The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - NBA players

Episode Date: July 25, 2023

Jason gives his NFC tier list Do NBA players have too much power?   Guest: Gary MyersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back, our number two here on the herd. It's me, Jason McIntyre, in for vacationing. Colin Cowherd, he's on a boat somewhere. Should be back soon-ish, depending on his busy travel schedule. Join today, as usual, by Alex Curry. Alex beautiful up in British Columbia where he is. He posted it.

I'm just a bit of you. so bad at that. I'm like, what is considered British Columbia? Is Vancouver? I've been to Vancouver because I covered hockey for the Kings, so I went up to Vancouver quite a bit. And I've been at like a round candidate for hockey when I was on the road with the Kings. But it's, yeah, Vancouver is beautiful. Yeah, I think we went there when I was a kid. My parents are watching. Maybe? They watch every show so they will be tech- I'm mom and dad. We did go to Vancouver, Jason. It was like 19, you know, whatever.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because I'm old. Anyways, we got author Gary Myers coming up in a bit to talk about the Giants, but more importantly, the New York Jets. But first, before we get to him, I'd like to remind everybody yesterday we did the AFC tiers. And it was wild because there was universal agreement. Everybody agreed with every single one of the teams that I had in the tiers. And the AFC is pretty stacked. So it was kind of top heavy. The NFC, which we'll do right now, not as great news. So we'll start with Tier 4 in the NFC, the worst teams, and it is a crowded house. Look at all these struggling franchises. We'll start with the Arizona Cardinals who are widely perceived to be the worst team in the NFL this year. The Kyler Marie injury compounding matters.

I know T.J. Hushman Zada was here yesterday, hyping their young receiver, Michael Wilson out of Stanford. Folks, I don't know he's going to be catching passes from. We don't even know who the Arizona starter is going to be week one. Will Kyler Marie return by week six? Like, Arizona is in bad shape. Now, some will be surprised to see the Rams here. Not so much if you saw the show a couple weeks ago where I had one of my hotter summer takes that Aaron Donald, their best slash only defensive player, could be on the move by the trade deadline if the Rams are as bad as I think they will be. I think they're closer to being in the Caleb Williams mix than being in the playoff mix. This team is just too offensively driven without an offensive line. I like Stafford a lot, but I don't think highly of the Rams.

after that, like, listen, you look at the rest of Tier 4, and it is just not very good. Like, the Rams, you can make a case to a four or five-win team. Washington, you know? New owner, hooray, Sam Howell. We don't know, we don't have nothing. We know less about Sam Howell than we do about Jordan Love.

Eric B. Enemy is the offensive coordinator. Ron Rivera's on his way out. Washington's not going to be great. They somehow won eight games last year. I don't know how they did it. Carolina with Bryce Young, Cowherds keeps trying to talk me into Carolina. It's like that movie Mean Girls where the girl keeps saying fetch and she, her friend

stops her and is like, stop trying to make fetch happen. Like Colin, stop trying to make Bryce Young and Carolina happen. It ain't happening this year. This is like a five or six win team maybe. And then I think next off season they go big game hunting for some free agents to put around Bryce and bolster a bad Carolina team. Chicago, this is a team. Now, if we had done the bubble, some people do the bubble, we opted for tiers. The Bears would have been between three and four. I think kind of highly of Chicago. I can't put a finger on it other than immense spending

and a modicum of belief in Justin Fields emerging. Matt Iber Fluse, year two. I just think some continuity for the Bears is good. Packers, Jordan Love, we just covered them. Not a big fan. And finally, Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield's a starter. Fire sale by Halloween.

Tampa is bad. Tier three in the NFC. reluctantly have the Giants here. You know I have them down, not good. Coming off the playoff appearance, I have the Giants in Tier 3, followed by the Minnesota Vikings, who also, I do believe, tumble a little bit.

They're like the Rams, but their offense is like the Rams, you know, on some very heavy drugs because they will be able to score a lot of points this year. I think that offense will do well. The Jordan Addison edition for U.S. season, nice player. They did lose Dalvin Cook.

The defense is just abysmal. Brian Flores has, like nothing to work with in Minnesota. So I think they dropped down to Tier 3. Seattle, Seahawks fans, don't be upset. Potential is there for Tier 2. Just have some questions about Gino Smith, doubling up what he did last year.

I love the draft pick of Jackson Smith, the Jigba. And finally, in the surprise of Tier 3, the Atlanta Falcons, I told you guys, I bet their season win total over. It's a schedule thing. Look into it and get back to me. Falcons round out Tier 3. Up in Tier 2. We've got the not quite contenders, but like the next group down.

