The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 2 - Rick Pitino stops by The Herd

Episode Date: March 4, 2026

St. John’s & 2x National Champion head coach Rick Pitino joins the show to discuss how basketball has changed in his over 4 decades of coaching and the number 1 thing you need in order to win in the tournamentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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day on the Iheart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Hour number two in a Wednesday. One hour from now, one hour from now. First 15 minutes of the final hour, I am going to do my first round mock draft. If I was a general manager of each team, what would I do? We did it last year. We had a couple of hits. It's obviously Fernando Mendoza going to the Raiders number one, so we're one for one. But what would I do based on need ownership? There has been a big trade this morning in the NFL.

The Los Angeles Rams had two first round picks. I believe if it was a great quarterback draft, they'd take one with the second pick and put them on the shelf for two years behind Matt Stafford. It's not. So what the Rams are telling you is we are going for it, and we're going to re-sign Matt Stafford, and we're giving up a first, a fifth, a sixth, and a third next year. So that tells me they're going to sign Matt Stafford to a two-year deal. Trent McDuffie, who is a pro bowler, excellent, could be even better with the Rams because they have a more consistent pass rush.

And the Rams have drafted defense so well, but they've never held corner in terribly high regard. They really build their front. And so, and there's a couple of nice first round corners, one out of LSU, really good player. And, you know, they may not want to take a risk on that. They're going to keep their first pick in the first round. They're giving up the second. And the Chiefs are basically saying Patrick Mahomes just sent out a tweet, damn, because McDuffie after Mahomes is probably their best player. But Brett Veets, the Chiefs GM, is telling you, listen, we're getting old.

And then our young guys aren't great. They're good. So now they've got two firsts. I think they're going to go get a tackle, and I think they're going to try to get a corner. And then I think they have to supplement their front seven. And Chris Jones had a down year. So I think what Kansas City is doing is smart.

We've said this. You start paying Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes. If you don't have a quarterback or a team-friendly deal, this is what happens. You have to let go of great players. The Rams, who I think have a much better roster this morning than the Chiefs are adding an element to it. And the Chiefs are, I wouldn't say a rebuild with Andy Reid and Mahomes. But right now in their division, I don't think they have the roster of Denver, and I'm not sure they have the roster of the Chargers.

Well, we're getting ready for March Madness. St. John's has split with Yukon. They came back from 12 down to beat Georgetown last night. They're 24 and 6, and their legendary coach, 38 years. coaching basketball. Rick Matino is now joining us live. And last time, this is very fun because, you know, we were talking about this a second ago. They want to expand the tournament. And I'm like, it used to be 64.

It started on Thursday. I could fill out my bracket. It was easy. And then they've got the first four. And it screws me up a little bit. And I don't know about these teams. I like the certain sanctity of like, I'm for inclusion. But I think 64 is a big fat number.

68's a big number. What is your general take on expanding it even further? Well, I guess it would come down to what's the reason for expansion, is it to make sure if a St. Louis is undefeated and people are somehow thinking of not putting them in the tournament, if they get knocked out of their bracket, I think that's absurd. You know, any team that goes undefeated, I don't care what level you're at, you deserve an NCAA bid. You got to go on the road in front of a hostile crowd.

every single night and whoever may be Miami of Ohio is another exam. Miami of Ohio, I think it's undefeated. They, without question, deserve a bit if they go undefeated. Right. So I think last time I had you on, we talked about this. I think NIL is great for college basketball. And I told Adam Silver when he was on this show, stop demonizing college basketball. The coaching's better, the swag, the nutrition, they get paid now.

And the other thing is they have to play in environments that you don't get in the G League. I mean, you're playing in Madison Square Garden, you're playing it in Kansas. These are NBA level intensity. And I'll tell you, last year's draft was great. I mean, it's a – I didn't know Connoffa was that good. I knew Cooper Flagg was good. This draft is supposed to be legendary. Are you noticing in the last two or three years what the NIL has done, especially teams like you at the top?

Rick, I turned on Michigan, Illinois Friday. Michigan is stacked. It looks like the top 10 to 15 teams of which you're part of them are noticeably deeper than five years ago, right? That feels like that. First, the foreign influence with the NBA as well as college. So if you're a great, I coached in the Papanatonikos in the Euro League. And if you're a basketball player aspiring to go to the Euroleague because the NBA is not right in your reach as a foreign player. Right.

