The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - College Football expanding

Episode Date: June 20, 2023

Nick Wright from First Things First joins the show to explain why Michael Jordan's time as the owner of the Hornets should not be considered a "success" Thoughts on Nick Saban's recent commentsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We're live in L.A. It's the herd. Nick right around the corner, wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. So I was talking during the bank with J-Mack. If you had a pyramid, three blocks at the bottom,

two above them, and one at the top. Six boxes. Like the pyramid game, the game show. Three at the bottom, two above, one at the top. Because I'm sitting there watching a streaming show last night. This is one of the rare times of the year There's not a lot of sports on, right? That's stuff you have to watch

And you know, I pay for Hulu and I pay for UFC, I don't really pay for ESPN Plus, I pay for UFC I pay for, you know, you're paramount And I got like the rest of us Are you paying for Netflix? Yeah, I pay for all that stuff. Whatever. We were biting off our relatives

And we just got, you know, the boot With this new Netflix thing And I'm like, do we even need this? I'm paying our cable bills ridiculous And then you're paying for Apple TV Right? You're paying for whatever. else. Amazon Prime. Apple TV doesn't do much for me.

Ted Lassau is one of the best shows on TV right now. Yeah. Are you playing for Peacock? No. You got to watch Bel Air. That show crushes. I got it just for that and some soccer. So I was thinking as I'm watching this, take the six boxes, three at the bottom, two above, one at the top, the pyramid.

And there were six sports or events you would pay for. So I would pay for an annual fee for these six, United States. States men's national team soccer, UFC, March Madness. Those are your three at the bottom. Yep. Okay. And then college football, a series of really good games, NBA playoffs, and then the entire NFL season.

So the six that I would pay money for. And I'm saying, like let's say United States men's national team said, are you willing to pay $39 a year to get all of our games? Oh, I would say. So would I. I'd pay a lot more. We're also doing this for a living. I would pay, I probably pay $600, $700 a year for UFC.

I buy $7 or $8. I'm going to go to a fight in Vegas, July 8th with buddies. Yeah, no, and I would pay for March Madness. If you said $50 for three weeks of college basketball, again, I'd pay way. You and I would pay more because it's our job. We can ride it off. And then I would pay for the NBA playoffs, regular season I don't care, playoffs I pay for, college football.

And I don't need all the college games. Give me like eight games a weekend of really good college football. And then I would pay for the NFL. So what would your six be? NFL at the top. You know, I'm already excited about the gambling, the fantasy, all that stuff. NFL's at the top. Number two is tough.

NBA, obviously. I love college football, but I think I love March Madness a little more. It's only a month. College football, those four months. Okay, so you're- I probably do March Madness on your second. And then you're three at the bottom. At three at the bottom would be soccer.

That's World Cup, EPL, League of MX, MLS, all that. college football, obviously. So we're same so far. Yeah, I don't know what the last one would be on the bottom. I love UFC. Postseason? Maybe. I just love a good UFC fight.

Yeah, I mean, with some buddies, that's okay to watch, but like. You ever gone to one? No. Oh, my God, it's unbelievable. Are you inviting me? I can. Yeah. It's really, my wife.

Oh, wait, did you say July 8th? Yeah. Ooh. I may be avail. Some dads may be looking at a Vegas weekend, July 8th. In all honesty, I didn't know there was a fight, but I think NBA Summer League is involved then too, right? Why don't you go? So my wife doesn't care about sports.

My wife will not be going on that one. She loves UFC. And I can sign up for the NFL gambling contest? Why don't you do that? It's not a terrible idea. Could we take the show to Vegas? No, we don't need to do that. There's no reason.

They'll be drinking involved in all. They'll pay for our hotel room. Let's go to Nick Wright for things first standing by joining us. Special time today, 2 Eastern. Well, look at this. Time out. Jay Mack, look at this outfit. I mean, literally, you should be in like a John Wick movie or something. I mean, well, who dresses this nice?

It's incredible. That's a hair joke, I think, the John Wick thing. No, it's not. That's first of all. Okay. Second of all, Colin, I don't know if you still have me or not. There we go. Now I can see you again.