The Dallas Cowboys, who, again, I don't think they're a legit contender. We'll see. I think their future is very murky as we talked about last hour. New Orleans Saints are my sleeper in the NFC. Yes, I'm backing up the brinks for Derek Carr and Dennis Allen. Feel free to criticize that. Even I have reservations, but defensively it'll be good. I like the offensive pieces.

It all comes down to Carr if he can deliver. And finally, the Detroit line. who are everybody's darling in the NFC. There's a world where they end up in Tier 4 because, well, they're the Detroit Lions. Arguably the most inept franchise, the NFL seen in the last 40 years. Other than Barry Sanders, Megatron, and some Matt Stafford throws, this franchise has been total garbage for like four decades. Can they finally emerge from it, get to the playoffs, and do something?

We'll see. And up at the top, and I, folks, I nearly had this one-team tier one with the Eagles, but I ultimately put the Niners in there because I respect Kyle Shanahan. I love the roster. There's so much to love about the roster. And really, they're clearly a cut above everyone else. Alex, I can't imagine that you're going to poke holes in any of this. Uh-huh.

Really? You got something. You got a bone to pick with me. Vikings and Cowboys, I feel like they need to be in the same tier. I feel like whether you want to move up the Vikings to Tier 2 or move the Cowboys down to Tier 2, three, I feel like they're very similar and they need to be in the same tier. The 13-win Vikings. I've got to put more respect on their name. That's fair. Cowboys are 12-win Cowboys last season. So it's, they had, they had, they also went on that

hot streak. And I believe in Kurt Cousins, you know, to do it. You and me, we like Kirk Cousins. Yeah. I'm hopeful and would like to push the Rams up the tier three. But they are a bit of a hot mess right now. Yeah, that would be my two. Those are my two takes from your tears. All right. So they're my NFC tears. Let's get to our guest, Gary Myers, New York Times, best-selling author, sports columnist as well.

Covering the NFL for 45 plus years. Gary, how are you this morning? Exciting times in New York. Jason, how are you doing? Way to go out on the limb by putting the 49ers and the Eagles at the top. Yeah, very risky of me, Gary, certainly. Let's start with the big news in New York today. Saquan Barkley and the Giants come to an agreement,

a unique agreement, where he gets about a $900,000 pay bump and some money up front. What's the mood like for Big Blue and Giants fans in New York right now? Well, I think the Giants brought themselves out of a very uncomfortable situation by not having to deal with this all during training camp. I mean, the questions every day would have been about Sacon Barclays. You get to show off for the season openers. You get a sit-out part of the season.

And for putting together a $900,000 incentive package that satisfied Barclay that he was getting more than just a franchise tag. Now, keep in mind, he's got to do better in each category that he did last year in terms of rushing yards receiving a number of catches and touchdowns. but it's all attainable. So he's betting on himself a little bit there that he'll make another $900,000. And I think the Giants were happy to do this to just avoid having this distraction all throughout training camp

and continuing the good vibes that they established last year by making the playoffs and winning a playoff game. Yeah, it felt like the Jets did a similar thing with Quinn and Williams recently right before Hard Knocks. Right. Just get the deal done. We don't need you New York media guys badgering us

I do want to ask, though, Xavier McKinney of the Giants had some comments about how, listen, we would understand if Sequin Berkeley sat out, we totally get it. We're with him. It seems like the locker room likes Berkeley. This is a tough one, Gary, but would you say this is a Berkeley locker room or a Daniel Jones one?

Jones has been there a while, and he finally had a good season. Numbers were not great, but he just didn't turn the ball over. Who did you say that's a leader of this team? Well, I think that it's almost like one in one- that Barclay is probably the most respected popular player in the room. But the good thing for the Giants is that he and Daniel Jones are best friends. And I think that helps with Jones's leadership because Barclay has been so solidly behind him,

you know, over these last four or five years. So that's why it was so important for the Giants to get a resolution to the Barclay situation. because I think some players would say, you know, if they're not taking care of him, he's their best player, he's a face of the franchise, if they're not going to take care of him, you know, who are they going to take care of besides the fact that they took care of Daniel Jones and Dexter Lawrence? I think it sends a message to the locker room that they all get to take care, at least in the short term, that they're making sure that Barkley is happy. But I think it's almost a co-leadership thing. the quarterback has really got to be the leader of your team. But in this case, you know, the best player is Barclay, and he's a tremendous leader also. Gary Myers, we're talking to you also about your book.