You rather go to college, it pays almost twice more than the Euroleague. Unless you are the first and second best player on a Euroleague team, the rest of the roster, you can go to college and get paid a lot more money. So college basketball has elevated to a level of great play right now. You look at Duke, you look at Arizona, you look at Michigan. Those are three basketball teams that I look at that can win a national championship because of their incredible talent. Then you have the Connecticut's, the Illinois and people like that that are very, very deep,

very well coached, and they can win a national. championship. So it's a lot of fun. I've never seen college basketball in the last two years this strong. I've been coaching 50 some odd years, but it would have to go back to the Kareem days, the Walton days where everybody stayed in school. Yo, I remember though. Bill Walton was arguably the best college basketball player of all time. Went to Portland, won a title with the Blazers and Jack Ramsey. The, you know, European players, the Tony Kukotera, everybody always said they're soft, they're skilled, but they're soft.

now you got, they're not. Yokic is bullying people, Lucas screaming at the officials, Janus is a physical player. What do you think led? And now you're facing European players regularly. What do you think led to, you know, and I think some of it was fair. More finesse European players, they're now very physical. What changed over there?

Well, I like European basketball players because they pass, they cut, they really understand how to play. ball movement's great i watched the game and i'm not going to say the team the other night it's the first time i said i can't watch this anymore it was a west coast team in the pros and it was just back the man in back to men in take a fade away jump shot get beat in transition and i said i can't watch any more of this there was no ball movement no player movement whatsoever and in the europeans they used to ball movement player movement yeah go to the high post this the center find the back door Cutter, set screens, pop out, the ability to shoot the three for the foreign players. On my team, I have a player from Austria, Sweden, Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal, Greece.

So the foreign influence is here to stay, but it makes the game so much better because they really understand how to play. Now, most of them defensively can't guard me, but on offense, they're great. Yeah, well, they have to play against older men. I mean, to be honest with you. So it's now, now Steve Kerr has lamented the AAU, and we've had some, you know, domestic players, John, who were gifted but haven't kind of panned out,

although this year's draft, it looks like the domestic players are crushing. Is there, you know, when Kerr bangs on AAU basketball, I mean, just look at your roster. It's full of European and global players. How is the domestic product to you right now? Well, the easiest thing to do is blame the AAU system. And I'm not one of those people that do that. I would rather blame parents than I would AAU.

I think parents today are way too involved in their children's careers as far as growing up. The parents need to just sit in the stands, enjoy the game, and let the kids develop and develop a love for the game. 20 years ago, I never dealt with parents. I'm very lucky. I've got parents that are disciplinarians. They get after their kids. but the ones that aren't hurt much more than AAU. They want to, okay, let's go to a different school next year because you can make 300,000 more.

Now, let's grind it out where you're at and play for Tomizzo and play for this person and play for this guy because he's going to make you a terrific basketball player with discipline and character. You know, Rick, it's pretty amazing. You've got players from several continents. And I'm sure with some, there can be semi-language barriers. and yet, if you watch St. John's play, defense is all about communication and effort, and your teams play defense. It's kind of fascinating to me. How do you, with sometimes language barriers, and you've got older players, younger players, this guy's from Ghana, this guy can be from Chicago.

How do you make it, how do you tie the string and make it work? Yeah, one week link kills your defense. I have a young man, Lethethas. He's Greek. I can't say his last name. I call him Lefty. And I said, lefty,

you know, they look, do me a favor. Communicate defensively. That's the key to our defense. Tell them to down it. Tell them to switch it.

Tell them, bring them my way so we can switch it. I said, just talk and communicate defensively. I don't care if you do it in Greek. Open your mouth up and talk defensively.

