The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - The future of the NBA

Episode Date: June 14, 2023

Some things in sports are complicated Calling discusses Nikola Jokic, the future of the NBA, player mobility and international players with Shaun LivingstonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day

and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars 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 tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every 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 L.A. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be. However, you may be listening. Tom Verducci, baseball guy last hour. Watch the Mets Yankees last night and some Stanley Cup. Dude, I'm out there grinding. You're playing chess with your son. I'm out there watching Stanley Cup hockey and the Yankees and the Mets, baby.

I'm ashamed to admit this. My son's gotten so good. He's playing all day. playing his first tournament over the weekend. He's like, Dad, I'll play you without my knights. And he beat me. I need to start playing more power. I'm embarrassed. I was smoking him for the last year. And now he's destroying me.

Very humbling experience. Be like if your son beat you in takes. In takes. Yeah, just his opinions were coming in fighting. He's like, wow. My son's, by the way, my son has good takes. Sports or food or? No, just life.

Life. He's got good life takes. Give me a kernel of wisdom. I mean, I spent a week with him in Iceland, and we just talk about everything. We talked about food and culture and politics. I mean, my son's 17. I could talk to him for two hours. He's just got a million things in his head.

You know, sometimes I offer a suggestion about that's not, he can be a little idealistic. Oh. Sometimes I'm like I'd be more realistic. That's not how life works. Like business is hard and messy. I was talking to somebody about this yesterday about the PGA and the live merger. And I said, it's really cute that the media. is idealistic. They've never owned businesses.

Business gets messy and it's complicated. And you do things because that pays the bill. It's very easy to write your column and you get your salary and you never have to make a personnel decision and you never have a messy. You just write your three columns and that and I see a lot of that with the media. It's just, oh, it just, this is the way to, remember when Dana White went out there with the UFC? Dana White got crap from the media.

He went and rented an island. That's what a businessman does. He's like, I've got to fight. And Dana White, more than any commissioner, said, no, I don't care about the hate. I've seen this with people in my space who own their own business. You can't sit and worry about the perfect way to do things. There is no perfect business. And that's where I think, like my son sometimes, he's young.

And I'd rather have him be idealistic at 17 than too pragmatic. So he tends to be a little idealistic. But we, and I say to them often, that's ideally how the world would work, but some people just work harder than others and sacrifice more and some people make more. And they'll pay more in taxes. You know, they'll pay a lot of taxes. But, okay, I'm not a tax. I'm not a tax. See, if I pay more, it's fine.

It means I made more. Yeah. But no, I can have, he has good takes. My son is very good takes. We're close to that, but we're not quite there with 10 and 12 year olds. Not quite there yet. But he did say you can have all play without my kings. He hammered you.

No, no. His knights. his night. Knights. Yeah, yeah. Kings Knights, whatever. Yeah, you're on the Vegas Knights track. Sorry. We're not watching NHL Stanley Cup in our house. No, no. It's board games. You know, stuff to, you know, family type stuff. Yeah, boring stuff. So, yesterday Nick Wright came on and he made a point, which I agree with, and I think it's right, that one game and one moment or one series

can change your legacy. Now, we know this in UFC or boxing. years ago, the biggest most dramatic fight I've ever seen in my life. I didn't see it live. I saw it on tape was the great Muhammad Ali against George Foreman. They fought in Zaire. And Ali employed a strategy that nobody had ever seen. Foreman was a big Mike Tyson level knockout guy. And Ali went against the ropes.

They called it rope-a-dope. And he just took punches from Foreman. And Foreman tired himself out. And Ali knocked him. out. It was called roper dope. It would have been called what a dope if Ollie didn't get the knockout. The strategy would have been seen as

insane and foolish because Ollie was so gifted. But it's roper dope not what a dope because he got the knockout. And that's the truth. We know in swimming, nobody cares about silver. In UFC, nobody cares who almost won the fight. But in team sports, sports, we struggle with this, that like Yokic is viewed differently now because of like that final and hammering AD shrinking LeBron James. And Nick Wright talked about this. 24 hours ago, Nikola Yokic was not an all-time great. Now he is undeniably. That's how it works

in this league. And those of us that said, we know. need to see him do it over two months in the playoffs because James Hardens have existed in the NBA forever. Guys who are unbelievable in the regular season and then come the postseason either can't last or go backwards or the moment gets to him. I needed to see it. I need a ring. I need a trophy. I need an exclamation point. You get players like Dan Marino and Barclay who are so notable and gifted and dynamic, it's understood they're an all-time great with or without a title. But they would have been even greater with a title.