You wrote a book on the 86 Super Bowl team of the Giants. They famously had Lawrence Taylor, Phil Sims. The book is called Once a Giant, a Story of Victory Tragedy in Life After Football. Man, that 86 Giants team, what a juggernaut. The defender, I could probably rat Carl Banks, wasn't he on that team? and the lineback and core was unbelievable. Talk to me a little about the book. Yeah, Jason, thanks for asking.

I was really inspired to do a book about the most important issue that's facing players of today and yesterday and tomorrow as well. And that's what is their life going to be like when they're in their 50s and 60s? And so the 1986 Giants fit that category. of the age group of what I was looking to write about and being the most successful and I want to say romanticized of the Giants four Super Bowl winners.

You do ask any giant fan who's been around for all four championships, what is your favorite team of those four? And we're all going to say the 86 Giants because that was their first Super Bowl team. And the book really explores how this team became a brotherhood, how it's remained a brotherhood,

and how together trying to face the challenges of life after football, whether it's mental health issues, emotional issues, physical issues, which they all have, or financial issues, and how they've rallied around each other. And, you know, it's really a compliment people have told me that they consider this book to be the football version of Boys of Summer, which I consider to be one of the great sports books of all time. There's really some amazingly compelling stories in this book, Jason, including, and I'm not going to name the five players, but there are five players on the record in the book who told me that their level of despair had reached such depth that since the years that they've

retired from football, they actually did consider suicide at one point. Fortunately, they all pulled themselves out of that mindset and they've got their lives straightened out. But I do interview, you know, Belichick, Carcell, Sims, Carson, L.T. Banks, Bavaro, who was tremendous, Mendez. You know, he's very quiet in the years that he played, but has really become, I've opened up and become very forthcoming at this point in his life. I really think people enjoy reading this book. My gosh, that team, I was just looking at the stats, Gary.

That team was ridiculously dominant. So their playoff wins were 49 to 3. And then they won 17, nothing over Washington. I think that was a Joe Morris game. And then they throttled Denver in the Super Bowl. I wonder, we haven't seen any dominant. New York teams lately. The Jets have fallen on hard times. Giants were good

last year, but come on, the smoke and mirrors. Even the Yankees, you know, they haven't really delivered. I'm curious. Of the big four in New York, Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, who do you think has the chance to do the most damage in the postseason this year? Well, first of all,

the two baseball teams have to get to the postseason. And, you know, being a football rider all these years, I've been able to remain a baseball fan. And I've loved the myth since 1962. This is one of the most disappointing seasons, you know, considering how much money they spent on personnel. I think the Yankees have a shot to get to the postseason. And, you know, the sooner they can get back Aaron Judge, obviously the better.

They were doing well until he got hurt about a month ago making that great catch in Los Angeles. All the excitement here, football-wise, with the camps opening this week, is really about the Jets and Aaron Rogers. The Jets have really a great group of young players led by their two rookie of the years last year, Saus Gardner and Garrett Wilson. And then if Aaron Rogers gets back to the way he was in 20 and 21, when he won back-to-back MVP's and not the way he played last year. And he played with a broken right thumb almost the entire season and was breaking in a new group of receivers.

And it was just a bad season all around. by the Packers culminated in how poorly they played in the last game of the year with the playoffs on the line at home when they lost to the lines. If that's not the Aaron Rogers we see this year, then I think out of the four teams you mentioned, the Jets have the best chance of going the deepest into the playoffs. I like that. Let me ask, you know, the Jets have kind of fallen on hard times since Rex Ryan. I'm curious. Do you think Sala and Douglas can survive if they don't make the playoffs this year in New York?

Well, it depends what the season looks like. If they're, say, 10 and 7 don't miss the playoffs, that looks a lot different than being 7 and 10 and not making it. So I think there is some pressure on, especially the coach, to win this year. They have hard knocks coming in. Maybe we're going to talk about that a little bit. We have to remember the last time the Jets are on hard knocks. The only time the Jets are on hard knocks was 2010,

and they got to the AFC championship game that year, which included a playoff victory in New England, and they really should have beaten the Steelers in the AFC championship game. It's been over a decade since that's the last time the Jets were even in the playoffs. So I do think Jet fans, you know, they're tired of the turnover. It seems every two years they have a two, three years they have a new coach. I do like Robert Sala. He finally has a quarterback.