And that's the biggest problem I have with the European basketball players. They don't verbally communicate as much. Yeah. So we're a couple of weeks away from March Madness. The old cliche is it's guard play, and you know I meant years ago I went back

and I looked at the numbers you don't necessarily have to be playing great going into the tournament a little bit of a myth we've seen teams that cool off I remember that Florida Gator Billy Donovan team the one back to backs

they lost the game late if I recall they flew through the tournament fuzzy memory but if I recall that's what happened you tell me last night you almost lose you come back to Georgetown should I look if a guy is filling out of

bracket. To you, Guard play is essential. What is something in the tournament that guys like me don't discuss, but you're always at sneaky important? Well, the first thing you have to look at it is free throw percentage. It's always going to come down to making your free throws at the end of a game. And guard play is the second most important thing when you look at, say, Florida right now. Florida right now is a team middle of the season because of all the new players in the back court, they weren't playing great. Now they are. And you have to look at Florida as one of the favorites to repeat as national champions because

their front court is so good. And now their back court has come on. So when you look at Florida, Arizona, Michigan, and Duke and teams of that caliber, you see they have great guard play and they can make their free throws. If you have a team that doesn't make free throws, they can't win six games. Can't because it's going to come down to free throws in about 40, 50 percent of the games. You know, a lot of guys, Roy Williams, Coach K, Jay Wright, they're like, yeah, I'm done. I did it.

And you're like, no, I'm going to go to St. John's. I'm going to go play at Mattis. I think you've had like 10 or 11 games at the MSG. You have great energy still. You're smiling. You're happy. Do you think some of your ability to remain viable is the fact that you're not a, you don't, you have an interesting balance.

I don't see a lot of rigidity, but I do see you're demanding. You're demanding without rigidity. And I think it's part of your personality. I mean, it's why have you lasted this long and why do you still have great energy? Well, I think I took two years off of coaching. I didn't think I was going to get back in the game and wound up going upon it tonight, goes in Greece, and had a blast doing that. I think being adaptable is key.

I'm coaching 50 years now. I met with one of my players, Joe Sonson, the other day, and I said, listen, Joe, I may be 73, but I act like I'm 43. I've heard every story from every player. It is nothing you can tell me that I haven't heard. I said, so if you got a problem, if you want to get something off your chest, tell me. I'm going to act like a 43-year-old for you. So, you know, I think I can adjust to just about anything because you have to adjust today. You see it all the time in the game.

I've seen the game change from Bobby Knight total motion to a triangle offense that we saw Phil Jackson and the NBA. Look at everybody would copy the triangle offense. Now it's Big Men stepping away from the basket and shooting threes, playing five out. So it's all changed, but you have to change with the times because it's all different. No different than the NFL, the way the NFL game has played. He used to be running back off tackle, Jim Brown running off tackle. taking people with him. And now it's whiteouts more than anything else.

So all the sports change, the coaches that don't want to change get out. And I wasn't ready to get out because I took two years off. And my golf wasn't very good. Some of the things, going to the racetrack, I was losing too much money. So I like to keep the money in my pocket and coach basketball. Were you betting the ponies in Greece, by the way? No, no, this was in Miami. Okay.

I was going once and twice a week to Gulfstream and giving my deposit to them to keep the economy moving. Beautiful part of Florida, by the way. Rick has always an absolute pleasure. Great stuff. Good luck to St. John's. Thanks, Colin. Good speaking with you. All right.

Always entertaining. I mean, he's just got great energy. It's like you can see why he can recruit. He's got great energy. I love he's got players from Ghana overseas. He's got players from here. That's fun. J. Mack.

Got to hit your free throws. Cross the T's, dot the eyes, and hit your free throw. You know, glean any information for your tournament. Yeah, I'm going to fade his gambling ponies picks and become extremely wealthy. I will say your point about the energy, I wanted to look up his age. 73 years old. That's impressive. You know, a lot of our elected officials, they get old in the late 70s, and it's like, oh, boy, here we go.

This guy at 73, he still got it. No, St. John's not a bad team this year. No, it's not bad at all. They split with Yukon. Indeed. There you go. I got a lot of stuff. Oh, I got top of next hour.

Not messing around. Very excited for this. My mock draft. I'm fired up. I'm going to throw you a curveball at the number two picked. And it makes a lot of sense. Don't scoff. The number two,

don't believe what you're reading on these mock drafts. I'll tell you what the jets are going to do. And what they should do, that's coming up. One 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. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports Radio,

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What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how did we? How do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got it.

to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing.

That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like. After you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramed apostle chin here you do.