I lost you for a second. I'm not sure if you have my audio. I hope you do. I do. I appreciate you having me on. That seemed like a bit of a halfway invite for J-Mack, he said, are you inviting me? And you said, I can invite you. Not yes, I'm inviting you. So, J-Mack, if I were you, I would try to get that locked down, because Colin can be a slippery

fella. But it's good to see you guys again. Okay, so I want to get into the Bradley Beale thing. I think sometimes, I was talking to Emmanuel Ocho yesterday about this. I said, just get me smart veteran guys who can play. I'll figure the fit out later. Miami didn't fit. Hey, Bosch, go be a perimeter guy. Nobody liked Mario Chalmers. They had no size. They had a bunch of smart dudes and they figured out, LeBron, D. Wade, Badiye, Haslam.

They figured out how to make it work. I know Phoenix now has three shooters. Trade D'Andre Aiton, get some size, get some defenders. I like the move because I think it's a talent league. It's not always a perfect fit league. Your thoughts? I agree with you on the, you can't fully evaluate this until you see what the 8 in trade is, as I think there will be an 8 in trade. But I'm surprised you initially liked it,

because you said, and I agreed with you last week, that if you remove LeBron James, super team success rate is not super high. And the ones that have worked like the Big 3 in Boston, they all did three very distinct things. I'm skeptical of this for a number of reasons. One is you are adding another player who I understand he's just going to be 30. but it's kind of an older 30 because he came to the league at 19. He had been incredibly durable, but in the last three seasons, he has not been. So another player with injury concerns, another player whose biggest skill set is the skill set of your two other best players, and you are removing depth and you are removing defense.

I think you could have taken Chris Paul and traded him for lesser pieces that would have made you a better team. If the goal is to get through Denver, I don't know how this gets you closer. What I do know is because of the new CBA, this is now your team. Aside from the Aiton move, which could happen, obviously. Once you do or don't on Aiton, whatever team you go into this year with is going to be your team for the rest of Kevin Durant's time there. And I don't think it's good enough. I think they're good. I think they're probably the fifth or sixth best team in the league.

I don't think it's good enough. I don't think it's the right idea. And the new owner there, I give him credit for caring and wanting to spend money. But in five months of ownership, he has traded for Kevin Durant. He has almost fought the two-time MVP. He has installed Isaiah Thomas as a shadow GM. He has fired the head coach. And now he's traded for Bradley Beale.

It's a lot of upheaval. in a very short time for Ishbia as the new owner. So, you know, I think we both acknowledge Kevin Durant is great. I almost feel like Phil Mickelson got compared to Tiger, but they're two very different people. It just so happens their primes lined up. I think sometimes we look at Durant and we unfairly compare him to LeBron and everybody shrinks with LeBron.

Durant's just a remarkable player who's made one egregious decision in his life to leave Steph for Kyrie. other than that he's a hell of a player, and I like him. Do you look at this Phoenix team and go, okay, what's the level of pressure you think is on, KD? What are reasonable expectations? Well, listen, Durant has accomplished everything one can accomplish in this league, with the exception of what he went to Brooklyn to accomplish, what he is trying to accomplish in Phoenix, which is be the unquestioned leader,

or unquestioned best player on a team that hadn't won a title and go lead them to a title, even if you are not the traditional leader. I do think when we are, you know, I have heard people call him, you know, one of the 10 or 12 greatest players ever. He is not that. Is he one of the 20 greatest players ever? Unquestionably. Is he in the top 15?

It's close. Him, Janus, Moses, Dr. Jay. You know, pick your two favorites and you have. guys who are in the top 15, but he has that one box left unchecked. So I do think there is pressure in that regard. I don't think there's pressure as in this regard. Like oh, if they don't win, it's a failure by him because I don't think this team is great. I think Bradley Beale, it's going to be very interesting seeing if Bradley Beale can adjust. You're right, Chris Bosch and Kevin Love both adjusts.

did to far different roles, but they were also Biggs and they were also deferring because of LeBron James. That's a different situation. The other question for Phoenix is this. Is their best, is moving forward, is Devin Booker better than Kevin Durant? I know a lot of people think that. I do not think that yet. I don't think the other teams around the league with how they guard Durant think that yet.

