeah, and both remarried. Well, that's very nice. That's what wealthy people do. They keep the money in the family. And adults, hopefully. Yes. Finally, the Big 12 is the last Power 5 conference to announce their plans for the 2020 season. They will play a 10-game season with nine conference games and one non-conference game.

Conference play does not have an official start date yet, but is expected to begin mid-to-late September after the non-conference game. plan also gives the Big 12 with flexibility to move back the championship game from December 5th to the 12th or the 19th if necessary. So there's a lot of flexibility depending on what happens during the season. The ACCC is the only

other Power 5 conference to keep a non-conference game this year. September is not that far away though. We're talking about mid-September when it comes to college football starting. That's in a month and a half. You know, it's interesting. I don't have that many media friends because the media tends to be too negative and snarky for me.

most of what has happened during COVID for sports is jaw-droppingly effective. I mean, we've had some successful. Successful, yeah. Golf, NASCAR, UFC, NBA, NHL, by the way, 800 tests, no plan. 99% of what happened has been unbelievable. And baseball's had a couple of outbreaks. In the long run, it's the really good teams that have a chance to win, they're not having the outbreaks. They know stay away.

But people come up and ask me all the time, what do you think is going to happen to college football? And Joy, I say, big question mark outside of the SEC. I don't know. I think the SEC is going to bulldoze their way through it, and they don't care. But when people ask me about college football, it is a total fingers-cross situation. Well, I think the main unknown with college football is because they have not elected you to be the commissioner of college football. Thank you. They're the president.

I don't know which title you wanted. But there is no governing body. No centralized. Obviously, the NCAA, we know that. but there's no centralized commissioner or president of college football. Everybody's doing their own thing. And makes their own decisions. It's vulcanized.

It's like everybody's doing their own little island thing. And what is the, so to me, this is, I love college football. We both love college football. It's just fingers crossed. Everything else I think is working, even the baseball stuff, people are freaking out. It's like, folks, the Yankees don't have an issue. The Twins don't have an issue.

I'm not going to think about all of it. Because I've seen what these leagues have done and they've figured it out. I mean, it's not like they're like waiting until September 1st or something. start making plans. They're working on it. And we are all, you know, at the mercy of what's going on, which is out of our control. But they're going to figure it out. Yeah. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Good updates.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Good show today. I got all my buddies on. Nick Nurse of the Raptors is on later. Doug Gottlie brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. The Best or Nothing is joining us.

Does a radio show on Fox Sports Radio after ours. So let me start. Let me start with the AD thing. I mean, he's amazing. I mean, last night, I watched the whole thing. I mean, he can just embarrass you. It's very hard to stop. But Doug, you play college basketball. You still play basketball. You can change elements of your game slightly, but guys are what they are. The guys that lead, the guys that are tough, it's hard to go from tough to finesse. You are what you are. When I watch AD, I see unbelievable talent, but I don't see a take a game over four minutes left guy in the playoffs. I haven't his entire career. And I know that

that comes off as harsh, but is it fair? It's absolutely fair, and I think LeBron knows it, and I think of the things that LeBron has accomplished leading his team, being the one seed in the West actually pales in comparison

to what he's done to build up Anthony Davis's confidence in these situations. You're right. Now, in fairness, he hasn't been in the situations at this level of the NBA. When he's been in the playoffs, he's kind of disappeared, previously, but he was kind of the lone wolf at times when he's in New Orleans. So your analysis

is correct. He doesn't really have that dog in him. But here's the parallel, okay? And Lake Kobe Bryant told me this. I'll never forget it. And he said, you know, when Powell Gasol came to play for the Lakers, the reputation of Pal Gasol was he was Euro soft, right? He could be a tough guy in the regular season. You get down to the postseason and he didn't have it. And then, of course, he wins a couple championships with Kobe Bryant, and he's one of his favorite teammates ever and was seen as a great competitor. So that's the challenge to LeBron James. And I think you've seen this process build the entire season where LeBron has tried to get to get him going. And if you watch, you know, early in the year when they lost to the Clippers, the coaching staff broke down the film and like, look, AD disappeared.