So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How Hard Can It Be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my job. Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive.

Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be?

I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Crimless, we're joined by our first ever guest. Sorry, our first ever human guest. I don't think I could be in the same room with Shamrock the parrot. I'd be too nervous.

That's right. The very funny Will Ferrell joins Rory Scovel and me, Josh Dean, for an episode dedicated to the many crimes committed by people also named Will Ferrell. They called to his fellow officer for the nippers. What are the nippers? Very good question. No, I was thinking, would that be a good name for like a salad dressing? Simple assault.

And it's a play on word, salt? Maybe not. I say we invest and we see. There's only one way to know. This did not amuse the cops. By the way, normally the cops are amused, but this did not abuse the cops. Will even comes clean about some of his own crimes. I didn't get caught.

You know why? If you don't want to be suspected of anything, you whistle as you walk. Listen to crime lists on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, top of next hour, I'm all fired up. I'm going to give you first 15 teams in the NFL draft in late April. I'm giving you my mock draft, which is, if I was a general manager, who would I pick based on need, function, dysfunction? We've had a trade this morning. Rams giving up four picks, including a first rounder this year and a third rounder next year for elite corner Trent McDuffie.

They've drafted so well on defense. They're not paying, they're spending most of their money on offense, not defense. So now they take a swing on the defensive side. Here is J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Listen, this month is just going to be so good, Colin.

This NFL stuff is coming fast and furious. How about this one? It sounds like Dallas Goddard's time in Philadelphia is done. I know all the hype has been around AJ Brown. Goddard had 11 touchdowns last year. Yeah. He was awesome in the red zone. They do that little shovel misdirection stuff.

and Goddard had a great year. Sounds like he's done. That, to me, is a shocker expected to hit free agency. But instantly, the Philadelphia media is saying, don't worry, they've got their eyes on. Wait for it. David Njoku, the tight end from the Cleveland Browns, who is a really good athlete, stretch the field kind of guy. I mean, listen, trading Goddard for Njoku, I don't think that's a loss at all.

Obviously. They're both good. They're both. They're not like elite in that McBride upper cross. but they're in the next tier, maybe tier three. Listen, I think that's a good move. And Joku three seasons has 15 touchdowns, 1,600 yards. Goddard has about the exact same production in that time

in terms of yards and touchdowns. So I think this would be a good trade. Now, you can't lose Goddard and not replace him. Calcutera, the backup tight end is fine, but he's no starter. Philadelphia is very interesting, Colin. It almost feels like it's so quiet now. You know, we're manufacturing this AJ Brown stuff every day. There's nothing there.

Something's going on. I don't know what it is, but I feel like Philly, we're going to hear something big here in the coming week. Well, I mean, Howie Roseman, in terms of in-league personnel, is the trade GM. There's John Snyder drafts better. Howie Roseman makes more deals, and so it wouldn't surprise me. And let me remind everybody, there was zero, zero chatter about Trent McDuffie getting traded to the Rams, and then it happened. So the stuff the media is on, maybe not. happening. The stuff that's behind the scenes, the media doesn't have that. All right, let's move

on to the next one, Colin. That's the Indianapolis Colts who we usually don't talk about a lot, but they're fascinating with this Daniel Jones situation unfolding. Sounds like they're going to transition tag him, which is interesting. Essentially, they're letting him go to market and get a deal to see if another team can offer him. Then the Colts can match that. If nobody offers him, and who's offering him coming off in Achilles? He's going to miss at least half the season. Right, because running was one of his strengths. Then nobody offers him. They just sign him for 37 mil on a one-year deal, which I think is fine.

Yeah. I think this is a huge win for the Colts. That mid-30s number for Daniel Jones is a very reasonable number. And I'm sure Jones has ticked off because he wanted some more security. But sorry, man. That's the brakes. You got injured. What can we do?

We're not giving you a multi-year deal. What if you don't come back from the Achilles? I think he's been more than fairly compensated. for his production. I thought he was very good at the beginning of last year. He's a big, strong, sturdy kid who can move. I mean, it's fine. I think that if the number's 36, 37, that's where it should be.