But if Booker takes another leap and then Durant's your second best guy, That could be a formula. I just don't think this team has enough depth or defense. And I think Durant is now once again chosen to go somewhere that maybe in a year or so he's going to wish he hadn't. But because of the new collective bargaining agreement, it is going to be very difficult to trade him now that they've done the Bradley Beal trade. So I got into a discussion with a friend, smart friend, never been a fan of LeBron. And there's a lot of different reasons for it. And I said, one of the differences was when Michael Jordan came into the league, the best player was arguably ever Kareem.

And he was stoic and prickly and not very likable. Michael was handsome, the smile, the earring, the dress, the dynamic game. He came from Carolina. He'd won a title. He was, and Nike built the most formidable campaign ever. There was a lot to like about him. right big city Chicago we Chicago

Midwest and so he never had to replace a likable all time great he was easier to like he stayed out of politics LeBron's gotten into politics he's now threatening the guy we fell in love with Michael and so when Mike Malone

takes a shot at LeBron there's this sense that why why is he so polarizing and I think a huge component to it is LeBron is threatening the basketball player that mostly, along with magic, brought us back to loving this sport. And it's not all on LeBron. It's the reality of replacing a legend, a beloved legend.

Am I wrong on that? No, I think that's a really smart point. I just don't understand why Michael Malone or other people around the league continue to try to take this guy down. brought up a moment ago, Tiger and Phil, even if other golfers had issues with Tiger Woods, they didn't voice them. You know why? He made them all richer. LeBron James has been in the league for 20 years. He has never demanded a trade. He has never asked out of a contract. He has been historically giving teammate on and off the court. He has been a leader in the community. He has been a off the court. And he has made all of these guys millions of dollars. And yet, and when Michael,

eight years ago, when Michael, when LeBron was a two-time champion, a four-time MVP, already one of the 10 greatest players ever, and nobody gave a damn about Michael Malone, and he got fired in Sacramento, LeBron went out of his way to talk about what a mistake that was, how the Kings didn't realize what a great coach they had. So I don't mind Michael Malone having a few too many pops at the parade and them taking shots at those of us that doubted them and all that stuff. But Michael Malone going on a YouTube show and making fun of LeBron James, to what end? What are you achieving there? And I'm not asking other players to be deferential to LeBron.

But there needs to be some self-awareness that this guy has made everyone's life in the NBA better, except for people trying to win championships during his year, I guess four of those years he's made it worse. And I just, there is, there is a level of jealousy or anger that it's gone on this long when I think it should be appreciation because he is still making people money and he is still leading by example. So a Michael Jordan sold the Hornets made a fortune. Michael's been very good at business. From his shoe deals, you know, I know you're, I can. Oh, yeah, listen, Colin, a lot of, you know, it was very unique that, you know, someone bought a pro sports team 20 years ago and made a profit. I mean, I read stories left and right.

Yeah, I mean, the guy sold the Arizona Cardinals. He's now on unemployment. Another guy, I mean, it's financially ruinous for many people, but a brilliant businessman like Jordan can make a profit from selling a pro sports team. But go ahead. I interrupted, I'm sorry. It's a very good point. How, I mean, Michael, you know, baseball didn't work. the Wizards didn't work.

The GM thing didn't work. He's great at basketball, great at selling shoes, and those are qualities. I mean, there's a lot about Michael I like. How do you view him now as the Charlotte GM owner mess? Does it ding the legacy to you? Okay, so I would like to do a couple things. One is this. Everyone must acknowledge if they are being honest

that when Jordan took over the Hornets 15 years ago, he turned them into a dynasty, people would use it as evidence of his greatness. Can we all at least agree to that? Yes. That if they were awesome, they'd be like, oh, look at MJ. Everything he touches turns to gold. Instead, his ownership tenure of the Hornets was identical to his playing tenure when Scottie Pippen wasn't his teammate.

Zero postseason series victories. He won three games, at least, as a Hornets GM and owner in the playoffs as opposed to only want as a player. But here's my problem. If we would like to judge the greatest player ever, purely by, we will evaluate from the day you first set foot on a court to the day you leave the NBA, I'm good with that. But that's never been what it's been for Michael. Michael's had in some way, because of all the acolytes and sycophants, the best of all worlds. Do we count the entire career? Of course not. He's six for six, not six for 50s. Do we count the wizard's years?