they've built up the roster around Aaron Rogers. And I would really be surprised if the Jets don't make the playoffs this year. But it all depends. Can the offensive line keep Rogers healthy? And can he do for the Jets what Tom Brady did for the box? I'm not even going to put it in the Matt Stafford category because he was a younger player. But I think Brady and Rogers at the same point in their career when they made that switch of teams. And if you remember, the Bucks got off to a slow start with Brady as Bruce Ariens,

excuse me, tried to fit him into that offensive, the long passing game, the deep passing game, which was not Brady's way of playing. So it wasn't until around Thanksgiving that year that Brady actually started putting up big numbers. here in New York, Salah brought in Nate Hackett, who was Aaron's offensive coordinator, the two most recent years he won the MVP,

Bruton Allen Wazard, Rangel Cobb, really making sure that Rogers is as comfortable as possible when the season starts on September 11th, Monday night game against Buffalo. I think they're giving Aaron Rogers every opportunity

to hit the ground running this year when the regular season starts. And finally, Gary Myers. Can you give us a breakout star prediction on hard knocks from the Jets? Anybody, offense, defense, someone with some personality, maybe a coach, anyone? Well, I think people are going to be kind of enamored with Soss Gardner only because he has a great nickname. He's a lot of a lot of personality. He started off camp and I'm sure this already be on hard Docs by giving Rogers a big necklace like he wears.

He's not as outspoken as people think, but I think he's got a ton of personality, and the players really like him. I also think that Quinn Williams might be the surprise breakout star. Just got the big contract, which I think will give him a lot of confidence to become even more of a team leader, by far the best player in their defense, and maybe a top 10 player in the league. So what I'm really curious to see Jason is how much time Rogers gives the crew from Hard Knocks, whether he's going to cooperate with him or just do the bare minimum. Because Rogers really is a fascinating guy off the field with all that stuff that he's into. So whether he's

going to show that side of him or not, I think is going to be a really fascinating story as the summer goes on. Can't wait. Gary Myers, the author of Once a Giant, story of victory tragedy in life after football. Congrats on the book, Gary, and enjoy Hard Docs. Yeah, so if I can just tell you, the book comes out September 12th. Anybody who's interested, go to Amazon or any of those online sites. And I appreciate you have me on. And it's going to be a fun summer around here in New York.

Yeah, thanks a lot, Gary. Congrats. Take care. All right, coming up next on The Herd. Did you hear what Mark Cuban said about my guy? And I say that in jest. Kairie Irving. Also, this Dame Liller trade requesting really hurting the NBA.

People are piping up. It's all next on the herd. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart 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 document. recommended it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories, that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both

lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Back here on the herd, Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, J-Mack, we got another one. Cowboy Star Guard, Zach Martin, was not on the team's flight to training camp in Oxnard, California, according to multiple reports. The six-time first-team all-pro is reportedly frustrated with his current contract situation. Now, Martin will turn 33 this season,

but it's still playing at an elite level. Now, he's got two years left on his contract here, making about $14 million per year, which is the eighth highest-paid guard. But let's put it into perspective here. He's made all pro six times, as I mentioned. His Madden Rade just came out. He was rated 99.

But let's compare him to the highest paid guard right now, which is $20.5 million. Chris Lindstrom on the Falcons. So, and he's only made one, all pro. And then you have Zach Martin, who's made all pro six times and is the eighth highest pay. That's $14 million compared to $20 million. So do you agree with this holdout?

Almost like the Cowboys have some problems ahead, huh? A little. Who could have seen that coming last hour? Is that going to move your tears down, like I said? I'm seeing a tweet here from a reporter. Martin has been unhappy about their lack of interest. Oh, in re-negotiating his contract. We've got two years left.

Hey, man. Diggs, Martin, everybody's chirping. A lot of mouths to feed, Jerry. And Jerry, I think Jerry's talking to the media like right now. I'm seeing some stuff on social media. and listen, they're going to be bombarding him with questions. And any Cowboys fan who has a clue, this all stems to paying Dak Prescott a ton of money. That's why they had to dump Cooper.

Zeke Elliott, you know, that's part of why they dumped him. They should never have given him a massive second contract, but Jerry loved him. And now you got Zach Martin. You got Diggs. Micah Parsons is coming up. C.D. Lambs coming up. A lot of mouths to feed. And let's see if DAC will restructure.

Because remember, Alex, Stafford did not want to restructure. No. They asked him, and he was like, no, I'm not. What do I get? So you make sacrifices. You fix the team. I got mine. This is on the front office.