He has an advantage, especially against Clippers inside. Now, last night, he was more outside because when he was playing five and he had Roeastern. Rudy Gobert, guarding the bucket. But you're right in your analysis. The Lakers know it. LeBron knows it. He's trying to get, and that's the big challenge for Anthony Davis once we get into postseason play.

All right. I'm Gogon, Zion. You know, listen, I guess I get this way. You know, I've been covering this for a long time. So when I get these rare, these Tiger Woods, these Andrew Lux, these Patrick Mahomes, it's so fun because, Doug, we just don't, we get maybe to a decade where you get these like all-time players. I love Zion.

But I know you're saying to yourself, Colin, pump the brakes, What concerns you with Zion Williamson today? He just consistently falls out of shape way too quickly. That's really it. I mean, if you watched, yeah, last night there's some jaw-dropping plays, but there's no ability, maybe desire, but ability to play defense because it exhausts him. So look, he's playing the five.

He's an undersized five like no one's ever seen in terms of explosiveness. Obviously, he's got to develop a jump shot. I think it's reasonable to think. His shot's not broken, all the volume of shots. Eventually, you'll have to guard him out to three-point range. Right now, you did not. But his body concerns me. You know, he cannot play long stretches now.

He cannot play long, you know, consecutive games without getting hurt previously in his career. Happened to Duke, happened the Summer League, happened earlier in the NBA. So his body, and I understand that he had to take time away from the bubble to tend to a family matter, but that didn't mean that he couldn't go running. That didn't mean that he couldn't monitor his diet because he has not looked nearly ready in terms of his physical condition. I know everybody's going off an Instagram picture where he's yoked. Like dude's yoked. He's football strong. He's thick. But he appears to his body, he's got what they call the fat gene in the NBA. Like Darren Williams used to have this, right? Where if you don't play basketball for like five days,

all of a sudden, you're like, damn, what happened to this dude? He's still a great athlete, but the injury risk, the thought of planting and something going wrong, really alarmeds me. I like everything else except for maybe the sudden lack of desire to play defense. Yeah. So I was saying this this morning. I think Aaron Rogers has really handled himself well with the Jordan Love stuff. He's been really smart, really an adult, no passive aggressive. He's been upfront totally.

The Packers haven't, but Aaron's been great. But this morning, it was funny. I was looking at a story on Aaron, and it says he's 37 in December. I'm like, I feel like I've been watching Tom Brady. I mean, Ichie Row was rookie of the year. LeBron was a junior in high school. And Aaron's gotten sneaky old fast. And I was like, and the analogy I use is the Hank's Clooney.

When looks are the driving force. Tom, you age fast because there's always a better looking guy, Ryan Gosling, right, than Clooney. But with Hank's, it was never about that. So he's aged so gracefully. And I look at Aaron right now. and he doesn't run like Lamar. He doesn't play like Wentz or Mahalms at his best. He feels like he's sneaky old to me.

37 in December. Does he, to you? Yeah, yeah. But I would also think that this is part of what's happened with Tom Brady. It's part of what's happened with Drew Brees. Is that they've, you know, 40 is the new 30, sort of speak. I'm going to disagree with you in terms of how everything's been handled. I like Aaron.

I consider him a friend. and I understand that he emotionally feels like they're coming for his job. No one on earth thinks Jordan Love will be ready to play this year, let alone next year. And if you have no preseason this year, he's not going to play under center for the Green Bay Packers unless it's week 17 and they don't need Aaron Rogers to play. Right. And even then, he's not going to play in the first two years. So that would take him to where he's 38, going to be 39.

and it's reasonable for any football franchise to have a backup plan, to have a succession plan when a guy is 39 years old. And this is a very specific, and he, in his interview with Good Morning Football, you know, he's like, look, the situation, the circumstance aren't the same. Brett talked about retirement. I don't want to, I don't want to retire. Like, look, the whole move to get Jordan Love makes sense. They don't need a quarterback, but they do need a succession plan in case he continues on

downward trend. Now, here's where I'll disagree with you. I saw the NFL rankings, top hundred players, like, it's laughable. Yeah. Mahom is the best player in the league. Russ Wilson is considered the second best quarterback in league. And Aaron Rogers is the third best quarterback in the league. And in all honesty, if you wouldn't take Deshawn Watson ahead of Lamar Jackson for a season for one game, I don't know what you're watching. And I think Lamar Jackson, his far exceeded anybody's reasonable expectations, but he's going to have to show the show the ability to throw the football, you know, when it's third in California, or when they get behind the playoffs, which he is not, all the rest have.