No, those didn't happen. Do we even count the entire championship run? Well, the years he won, we count, but not those middle two years. Was he retired both of those years? No, he actually came back, got MVP votes, but then lost in the playoffs, so therefore it doesn't count. Okay, kind of weird, but so be it. But then we also do this, and you just did it in talking about him. I'm not picking on you.

Everyone knows that when they have encountered someone who is, you know, a Jordan true believer, at some point in the argument, you know what gets brought up? Man, you know how, look at the shoes. LeBron's shoes will never sell as well as this. Look at the iconography. Look at the, he made the shaved head cool. He made Nike, went from losing the converse. That's always been part of the story.

The legend of Jordan has been more than the playing career. The sneakers and the mystique and the aura have been a piece of it. So if that's the case, then being the worst owner in the league for 15 years has some matter a little bit. Like a tiny bit. It's like, you took over a team in Washington and they were terrible and the players hated you and draft the wrong guy. You then bought a team in Charlotte and they were literally the worst team in the league over the entirety of your tenure. But oh, Nick, he made a billion dollars on the sale. Everybody does.

A guy named David Glass owned my Royals. Bought him for 70 million. Sold them for a billion. You know why? That's how sports work in America. It's not because he was some great owner. So I would like, Colin, for the goat conversation to just be start of career to end of career. But with Jordan, we remove years that hurt him and we add sneaker sales and make movies about it.

So then, I think it's not like owning a race car team like he does. You own a basketball team. He did terrible. Can it count a little bit? Can it count 1%. I think it should. I think it should too. He's all dressed up with somewhere to go.

He's doing first things first today, special time to Eastern. You look fantastic. And as always... Thank you. Thank you. Jay Mack, don't let him wiggle out of that UFC invite. Hold his feet to the fire. Colin, I'm on to this trick by Colin.

I've had this done to me. You be careful, buddy. There's a warning. Cautionary tale of business with Colin. There's a Nick Wright. Good stuff. No, UFC events are great. They're really funny.

By the way, my pyramid of United States Men's National. team, UFC, March Madness, playoffs, college, basketball, NFL. It's not even really, to be honest with you, my pyramid isn't in an order. I would put NFL one, but everything else is kind of the same. So would you say a UFC event in Vegas versus sitting poolside at a cabana in Vegas, which is? UFC event by a mile. Interesting.

It's so much fun. I don't think I would agree with that assessment. In the last 20 years in America, last 30 years, all the same. sports have, we had NFL, we had college basketball, we had college football, we had golf majors, we had tennis majors, we had, we had everything. UFC of all the attempts to create new leagues and new sports, one has entered the willingness for people to spend 80 bucks to watch. It's the only, by the way, the Disney ESPN Plus model, the only reason ESPN Plus works is UFC. that's why they put like the John Jones fights or the Connor fights before the fiscal year because they want to make a profit.

ESPN Plus doesn't do anything. UFC completely drives that business. None of their original programming draws flies. That's why they'll put a Connor fight or a John Jones fight before the fiscal year ends to show to their shareholders. Well, that plus business is rolling. UFC drives that entire business for them. Very few things could do that. NFL could.

I think, you know, the SEC could. Don't you think big, big boxing matches? No. They don't draw? No. What boxer do you care about? I'm just putting it out there. I don't know.

What box are in America? Are you like Jake Paul? You hype that guy. Well, he's more of a YouTube sensation. That's an interesting story. He's as much a pro wrestler. What about Mayweather? Has he ever been on the bus?

He's boring. I mean, when I went and watched Connor McGregor, when I went and watch Connor McGregor, I went for Connor McGregor. I didn't go for Mayweather. I took my wife to that. It was one of the best. we had a ball. I'm telling you.

But I say in our pyramid, you and I agree, the difference is you haven't gone to a UFC fight. I haven't. You would fall in love it. I do get asked that. How come you don't go to more sports like games? I like to watch from home. I do go to sporting events.

It's fun. When you and I take notes at home, I take notes with it. Going to NFL games is tough. I got to go to like an island game on Monday night football. I'm saying what? I can't go Sunday 1 p.m. It just doesn't work. I know.