You can win games. That doesn't, you know, choke you out in other players. So, yeah, I like that. And if we remember a couple other quarterbacks coming off Achilles, I think Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rogers, they did not look good the year coming back. Now, they're obviously older, but Jones' mobility is a huge strength. I'm just not optimistic that he comes back strong.

It's almost more interesting. Do the Colts go after a Kyler Murray, a Tua, a big name? Or Mac Jones. Mac Jones is he may want a new deal, but I could see for a year going on Mac Jones. What are you giving up for him? Would you give up a second? I think it's more of a third. He's a backup.

You know, there's a second round pick is a gold bar. Wait, he did be, he was a starter in New England and got to the playoffs. Well, then it stunk and then he went to Jacksonville and disappeared. Also true. Now he's a backup to Brock Purdy, so I'm not giving up a lot of premium picks. If I had to give up a four and a six, I'd do that for a starting quarterback. That's not enough. Don't know, no.

Right, there was a report yesterday. There's no market for. So you get what you, I mean, I guess if I'm San Francisco, Brock Purdy's got a history of getting dinged up a little, I probably wouldn't move him. Yeah. But, you know, again, San Francisco, John Lynch is hit and miss on the draft. And so, you know, I think Mac Jones starts in this league if he has the right support system. And Indies O-line and run game are excellent. So Indy to me works. Shane Steichen, good old line, strong run game. That's where Mac Jones can flourish. And what are your outdoor games

if you're playing an indie? You got to go to Tennessee. That's not that the weather there's not that bad. I think, I honestly think Kyler Murray could cook there big time. Indoor's. Shane Steichen as an offensive coach. Like you said, you got the running back who big play guy. I think the Colts, they could turn it around next year.

Let's finish up Colin with the NBA and your boy, Kevin Durant, chirping as per usual. He loves to talk, Colin, about 20 games left before the playoffs. And Kevin Durant is now out there saying that the league has great parity. that like basically anybody can win the title this year?

And I'm curious because earlier in the show, you said like four teams can win the title. Kevin Durant's out here saying, you know, essentially it's an open, open chase for the title. Like, for instance, the Knicks defensively can't win the title. The Pistons offensively, half-court offense, can't win the title, plus they're way too young. Oklahoma City and San Antonio can both win.

it, no question. It's four. And I would say, if Denver got healthy, fine. They, so to me, the three teams that can win it, San Antonio, O KC, and Denver. Minnesota put four, Minnesota. I don't think now, if Tatum comes back to the Celtics, then they're the fifth team that can win. So you would put the Celtics over Knicks and Pistons?

Absolutely. And in the Vegas lines that the calves, it might be not this moment. I don't trust the cab. They were favored in Vegas to come out of the east. with the hardened Mitchell combo. So if you want to include those three in the East, plus Boston, you're not looking at eight teams and then let's just toss the Lakers in there too? Pistons are not a title team.

They're way too young and they have to score in the paint, which is much harder to do against good bigs defensively. And the New York Knicks, although playing well, there's, again, when you play a five, six or a seven game series and I can hunt your weakness. That's why the Lakers are a pretty good regular season team. And the Knicks are a very good regular season team. Jalen Brunson and Kat, when I can attack them, night after night. And by the way, that's where Jalen Brunson gets worn down in a series because you attack him

night after night after night. And by game four in the series, Brunson's offense can start to struggle. So I think the Knicks and the Lakers are built for now. I don't think they're built for May. Just to put it on your calendar, Lakers. at Denver, Thursday night. If the Lakers win, I'm already lobbying influential staff members to do the show in a Magic Johnson jersey, you know, trying to show off the guns, or Austin Reeves jersey, whatever you guys prefer.

Lakers, that's a huge one. The Lakers would overtake Denver in the West for the four seat. Let's see what transpires first. Is Yokic playing? Yokic is scheduled to play. Everybody's playing except Aaron Gordon, who's like the most important guy on Denver. Well, defensively he is, yes. Yeah, he's huge, yeah.

Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Eric Scoobel, the back-to-back Cy Young winner, joined us in the first hour. He was great. World Baseball Classic starts tomorrow

off the Olympic Gold for Men and Women in Hockey. Now it's World Baseball Classic Team USA. Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge. Scoobel, all there. Rick Patino, top of the hour. And, you know, we've been on. this thing that and Rick Petino talked about it. You've got these euros. You got kids from all these continents now. They can make more money due to NIL playing in the states and college basketball

than they can unless they're like the number one pick in Europe. All you have to do is turn the TV on. I did last Friday for Michigan and Illinois is like, wow. That was, those teams are good. and so and for the record one of the young stars AJ DeBonsa at BYU you listen to this quote I might not leave BYU for the 2026 draft

here he is listen to him well I might not leave what do you mean I had not leave college why not no I just got return of the season so you haven't made up mind that you're going to go into the draft after.

No, my mom wants me to graduate. Really? Yes, I'm going to leave, but I might leave. I don't know. You know, the fans might get into my head talk about, you know, one more year, maybe three more years. I don't know. But I'm going to have to touch my mom.

For the record, overwhelmingly college athletes like playing college sports. They get well fed, well supported, well marketed, well paid, well coached. Here's what you never hear. Man, I may not leave the G League. I'm not going to leave overtime elite. I'm going to stay here. Yeah, I not go to the NBA. You never hear that.

But Cooper Flagg last year is like, I'll be honest with you. I'd love to come back to Duke. And this kid could be the number one pick, probably number two. I talk to my mom, but I'd have no problem coming back. That's because college football is a great experience for football players, and college basketball is a great experience for 18 to 21, 22-year-old athletes. So the NBA is demonized it, which makes no sense. But, you know, the biggest companies in America love internships.

It's a sneak peak on talent. You can assess and develop. And that's what college basketball is for the NBA. it's a pathway to professionalism and you get great coaching and intense environments and Rick Patinos and Tom I think AJ is going to come out. He's too good to stay in college. I mean, he's one of these guys. He and Darren Peterson, you watch about three possessions and it's like, okay, all right.

Here's Jeff Goodman last week on BYU Star. Got some Paul George in his game. The big thing, like you said, is the consistency with his shot. But, man, he can go get one whenever he wants. I mean, he can absolutely just put the ball in his hands and he can get to the basket whenever he wants. And what has really impressed me, and again, seeing this kid since 15 years old back in AEU ball, his maturity.

Yeah. So again, he put it out there. I'll talk to my mom, but I'd come back to BYU. Nobody ever says that in the G League. I'm going to come back to the G League. I've had offers. I'm staying here. College basketball is a great free marketing platform

with better coaching, better environments, better training staffs, more well capitalized. I mean, how much free marketing? Zion got it Duke? Or Cooper Flag got it Duke? Pretty obvious. It's good for the game. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd

weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHard Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the

lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it. it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a parameda Pazel chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast.

How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45.

How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to. to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Crimeless, we're joined by our first ever guest.

Sorry, our first ever human guest. I don't think I could be in the same room with Shamrock the parrot. I'd be too nervous. That's right. The very funny Will Ferrell joins Rory Scovel and me, Josh Dean, for an episode dedicated to the many crimes committed by people also named Will Ferrell. They called to his fellow officer for the nippers. What are the nippers?

Very good question. No, I was thinking, would that be a good name for like a salad dressing? Simple assault. And it's a play on word, salt? Maybe not. I say we invest and we see. There's only one way to know. This did not amuse the cops.

By the way, normally the cops are amused, but this did not abuse the cops. Will even comes clean about some of his own crimes. I didn't get caught. You know why? If you don't want to be suspected of anything, you whistle as you walk. Listen to crime lists on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

For a weekend where IndyCar and NASCAR go back to back on one track. IndyCar on Saturday, NASCAR on Sunday. From Phoenix Raceway, it's the Desert Double on Fox and FS1. So baseball and football, hockey have salary caps, right, to make everybody a little more even. Yet the NBA doesn't have, in my opinion, the same sort of parody. that Major League Baseball has. Major League Baseball has no salary cap, and yet the small market brewers can go six and oh in the regular season against the Dodgers.

The Reds can make the playoffs. The Guardians made the playoffs. The Mariners were outstanding. Team in Canada doing well. And yet this morning, the bottom 10 NBA teams are on a collective 40-game losing streak. 40-game losing streak. So basketball, hey, we're not going to allow tanking.