Like, they got to fix some things. It's not going to be easy. I think the window is shut. I don't think they have, I think it's over. This is what happens when you pay big money to the big guys who deserve it, but it's hard to kind of trickle it down to the rest of the team, which leads us into our next story. And another team that has this on the horizon, Joe Burrow has led a talented group of young

Bengals to consecutive AFC championship appearances, winning one before ultimately falling. to the Rams, but Burrough is one of several stars that the Bengals are now eligible for an extension, and yesterday, Team President Mike Brown discussed the challenges of keeping since he's core happy. He said, we have some good players that need to be fed. That's a challenge. It's mathematical. You get a bag of corn and you have 10 hogs. Well, you're going to put that out to them, and the bag's going to be empty, and some of them are not going to get it. So here are the guys that are the big names. You've got to keep an eye out for this. since he's going to need to pay, right?

You got quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receiver T. Higgins, Logan Wilson are eligible for extensions now, and then Jamar Chase is eligible for an extension next off season. Now, the Bengals are another team that have the potential and have a good core and have a top quarterback, I think a young, exciting top quarterback, that have the potential to get to the Super Bowls

and potentially win a Super Bowl. Now, if you want to do that, you have to figure out how to keep this. core that has almost gotten you to that end goal the last couple of years. This is going to be interesting. You have to figure out your priorities. Who is your priority? Obviously, Joe Burrow is your number one priority.

But where would you kind of rank what they need to focus on right now? I'm looking at their salary cap situation. First of all, I got to give them props for going out and getting Hendrickson, going out and getting Orlando Brown. Like, when the quarterback's on the rookie deal, take big swings, go after dudes. And they've done a great job of that. Well, and they also finally got him some protection. Yeah.

Because he was, what, the most sacked quarterback, his rookie season and then had the injury. Yeah. You know, I remember that injury. I know a certain producer on our staff wants to forget about it. But I had bet the Bengals in that game against Washington. And you see Burrow go down and you're like, oof. And then the second half, the backup comes on. I was like, well, that money just lighted on fire.

I mean, you could see Burrow. Like, he's good. They're fine. I got questions about the coach, but we'll move on. I don't think there is in dire straits as Dallas is right now. Dallas is up the creek without a paddle. They're really in a bad spot. You got guys not showing up.

Yeah. Bengals don't have that. And it's Borough. They're going to take care of him. And I think he wants to be there. I feel like he deserves. He deserves a big contract for what he's done. But how do you make sure that you keep the guys that he needs?

How do you keep his weapons? How do you keep his protection? Well, they got Joe Mixing to take a pay cut. They did. Five million. He wants to stay there because he wants to stay there and he wants to win. And that's the mentality. We saw it with Tom Brady.

I'll take a pay cut in order to say here. But that's, I never fault a player for whichever way they want to go. If you want your money, get your money. You have a short window being an athlete and to get the contracts that you want. But you also don't always get the opportunity to be on the team that has a potential to win a championship and to win a ring. So if that's more important to you opposed to getting the most money possible, then yeah, try to stay in the best situation you can and work it out with the team. So to that point, Miles Sanders was on the Eagles and was like their leading rusher and awesome and he went to the Super Bowl and then his deal's up

and it's like, well, we got to pay a lot of other guys. So we can either give you peanuts or you can go get $4 million a year in, I think he went to Carolina. And it's like, you're not winning anything. You go from the Super Bowl. Yeah. But you have the choice. What do you want? Do you want your money? Or do you want to be competitive and fighting for a Super Bowl? you can get both, but that is, that's difficult. It's hard. Listen, Sanders is going to make some money in Carolina. He went to a Super Bowl, like, maybe he goes back to Philly in a couple years.

So I would say the one guy to watch in Cincey is T. Higgins. Because you can pay Chase. You've got to pay him. You can't lose him. And then T. Higgins is like super valuable, but like. Yeah, he's, but so Higgins is eligible for an extension now. Jamar Chase is eligible next offseason. So there's a little bit of time to figure out,

but it's all going to depend on how big Joe Burrell's contract. Yeah. That's your number one priority and that's what's going to trickle down to what everyone else gets. All right, let's switch gears to the NBA. The Warriors acquired Chris Paul from the Sons in a deal that sent Jordan Pool to Washington. Now, there's been plenty of questions about how the 12-time All-Star will fit in with the Warriors, most notably alongside a strong personality in Draymond Green. Now, here's CB3 talking about getting to play with Draymond. I feel sorry for the other teams that's got to play against both of us because he's always been very vocal as I am. And I've always thrived with guys like that.