I need to watch eight games, gambling in game. Yes. You know, fantasy last minute. You could do some of that on your phone, but it's just too stressed. I need the multiple televisions. I don't know. Well, this is our job. It is kind of a job.

It's not a hard job. We're not splitting the atom over here. Speak for yourself. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHard Radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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'll say. 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-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 How do you own the day in sports and make incredible plays? How do the rest of us own the day with Irish Spring? You're ready to own the day when it hits you. Look for Irish Spring at your local retailer today.

Jay Mack with the news. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So in the NFL, you've been very high on the Steelers in recent weeks. I convinced you they are going to be a factor. Well, in an appearance on the footballing with Ben Rathosberger podcast.

T.J. Watt, the great defender on the Steelers, gave some praise for this year's defense and believes they're headed in the right direction. The thing is still too early to have true sense of this is the year, just because they always say you don't want to be the guy that's just crushing it and without pads on. Then you come, you don't really know the personality of everybody yet. So it's too really for that. But I'm very encouraged with the direction that we're going,

I mean, especially on the defense's side of the ball. what I can really speak for is just guys are flying around. We're having a lot of fun. We're communicating and making a lot of those splash plays. And that's all you can really ask for this time of year. Big Ben does a good job on his podcast. Does it really? Oh, well, you would know you're a podcast Maven.

Yeah, he's really good at it. Yeah, I think Pittsburgh's got a bunch of good players. Most don't get hurt. And Kenny Pickett's probably a little better than I gave them credit for. Are you a picket fan? If I said quarterbacks, we've got to do this one time. Take the quarterbacks who's been in the league three years or fewer. And now that doesn't count the Herbert.

Trevor Lawrence is obviously like number one. Jalen Hertz, this would be his fourth year. I'm not sure. I think is this Jalen Hurts's fourth year? I think it is. So he'd be out of that. So where would Pickett be? Well, I like him better than any of the quarterbacks.

I like him better than Bryce Young and C.J. Shroud. I mean, that's just me, just from what I've seen of Pickett in the NFL. Okay, that's fair. I'm looking at that defense. Patrick Peterson pickup is interesting. And it looks like they might start the rookie Joey Porter Jr. Ohio State. Ohio State. Interesting pick.

Ohio State. Oh, is he Penn State? I think he was Penn State. His dad, obviously, was a great defender. They got a team, man. No, their defense is if their offensive line, because I think pickets good enough. My old question with them is the same with Buffalo. Can you get the offensive line up?

Well, the offensive coordinator leaves a little to be desired, very cautious strategy. Like, dude, come on. I know. Open it up. All right. Next up, we got Kevin Durant is, you know, speaking on social media. And he loves when guys like us, fans, trolls, go online and make comments. Yesterday on Twitter, a fan asked why everyone says he ruins teams and needs a super team to win a ring.

KD replied, jealousy. Who says he ruins teams? Well, this is some random dude named One-Eyed Willie. Yeah, who gives her? Ha ha, ha, one eye, really, oh, you know, like, why is he responding to this gibroni? This guy's nobody. Some people struggle. Some people use social media as therapy a little bit, and they get out their frustration on it.

You know what I do now is if someone says something nasty, which is, you know, pretty frequent. I look at their profile. If they're following me, then I might respond. If they're not, why do I care? They sought me out and are coming after me. Like, these guys are going after Kevin Durant daily. He pulls out his phone. daily he's got not dozens

probably hundreds of people just make an aggressive nasty comment the grumpyest grouchiest people in the world are on Twitter you know 23% of the country's on it 23 that's yes way high 77% of America is not on it and I would argue

that's distorted because I think about half the people on it are bots yeah they're not real nobody's really that grumpy it's probably like you know a handful of creating most of the content. Take out media people. Do you know anybody that's on it actively? None of my friends are. None of mine. I don't have a single person in my family or my life that is on Twitter that's not in the media. Well, I'll say a couple friends actually will like follow a specific team for news. No, I get that. Follow, but not posting.