We're going to have a salary cap. We're going to have this new punitive CBA so you can't form super teams. It's not working. The bottom of your league is unwatchable. The bottom 10 teams in the NBA are on a 40-game losing streak. I mean, the bottom team in baseball, whatever that team is, the A's are obviously. moving so you can kind of take them out for a year. But you know, you start looking around these middle, medium-sized markets and smaller markets, they're making the playoffs. I mean,

Pittsburgh's got the second best pitcher in baseball, Skeens, little old Pittsburgh. So it's just, you know, there's all this worry about Major League Baseball and the Dodgers are pulling away. And as I said, had they lost game seven to the Blue Jays, had they lost it, there wouldn't be this outcry because they signed Kyle Tucker who the Cubs could not get rid of fast enough and is probably the Dodgers' seventh best player, maybe eighth. So a lot of it's just fearmongering, but the NBA is just terrified of tanking and the lottery and the ping pong balls. The bottom of their league is unwatchable.

It's awful. Meanwhile, Rick Bettino came on and listen, I am pro-N-I-L and pro-transfer portal, but that doesn't mean it's without flaws. I mean, I love the NFL. There are things about it I don't like. I don't think, you know, I think the Pro Bowl is unwatchable. I think the preseason's mostly garbage. I'd have more inter-squad games.

I don't think they should expand the schedule. And I wish they could get the catch rule right more often. I still confused by it. But college basketball in the NIL, the truth is Rick Bettina was on 30 minutes ago. It has completely fortified. college basketball because they're pulling the best euros over now. Unless you are the first and second best player on the Eurolead team, the rest of the roster, you could go to college and get paid a lot more money.

So college basketball has elevated to a level of great play. It's a lot of fun. I've never seen college basketball in the last two years this strong. I've been coaching 50 some odd years, but it would have to go back to the Kareem days, the Walton days where everybody stayed in school. And another interesting guest today was Tariq Scouble, who's a back-to-back Cy Young winner with Detroit. So Detroit's made the playoffs as a wildcard team. So again, another not giant market.

There's all this fear in the NBA about teams tanking in the bottom of the league, but the bottom of the league is unwatchable. Yet the Mariners, the Brewers, the Reds, the Tigers, you know, playoff teams, Milwaukee. But it's been interesting as you. hear, labor shortage, labor stoppage is happening in baseball. Yet every time you ask a non-Dodger about if they're hurting baseball, Bryce Harper says of the Phillies, I love what they're doing. Manny Machado was briefly a Dodger, now a Padre. Padre's number one rival is the Dodgers.

He says, I think it's great for baseball. And Tarek Scouble of the wildcard Tigers. comes on. And he thinks the current state of baseball is the best he's ever seen. Our game is in a really good spot. It's healthy. I think the World Series, this last World Series was as good of a World Series as any series. The playoffs in general, the fans are showing us that it's great. Ratings are up. Attendance is up. Everything's there. So I'm not quite sure the frustration is warranted from certain fans. The way the game is right now, it's beautiful. It's beautiful in every aspect, you know, starting pitching,

bullpen work, defense, lineups, all that type of stuff. And the other thing to remember is whereas the NBA is very concerned about dynasties, and Major League Baseball, you hear many decry the dominance of the Dodgers, yet the most popular sport in America's football and the Patriots had two 10-year dynasties and the Chiefs had a six-year dynasty and it didn't hurt the ratings at all. People want great.

You go to a restaurant with your wife, husband, you're ordering the best bottle of wine and you're looking for your favorite thing on the menu. You don't have to love everything on the menu. You don't have to love two bottles of wine other than the one you order. people want to see stars. Dodgers lead baseball and road attendants.

Yankees Cubs are up there. People want quality. What kills leagues is the NBA's bottom 10 teams or the Marlins or the White Sox. That's what hurts baseball. Never hurts to have a dynasty. Never hurts to have dominant teams at the top. So I don't know the solution for the NBA. They've got several regular season problems.