I'm just so interested and curious to see how this chemistry is going to be with Chris Paul, Steph Curry. He's saying all the right things about him and Draymond being vocal and aggressive. But the other thing is Chris Paul's not the same player that he used. to be. And he's dealt with some injuries later on in the season. He's had strong starts, but faded out a bit. Do you see what our staff did there? No, what did they do? They're getting all the clips of Draymond being dirty and Chris Paul being chippy. I love it. Look at that. Great job. A feisty couple. Draymond green up in somebody. Is that, yeah, Stewart's face and Chris Paul giving

the elbow. Do we have the groin shot from Wake Forest? Just kidding. We're not going to pull that up. But yeah, Chris, look at this stomp of Subonis. Yep. That was, oh man, that was dirty. Yeah, Chris Paul and Draymond Green. Good luck. Yeah. Yeah. Again, I'm just curious to see how this chemistry is all going to come together here.

With Golden State. Can't blame Jordan Poole anymore, guys. Nope. Who are you going to blame now? Sorry, Curry. I had to. I'm sorry, buddy. Alex Curry with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Do NBA superstars have too much power? Talk about that next year on The Herd. 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. Two NBA Insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA grapevine.

All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, hearing, and chasing. Listen to this league uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark

Stein on the IHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday, it's baseball night in America on Fox. John Carlos Stanton powers the Yankees against a rising star, Adley Rutchman, and the Orioles, or Randy Rose Arena and the Rays battle the Astros, or the Red Sox take on the giant Saturday at 7 Eastern on Fox. check for the game in your area. It's just such a

freakishly loaded sports day. News just coming out left and right NFL. I don't even know if we'll get to Saudi Arabia and Mbap. That's a story I love and I'm fascinated by. You had to get it in somehow. You had to get it in somehow. All right, but I just could not resist this NBA story. So Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks billionaire,

shark tank guy for the young people. out there. He did an interview this week. And, you know, he, I don't know, it's July. He's a billionaire. He could just say whatever he wants. And he made some comments about Kyrie Irving. And I read them yesterday. And instantly, I like stopped what I was doing. I was like, he can't be serious. So here's Mark Cuban talking about Kyrie Irving and Luca Donchage. Kyrie is matured to the point now where he knows it's Lucas team. Luca knows this Lucas team. Kyrie knows this Lucas team. And that's what's important. And, you know, he's willing to play more of a shooting guard role.

And then when Luke is out, we have a point guard who can score and create for other guys. They're both players who make their teammates better. And we didn't have that before. I mean, try not to laugh too hard when he says, I think Kyrie has matured. And I was trying to think of an analogy for this. And we were talking about in the morning meeting, it's like, your buddy's dating a girl who you know is not right. And you know she is not right for him. and all of you, your friends are saying to them, dude, this is not a good idea.

Steer clear. You're probably going to get hurt. She's wild. It's not for you. It's not going to work. And it's like, no, you just don't know her. You don't know her like I do. I've spent the time with her.

It's going to be fine. And then you look at the history. And history doesn't always repeat itself, but it often rhymes. And what has Kyrie Irving done everywhere? And he's just blown out of town and blown up the franchise and gotten coaches fired. I mean, I had to actually look. this up and Kyrie Irving's gotten four coaches fired.

Four already in his career. He's not even like, I mean, I guess he's been around for a while, but four coaches in what, 10 years, 11 years? That's a lot of body count. Okay? Well, you can start with Byron Scott in Cleveland. And then there was Mike Brown also in Cleveland. And the Mike Brown one is delicious because I found a story from Brian Winhorst about how Mike Brown, who's like a coach

that everybody loves. And, you know, Mike Brown now with the Sacramento Kings, he was with the Warriors, a coach that everybody loves. Him and Kyrie just did not see I. to eye friction all season. Kyrie wasn't going to sign the extension if Mike Brown was a coach, and so they had to get rid of Brown. Then

Kyrie, you know, forces his way to Brooklyn from Boston. It's just like, oh yeah, I'm going to stay Boston. Not a forget these guys. I'm out of here. Couldn't get along with Tatum and Jalen Brown. Goes to Brooklyn. Like, the first order of business is, oh, Kenny Atkinson, you got this team to the playoffs last year with some young dudes.

You guys did some nice things. But you won't start my guy, D'Andre Jordan. Get up out of here. Got Kenny Atkinson fired. then the Steve Nash thing, which I have talked about at nauseam. I talked about it on my podcast. I know people close to Nash. Let's just say it was very ugly. I told the story about how Nash and Kyrie were going to meet up.