No, no, nobody with a life. They're not like going after. They don't, nobody cares. But at some point, we do need to compare the teammates that Kevin Durant has had and the teammates LeBron is at. Why? Why do we have to do that? Kevin Durant has had, you could argue, better talent around him than LeBron James in his career. That's how stacked KD's teams have been. And going into next season, if you do a list of who has the most pressure on them to win. All right, fair question. Kevin Durant has to be number one.

Has to be. Let me think about it. Let me think about it. I had Yokic go in these playoffs. I was like, dude, he went to two MVPs. No, no, no, no. He's got to win. Jason Tatum.

He's 25. He's been in the league now six years. Two, twice. Curry didn't win a 25. LeBron, nobody won titles at 25. Go ask Jordan when he won his first title. It wasn't 25. Takes a while, man.

These things, Tatum more than KD? KD's like... KD's got two rings. With the... And O'Rea Hall of Famer. But it wasn't his team, you know, in Golden State. No, who cares? No, who cares.

Now, I think Tatum's got the most pressure. KD's in the top three. But I'll tell you another one. Luca. You've got to give me something here. He can't even rent a car, Colin. He's under 26. Come on, dude.

There's no pressure on. Luca, although that's one of my favorite players. All right, here we go. Third story, Celtics lost at disappointing game seven in the Eastern Conference finals, which had many to wonder if they're going to keep the core together. Jalen Brown would potentially be the odd man out. According to the Boston Globe, the Celtics, oh boy, do not intend to trade him. In fact, all signs point to Brown agreeing to a five-year, $295 million supermax extension. There goes your bench.

I need to get a calculator. 295 divided by 5. What is that? Well, it's 300 million, 60 million a year. 59. Wow, you're good at math, huh? Well, that was a... 59 million a year for Jalen Brown?

It's not what I would pay. I would move him. Okay, and then Bradley Beale, who's making like 50 million a year, return nothing. Is Jalen Brown going to return a lot when you've got to pay him 59 million a year? Bosses got to really think this through. Bless you.

Wow. Jaylen Brown's Super Max deal. I like him a lot, but I'm like doing. I think you, here's my thing. You've only been to one finals with this group. That's it. So you're not blowing up a championship team. I, and this is my personality, I do not like to be trapped.

I can deal with rebuilding stuff, rebooting stuff. I've started my career over. I've moved. I do not. I have professional, what do you call it when you're terrified of being trapped? Clostrophobic. Oh. I am professionally claustrophobic.

The idea of being a GM, and I am paying both those guys 60 mil per, and now I'm trapped. I have no bench. Here's the alternative. If you don't offer him the supermax, Jalen Brown says, oh, well, you must not like me or respect me. I want out of here. All right. I'm out. I'm out.

I'm out. I'm out. Jailon Brown is a huge market. Huge. Does he? Oh, God. He's got a bigger market. Jalen Brown or Damien Lillard?

Jalen Brown. He's bigger. He's a wing. He's a better defender. He's healthier. He's got four more years in his prime. Dame has been a one on a team that went to the conference finals.

Jalen Brown's got a bigger market. Can Jalen Brown be the one on a team that goes to the conference finals? He can be a two on a championship team. I think, I think if you put him with, man, I don't know if that's true or not. Would you try to build a road? So why doesn't Portland go after it?

Portland say, Jailon Brown, come on down to Portland. Because Boston doesn't want to let him go. Boston likes him. Well, if they're not going to offer him $6.59 million a year, he's going to be, I'm out. No, that's fine. But it looks like they're going to. You're kind of creating an argument that doesn't exist. They're not really getting rid of it.

If the story today was Brad Stevens looking to move Jalen, all right, there we go. But I think Boston, listen, we look at the KG Paul Pierce Ray Allen group as successful. They won one ring. And we overwhelmingly look at it like. Oh, that was very successful. The Celtic standards are interesting. In a city that's got the Patriots, you would think the standard would be multiple championships.

But I think overwhelmingly, the KG, Doc Rivers, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce group is considered Rondo is considered a success. They won once. Yeah. Well, I mean, listen, it's hard to win championships. Kevin Garnett has how many titles in his career? Paul Pierce is still relevant. People care what this guy does, even though he wasn't even the best player on the team,

just because he won a title in Boston. Winning one title does a lot, ask Eddie Halset. I've talked to you about this. Like, one title is very hard to do, man. Well, especially, you know, no, listen, I know. I mean, look, Milwaukee got one. Denver's got one. We don't know.