But when you hear these baseball players, they all say, exact same thing and the Dodgers are often a rival. It's great for the sport. Now, I know what you're thinking. Well, of course, stars want to get paid. It's a competitive market. Cubs were good last year. They added elements and players. They'll be better this year. Astros will be better. Yankees should be better. Mets have to be better. Podrays could be better. Dodgers, will they be as good? I'm not sure. Blue Jays, I'm not sure. So coming up next hour at the top, my mock draft. We have had one NFL trade of note. Free agency is a week away, but everybody's already getting their players in order. The Rams went out. They have drafted so well defensively that they're

an excellent top five defense and yet don't really pay anybody. Now they will. They gave up a first, a fifth, a sixth, and a third next year to get Trent McDuffie an excellent corner. And I think as Jay Mack said this earlier, what it signals is the chiefs are in a very competitive rebuild. It's not a classic rebuild, but I think it's reasonable to say the Chiefs do not feel, despite Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes,

and Chris Jones and Travis Kelsey, the Chiefs do not feel like a Super Bowl team. With Andy Reed and Mahomes. And I think giving up Trent McDuffie, on any Sunday, the best player the Chiefs have, they've done this before, they don't value corners like a lot of other teams. Rams, by the way, got rid of Jalen Ramsey.

Rams generally don't draft corners in the first couple of rounds. They don't. So this is a little course correction by the Rams who look at themselves and say, guys, special teams, we need a better punt returner. We've got the punter. We don't have a punt returner. And we've also got to upgrade it corner and the Rams did it. So it tells you that the Rams still have a first, a second, a third, and I think a fifth

and a couple of sevenths. They're going to get a tackle. they're going to get a receiver, they're going to get a safety and maybe another corner. But it tells you the Rams are going for it. And it kind of tells me that the Chiefs realize they may not be in a Super Bowl bubble. They're not going to announce it or proclaim it or market it. I mean, Patrick Mahomes tweet when it came down, he knew he was losing, arguably his best teammate. His tweet, one word, damn.

So, and you totally understand why the Rams did this. go look at what JSN did to the Rams. I think the last time he played, J.S.N. had over 150 yards. They just couldn't do anything. So it is, I think, you know, the Chicago Bears are a great example. This league moves quickly.

Yesterday, the Bears all-pro center, Drew Dolman, retires at 27. It's like, what? What? So that's why I think the Bears should go out and give up their first round pick for Max Crosby, who was a game alter. game deciding edge rusher with Montez Sweat on the interior, and there you go.

You're a Super Bowl team, at least in a small group of Super Bowl bubble teams. So before the trade for Trent McDuffie, the Rams were tied with Seattle for best odds to win a Super Bowl. As of this minute, the L.A. Rams are now by themselves as the Super Bowl favorite. So Trent McDuffie solving their number one issue, and they don't have a lot in Los Angeles. They've got one. Corner is a major problem, and they've got to clean up their special teams. But the Rams now are favored to win the Super Bowl. Which, J. Mack, you mentioned about 30 minutes ago, like they...

They have to be. Seattle's the only roster that doesn't have a hole. Philadelphia, there's an argument. But Seattle... Seattle lost a lot, Colin. The O.C. is gone. Kenneth Walker is going to be gone. Those are two big losses. I don't know how they're going to react. Rams lost like nothing. Did they?

I mean, I know LaFleur, who used to work there is now in Arizona. But they got Cliff Kingsbury at it. I think the Rams are head and shoulders above anyone else in the NFC. I don't know. Are the Bears two or Seattle to? I would say Rams, Seattle, Chicago. Yeah, those are a pretty clear top. Maybe Packers cracked that. I know you're down on the Eagles.

I'm just looking at the Chief Secondary, okay? Colin, this is not a good secondary. They were 13th in pressure rate. Kansas City is not a good football team right now, period. That's a fact. Yeah, that's fair. I don't think that's a sizzling take. I think they're getting old in key spots and too young and other spots.

Hey, guys, it's us and the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own. podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkey, his best friend and business. manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our

favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come until he's like, you know, I love you, dog.

You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You think you're in control until you realize you're not. As they're having this gun battle, thousands of feet up in the air, many of the bullets start to puncture the aircraft. I thought we were going to die then.

The Knife is a podcast about the moment ordinary lives take an unexpected turn. Real people, real stories, and the split second that changes everything. New episodes drop every Thursday on the Exactly Right Network and the IHeart Podcast Network. Listen to the Knife on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your. podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.