So Kyrie said, Nash, yeah, come by my place. And Kyrie like purposely, literally left Steve Nash in the rain, left him at his front door, just refusing to answer the doorbell and made him wait there for like 20 minutes. And then had someone else in his house finally answer the door to, let Nash in as a power move. And this is the same Kyrie Irving who went on on an Instagram stream or whatever, YouTube, I don't know what it was.

Me and KD, we don't even need a coach. You just roll the ball out there. We're good. Like, really? This guy has matured. This guy has matured, Mark. There's the same guy who went to Dallas mid-season. And I was the idiot who took the bait and was like, oh, this is going to work. Kari and Luca. And they went tanking. I don't know if we have the numbers.

but they got worse with Kyrie Irving, like definitely worse and missed the playoffs. And I know at the end they were tanking to kind of keep their draft pick, whatever. Like, bottom line, it was a disaster. It was an abject failure. And I know Kyrie Irving is ridiculously talented and he's got a smooth handle

and elite finishing layup package and all that stuff. The jabronies on NBA Twitter love to say, oh, Kyrie Irving, he's the dude. He's unguarable. Good luck, Mark Cuban. I mean, if you really really, think, if you really think that things is going to work between Luca Donchich and Kyrie Irving,

maybe he has changed and you want to be glass half full, Mark Cuban, and positive guy, and Kyrie's just going to fall in line. He's never fallen in line, ever. And if Mark, you can change him and Luca can, great luck, good luck. But I will finally, before we pivot off this, I'm just going to ask, did Dallas get better in the off season? Because we saw some teams certainly get better. Lakers got better. Lakers, by the way, made some moves at the deadline last year and got way better. Go to the conference finals.

Mavericks add Kyrie, the opposite. So we know the clippers are trying to get hardened. If they get him, they're better. I don't think the Warriors are better with their moves, but Denver did not get definitely worse. That's for sure. Phoenix added Bradley Beale.

They're way better. Is Dallas a top four team in the West? I don't know. Marcus Smart going to Memphis. they were second seed last year. Minnesota's probably going to be better year two with the Gobert experiment. I love Luca. That's my guy. I think Luca Dantz is on track to be one of the best players in the history of the sport. Like a top 10 player all time, I think that's definitely in play for what he's accomplished so far. But is that happening with Kyrie Irving by his side?

I don't know. Mark Cuban, I banged on him a lot. There it is. After the trade, 10 and 18, one of the worst defensive ratings in the league. The net rating is down like literally Nothing got better with Kyrie Irving. It's your turn, my turn stuff. That doesn't work. It's just not going to work. I'm hopeful for Luca because I like him. I saw Luca got a little skinnier in the off season.

He's not doing, you know, the European afternoon beverage and evening beverage and nighttime beverage. He's clearly slimmed down and making an effort. But is Kyrie going to make an effort? We shall see. I want to quickly go to one other NBA story. And it's weird because I came on this. show when Damien Lillard demanded a trade. And I was like, you know,

Damien Lillers really trying to make everyone happy. When you try to make everybody happy, you make nobody happy. And Damian Lillard has really butchered this move from Portland. And Austin Rivers, I'm sure you guys know him, the son of Doc Rivers, highly touted high school prospect, went to Duke. I thought he was incredible. I mean, this kid at Duke was dynamic, but he never really became like a team player. He was kind of a media. first player offensively, which is fine. He's a talented guy. Currently not signed to a team, the last I could check.

But Austin Rivers came out and made some comments about Damian Lillard forcing his way to Miami, and it's not a great look for Damian Lillard. Take a listen. If you are a free agent, then you could choose where you were going to go. That's the business. But when you're not and you sign a deal, man, that's part of the business, bro. If you get traded somewhere, like, you've got to go play, man. You know what I mean?

For sure. The whole, and this started with like James and D. Ben and all these guys doing this shit. It's bad for the league. This is why our CBA deal that we just signed and I don't even want to get heavy into that. That thing is, don't even get me started on that deal that we got going because it's top heavy.

I can't tell you how many mid-level guys are signing for vet minimum around the NBA. It's laughable. But, yeah, it's just a scary dynamic when stars start acting like this. And I'm not a big fan of it. there's a lot there's a lot to chew on but I some of the stuff I didn't totally believe so I had to look it up and Austin rivers is on point for instance Phoenix Suns have four guys making 32 million or more this year no middle class players and then a bunch of minimum players which is fine you know I think Phoenix is going to be really good but what does it say about the league if that's the direction a lot of these teams take and Miami seems to want to take that direction with Damien Liller we'll load up with Bam out of bio, Damian Lillard, Jimmy Buckets, and then we'll just fill in the gaps with, you know, undrafted guys.