We could ask, like, is Yonis going to win another championship? I think so. I think that's a smart front office that'll make a move. They should. I would move everything but Drew Holiday. I would move everything. And I think they get that. And they've also drafted, developed, okay?

Over under titles for Jason Tatum, one and a half. Under. That's weird. I would go over on Tatum and no more titles for Janus. Janus is a much better player than Tatum. He is. He is. But I think...

And I've got four more years of Prime with Janus. He's been hurt really once. The cast around him is... Drew Holley is a good player. Okay, fine. There's like 10 of the guys on the roster that do nothing. Like, who would you take Boston's cast right now or Milwaukee's? Milwaukee's.

I have Yonis. I would go Boston. Who's better, Jalen Brown or Drew Holiday? Who do you trust in a big spot? Pretty even, right? Well, we said career for Tatum and Yonis. If Yonis or Drew Holiday and Middleton or Jalen Brown, Tatum and Smart, I would take Yonis and Drew Holiday and Middleton.

I think they're going to move Middleton and clear up some space and get a player. I'm going to take you honest. In that world, yes, the Bucks look better. For now, but all the Boston guys are younger. Yeah, great. Congrats. Congrats on you. Yeah, I mean, congrats on.

Being younger, I want the best player. The window is wide open for those guys. I mean, if Miami lands Dame, Boston's not getting to the final. Okay, let's say Miami lands Dame. Give me your top four. James Hardin stays in Philly. Give me your top four in the East. It would be Miami and Milwaukee, because Milwaukee's going to reboot stuff.

And then I'd go Boston third. But I want to see what Milwaukee does, but I think they have a good front office. I think they're smart. These are the same bucks that lost in the first round to the heat, four to one, right? They got very old, very quickly. double-digit leads in games four and five, right? That same Bucks team? A year ago, did you think Denver was going to go 16 and 4 in the playoffs?

It did not. When you have a great player and he's healthy, it's amazing what transpires. Buck's getting back to the finals again. Interesting topic. I don't know that it's a lock. Can we do a steak dinner on that? You know, to be gotten in 2032. J-Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie new. 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. This is Steve Kavino and Rich. And together we are Kavino and Rich. Kavino and Rich. Thanks, buddy.

That's right. Kavino and Rich, Fox Sports Radio's newest hit show. Heard weekdays from 5 to 7 Eastern 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app. Every Covino and Rich show is available as a podcast. Just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and subscribe. I'm such a rocking dude. The show features our unique take on sports, injected with some fun, humor, and relatability.

Listen to Covino and Rich five days a week on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Covino and Rich, give me a hell, yeah. 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 you'll say. 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-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 for finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This weekend, the U.S.FL playoffs take over prime time. Saturday at 8 Eastern on NBC. Michigan battles Pittsburgh for the Northern Division crown. Then Sunday at 7 on Fox.

Birmingham will be rocking as the stallions take on New Orleans in the Southern championship game. It's all this weekend on NBC and Fox. Nick Saban sat down with Joel Klat. I love this bite. So, you know, you know, I kind of am looking at who I think the best teams in college football this year is Alabama's got a lot of questions. I actually think LSU is going to be the surprise team in college football and play for the national championship. I think George is good. I think Michigan's really good. I think USC is going to shock people.

I talked to another person in football yesterday that said Caleb Williams is the best college quarterback they've ever seen. Significantly better than Trevor Lawrence and Andrew Luck. I agree, and I love those guys. So Nick Saban, as we get ready, we only. have a four-team playoff this year. And I think Nick sees the reality. USC is going to vie for it. Michigan's going to be really good.

LSU and Georgia are both going to be really good. I think LSU is kind of undervalued in Alabama. So Nick is, he's already sort of positioning for, because Alabama's got some questions, and I don't know if they have answers. And the SEC is only getting better now that LSU's got a great coach and Georgia's got a great coach. And Tennessee's coach seems to know what they're doing. And Lane Kiffin knows what he.

doing and it's like here comes sark and that group of athletes so he's already positioning you know the arguments for getting into the playoffs all we do is take the teams that win the most games at the end of the year and put them at the in the playoffs but do you really get the best teams when they told me that we would be favored against three out of the four teams that got in the playoffs i'm like well why aren't we in the playoffs if you're going to have parity you have to have a best team's better way of figuring out who has the best teams, not just because you lose two games on the last play of the game that knocks you out when you may be better than somebody else who didn't have the same circumstances that they had to play in.