So I'm not as down on Aaron in terms of his present or his future as maybe you are, but I also think it's completely reasonable for the Green Bay Packers to look for a succession plan. Because as you pointed out, like when you tell people, he's going to be 37. And if you cut out, the outlier is Tom Brady. Like what Tom Brady has done is literally has never been done in the NFL before. And even Tom Brady showed great signs of age over the past two. seasons, Drew Brees did as well, and you're playing the cold of Green Bay. It's completely reasonable. And I don't, the Hank's thing and the Clooney thing, whatever, he's aged relatively

gracefully. He's had some injuries along the way. The package of screwed it up. They choked away that one game in Seattle, but it's reasonable to have a succession plan, whether he's Hank's or Clooney in this analogy. It was pretty good right there. By the way, it's, I don't want to go too far in the weeds on this. But I was telling Joy is that the commissioners of these leagues have done a better job than a lot of the governors. I think UFC and golf have been great. MLS NBA bubbles. Hockey bubble's been, from what I haven't watched yet, but very good. The draft, free agency. I'm kind of blown away by everything. I think baseball's been good, but the Marlins and the Cardinals, guys made poor decisions. The good teams haven't. But the question mark sport for me is really college

football. You love it. Joy loves it. I love it. Today, Doug, we're going to have college football. I believe we are. I believe there'll be a substantial number of players that opt out. I talked to a college basketball coach this weekend. And what he said was, and this is, you know, my point has always been, you're safer in whatever bubble environment on campus than you are off campus. And it's not because you have a complete. sealed up bubble like you do in the NBA, which is the safest. But it's because at least the coach has some form of control. You have doctors and the ability to test people. When you're at home, everybody's running free. The problem is the liability. I don't think any college coach or

administrator ever wants to put a player in a position where they could die. Yeah. But they also don't want that blood on their hands. That brings down not just their program, but the entire sport. And And that's what leads everybody to being hesitant. I have a niece who's off to the SEC. 30% of their classes are online at Auburn. 70% are in person. So they're going back to school. I understand this idea that you can't trust young people to follow whatever protocols you want.

The problem is you also can't trust them when they're at home either. That also applies if they stay home and we don't have it. That's fair. Yeah. And so look, I think they're going to have it. I do think that money is a big motivator. And I think that if the players are there and the students are not, I think it's a much safer bubble.

And everybody's taking class online. Nothing really changes. I think they're going to have it. I just don't know if all the star players will play. A lot of the guys that are opting out are doing so because they want to protect their draft stock, not truly because of their health. I don't actually believe that they believe they're unhealthy. All right.

Good stuff. Hey, last, I got one more thing for you. Got one more thing for you. All right. How come Frank Vogel hasn't gotten any discussion of coach the year? Because Nick Nurse and Billy Donovan have shocked us. So in most years, Vogel would get it. I just think what Nick Nurse has done is ridiculous.

Well, Nick, I played for Nick. He was an assistant coach in the USBL. He was a head coach in England, and he was our assistant coach. He is a brilliant coach, a dude from Iowa, who he worked his way up the ladder. And I would, I agree that he, me and Frank Vogel. Remember, Vogel took over an absolute dumpster fire. He was their second choice. They wanted Tyloo to be the coach. And then everybody said, oh, Jason, Kid is the assistant

coach. He'll get the job midseason. They have the best record in the NBA. And I think Billy's done a great job. And it's, it's really hard to argue with, I mean, Nick Nurse didn't even get it. And he probably should have. But I do think that Vogel should be in that conversation. But congrats to Nick Nurse, that team is so well coached. Oh, my God. Watch them eviscerate the Lakers defense the other night was a thing of beauty. Yeah, he's, he is really sharp. He's on our show today. The Dugger, Doug Gottlieb, thanks, buddy. Coming up next, what if you didn't save for retirement?