Maybe that's going to work. It has, the super team thing seems to be working in terms of getting you there, but not all of them have succeeded in winning titles. That being said, the fact that Austin Rivers is lumping Damian Lillard in with James Hardin, who, by the way, has three trade requests in the last 13 months. He's been on three teams in 13 months. The fact that Dame is getting lumped in with James Hardin and Ben Simmons of all players has got to really tick off Dame Lillard.

I don't know that that's totally fair because Dame spent, what, like 11 years in Portland. I mean, he was a loyal soldier. They had a good run. And let's be real, they could not build a title contender around him. They got to the conference finals once. It was an awesome run. Dame had some magical moments in Portland, some outstanding playoff performances. And they ultimately could not get there.

So I don't think we could fall Dame, but Austin Rivers' point is legit. What does it say when you've got players demanding, I only want to go here? And it is not a great look for the league. That being said, I will defend Dame for one second here. Dame's agent is telling teams, hey, steer clear a Dame, he only wants Miami. That's a little different from Dames not going to report if Philadelphia trades for him. Dane will refuse to report if the Clippers. trade for. He hasn't gone there. That is a slight difference from he wants to go

into one place. Now, I am a Dame Liller fan. I've told you guys. I know you love the stories about me playing in my men's rec league basketball. I wear Dame Lillard sneakers are the most comfortable. Shout out, Dame, I love the sneakers. I've seen him working out at my gym in the summer. I approached him in the parking lot. I was like, oh, Dame, what's up? And he kind of gave me the look up and down, like, who are you? Why are you talking to me? Not the greatest intro. ultimately, you know, he got over it and we chatted. Listen, Damien Lillard is a nice guy. He's been a great soldier in Portland, a great ambassador for the league.

But I'm kind of with Austin Rivers here. This, I only want to go to Miami. I just don't know that that's a great look. Now, I get it. He did 11 years in Portland. He should be able to pick where he goes. But he's not a free agent. And Austin Rivers, who, by the way, is a free agent, did kind of outline it.

Like, dude, we're not at a great place where the league can say, hey, give me the bag, and then in a year or two, I'm going to just demand out and I got my bag anyway. Like, is that a great look for the NBA? It's an open question that I don't think there's an answer to yet, but this Jalen Brown contract that we talked about at the outside of the show is interesting. Just remember, Jalen Brown just got the most lucrative contract in NBA history. There's been rumors about Boston trading him for three years. is he going to go to Portland for Dane?

Is he going to be on the move so Boston can get another star? I mean, Jalen Brown's a really good player. I said earlier, I don't think he's top 15. I don't know that he can be your second best player on a championship team. I just don't know. But there's been talk about trading him. So what happens if Boston doesn't win the title? And Jalen Brown says, you know what?

I'm sick of being a wingman. I want to trade next summer. Did he just do what Dame Lillard did and all? Austin Rivers is complaining about? These guys demanding, I want out, but I got my bag. Now, listen, a team that hasn't won Jack Squat like Charlotte, they might be willing to foot the bill for Jalen Brown. A team that hasn't won anything like Orlando. They're desperate. No free agent stars are going there. Maybe they make the move and trade for Jalen Brown when he demands it. But the Dame Lillard, it's tricky. We're in a weird space in the NBA right now. And listen,

I know Austin Reeves can be criticized for a lot of things. he threw some punches at Mobamba last season, a little out of character for him. But it felt like Austin Rivers is kind of teetering. He seems a little frustrated. But he's not wrong, you know? This demanding where to go. We don't see this in baseball.

Like Otani trade deadlines coming up. You don't hear Otani coming out and saying, hey, I want to go here. Get me out of here. You don't really hear NFL players. I think we'll talk about a final hour. News is just breaking that the Giants tried to trade, Sequin Barkley back in March. And it's like, wow, why didn't Sequin demand where he could go?

Like, did these NBA players do it? We're not seeing it in any other league. So, Alex, I just wonder, as we wrap up hour number two, like, is this hurting the NBA? Players stay. Definitely. Definitely. It's changing the dynamic. It changes the game and the situation of the game. And as you mentioned, we're only seeing this happen in the NBA. Yeah. Adam Silver, you might want to do something. Coming up, hour number three, is all the drama settled between Seyquon? on the Giants, don't go anywhere. It's the herd. 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 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'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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.