So my argument would be if it's just about who's favored, LSU was a two touchdown underdog, I think, last year to Bama and won. So college football has always been an imperfect sport. The bowl games have been often played down in the south. advantage to southern teams have larger crowds than northern teams. The LSU's just got more high school football players who are great in their region than the West does and the Northeast does and the Midwest does. It's an unbalanced sport. The 12-team playoff, which I was not a fan of six or seven years ago because my argument was always,

I've never seen a three-loss team that I think's the best in college football. I still think that, but I do think if you can create sports that allow more people for a longer period of time to enjoy the sport, I think that's good. I mean, like baseball right now. There's like nine teams. We're not even close to the All-Star break. There's nine teams and fan bases that are done.

They can't wait for the NFL season to start. So I am for more playoff teams. Like in baseball, I would shorten the regular season to 100 games. I would get to the playoffs by August 1st. I would be out of the playoffs by October 1st, done, maybe late September. I'm for shortening regular seasons. elongating playoffs, so I'm for the 12th team playoff, but there's no question when it arrives, there will be a three-loss SEC team that will have far better players and probably a better

team than a one-loss Cincinnati team. There's no question about that. There'll be an advantage to play in the Pac-12 or the Big 12 or the ACC. No question. But the regular season has to matter. And I think about this all the time, even in the NFL, the best. teams do not always get to the playoffs. For instance, I think Carolina is not one of the 14 best teams in the league, but because Tampa is rebuilding and rebooting, and because Atlanta's not very good, and we don't know if the Saints have a good coach or not, we like their players, Carolina could get into the NFL playoffs and be a fourth-place team in the AFC North, a fifth-place team. If they played in that division, they'd be a fifth-place team. You've got to get over

what's fair. Sports isn't necessarily fair, right? Sometimes you have a schedule. Your toughest two games are at home. Some years, your toughest two games are on the road. Alabama's been lucky through the years. They've gotten buys right before big games. It's almost like the SEC's helping them, which they have been. So my takeaway on this is you got to play the games for a reason. It won't be entirely fair. I can see the arguments coming from a mile away. But in the end, I don't think it will change, the 12-team playoff will not change the end of college football. You're going to be left with a top five historic power, a USC, a Georgia, a Bama, an LSU, an Ohio State. You're going to be left with one of those five or six teams every year. It'll just look differently getting to it,

but it'll be the same result. Because in football is such a numbers game. In college basketball, it's about who's got the best player or the best two or three players. College football is about, you know, when you start playing 12, 13 games, you have to have a volume of talent. It's a lot of people think that college football's playoff is going to create this new narrative and this different result. Nope. It's going to be worse for the little guys. Because before, if a little guy got into a 14 playoff, all you have to do is win one game and you're in the championship. Now you're going to have to win two or three playoff games.

You think you're going to beat LSU, then Texas. then Alabama, then Clems? No. So it's going to get more top-heavy in college football. More people will be included in the 12-team playoff, obviously, basic math. But it won't change the results. It'll make it more. College football keeps trying to make it more even.

It never happens. Same in college basketball. You end up with Duke, Carolina, Kansas. I mean, this year, UCLA's your same programs. They used to have 120 scholarships. Then they said teams in college football get 85 scholarships. And then we don't do Associated Press. Then we do a playoff.

Then we extend the playoff. College basketball keeps expanding March Madness. It's the same dominant number one, number two, number three seeds that went every year. It's a Villanova. It's a Carolina. It's a big powers. It's not going to change anything. You can have more people come to the party, but the same people dominating the party.

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M-B-U-S-A.com. M-B-U-S-A.com. M-B for Mercedes-Benz, obviously. Hour 3 is around the corner. Interesting guest and more on deck. The herd. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy. Not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel. 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 I-Heart 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. Cliford 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 IHeard 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. 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. This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.