You wake up, you're 64 years old, you want to retire, and you don't have the funds. You take some big risks to catch up. And that's what an NFL team did again or may do again. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 you're 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 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-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all 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. Then you're 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. to look back at it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience

in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person

join me Keer games is we have real conversations about healing growth fathers pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You know what I think's going to be a thing in America I'm really doing now? Bring a sandwich to work, brown baggett. I really like that because we can't have food services here.

And I'm starving during the show. I brown bag it. I bring my own sandwiches. See, you have to eat. All day. All day. All day long. Do you not eat a big breakfast?

No. I just have to eat all day. Every two hours. I'm not diabetic or anything. It's just a... No, you're a grazer. All day long. Don't like big meals.

You always have snacks. Yes, I eat a big breakfast, so I very rarely get hungry during the show. Yeah, I had last night, I had two pieces of salmon. Two hours later, bowl, cereal with blueberries. Boom, that's dinner. That's how I eat. That's the only way. Doctors say, I'm going to live to be 100.

Doesn't your stomach hurt mixing all that stuff? I don't know. Not really. No, I don't know. I mean, I guess you've been doing it forever, so it's probably used to it now. My stomach's just, it's like, oh, here's one. Wackadoo, have an salmon at three and cereal at 440. The stomach's gotten used to it.

So I've seen this happen, actually, to people in life. You don't save as much as you should, and you get to retirement, and you're like 64, and you want to play golf and travel, and you don't have enough money. And then to make up for it, you get reckless and take some big swings and get swindled, and your retirement's really sad. Sometimes sports teams can do this, when they don't pay attention to the Details. You see this from bad organizations. They take big swings on players to make up for crappy drafts.

Seattle is not a bad organization, but they have deteriorated in recent years. Their offense and defensive line play is not good and not close to indivision rival San Francisco. Story yesterday, the Seahawks are looking at Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon. You just gave away two firsts, a third, and a starting safety for Jamal Adams. a safety. These feel like big swings, potentially reckless, because you haven't done a good job in the draft in recent years. The Niners in Division last two first-round picks under John Lynch,

Nick Bosa A-plus, Mike McGlinchie A. Seattle's two first-round picks, Rashad Penny appears to be a bust, at least for a first-rounder, and A.J. Collier, ain't much either. Plus, she gave away two first and a third and a starting safety for Jamal Adams. By the way, in division, San Francisco's loaded and rolling. The Rams in their off year were 9 and 7, and Arizona's no fun to play. Should be noted that Seahawks also get both Eastern teams this year out of division, so they got to go to Philly and Washington and Buffalo and Miami and Mixing and at Atlanta. They will travel further by a mile more than

any team in the NFL. If you don't invest in smartly and you end up close to retirement. You end up taking generally some big swings. And they always tell you in investing. Hit doubles after 55. Take your big swings if you're going to take them early. These feel reckless. It's Seattle trying to make up ground. Listen, Josh Gordon, there's talent there, but not dependable. Antonio Brown, really? I mean, D.K. Metcalfe. Lockett. Russell Wilson, receivers, not your primary need. Unless, of course, you believe in division, you're the third most talented roster than you do.

All right, good stuff today. Chris Ballard, very smart general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, is going to stop on by. Tom Penn, co-owner, L-AFC, and former NBA GM, Nick Nurse of the Raptor stops by as well. You know, people, I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so people think I am down. You know, whenever I'm critical of my teams, you know, in the Northwest,

they're like, why are you critical? I wasn't critical to Seattle until about a year and a half ago. And now you start digging deep on this thing, and it's like, come on, let's get an offense that looks like 2020. Offensive line is bad again. The defensive lines deteriorated. Jamal Adams feels like a big swing to me that gave up too much. And I think this stuff feels reckless.

I just get the draft right. That's better. Okay. Oh, coming up next, we have to just acknowledge something that happened last night and how truly impressive it is. Even if you don't want to admit it, you've got to take a deep breath, admit you're wrong and go, that's amazing. Our two next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their

between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what went down, and try to make some. sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

Before it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it 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 and

sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilts 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.