But the sentences in sports need an exclamation point. We know it in swimming, boxing, UFC. But it's the same. If Patrick Mahomes wasn't winning these Super Bowls, Peyton Manning struggled early in big games. The legend grew when he won one in Indy and then one in Denver. It's different. The NBA is in such a rise.

to replace LeBron James. They've been trying it with multiple players. Sometimes they've paid hundreds of millions to Luca who can't get along with a teammate, John Morant who can't figure out life, and Zion who barely plays. They've got their LeBron, although he's fractionally not close to what LeBron is achieved. He's a second rounder, not very verbal, really into elevating teammates, like Magic, Bill Russell and LeBron, and that's his secret sauce, not just him but others. But yes, it does matter. Like winning the silver, losing the close fight is understood in individual sports. But it matters in team sports.

Yes, of course, I view right now this morning, Yokic differently. I knew he was an MVP, but you gave Harden one. You gave Westbrook one. MVP is one thing. It's become most interesting player. It's not really an MVP award. I mean, like the NBA, the coach of the year gets fired. two years later, like bank on it.

So I think it's okay. I think Nick Wright was right on that. Like you needed to watch this playoff run in that final where he shrinks A.D. He shrinks Jimmy Butler. He takes stars out of the game and you go, okay, it's in the moment. I said this about Denver all year. I don't know. What are they?

I don't know if I trust them. I saw the early 2000 Kings. I saw the Steve Nash sons. I saw the K.D. Westbrook Thunder. I didn't anoint them. the NBA is so quick to anoint everybody the next blank, and they do it way too fast. I needed this from Yokic. If they go to the finals and Yokic is awful, I don't think about him today the same way.

Because he doesn't have Dan Marino's natural gifts. He's a second round player. He's evolved over time into a wildly productive guy. He's not jumping over people. He's not Shaq. I remember one time I was with Jerry Tark. Caircanian, the late Jerry Tarkanian, and we were at the Shark Club. He put his name on a club to get a percentage of it.

He didn't known it. And we were sitting there having a beer one time. It was the off season. And I asked him, like, who's the next great player? And Shaq was like a freshman at LSU. I think he was a freshman. He's like, Dale Brown's got a guy named Shaq. He's the greatest center in the history of the world.

I didn't even watch Yokic for two years. Nobody did outside of Denver. So he's a slow growth story. but the league tends to be in a hurry to anoint the next player, and it usually takes a while. LeBron's rare. We knew it 15. That's not the way.

I remember when Magic Johnson came into the league, and people were like, he can't shoot. He can't shoot a jumper. I remember reading in Sports Illustrated when Larry Bird came out. I don't know if I trust them in big spots. Indiana State, sometimes he, I remember reading the article. So it's like, Yokic is like that times four. Like second round, doesn't talk.

abroad. There you go. J-MAC, we're going to bring Sean Livingston on, the former Warrior front office guy, 14 years, 9 teams. All right, we'll take a break and get them after the break. There we go. All right, Sean Livingston, joining us. Tom Verducci, some baseball as well. 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. Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine,

Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough, Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way.

Open your free, our heart radio app. the hard way and listen now. A three-time champ. Decade in the league, 15 years in the league exactly, with nine teams, 14 actually. Steve Kerr and Eric Spolstra, Adam, his coaches. Sean Livingston, the three-time champ is joining us.

So, when did you know, because you were in the front office with the Warriors, when did you know and Bob Myers know you're watching Yokic and you're like, all right, this is something. This guy is a handful. was it year because I remember year one the numbers are small year two like when did you guys know in the front office of the warriors whoa this is a this is a tough matchup yeah I think going back to my playing years my last year uh 2018 2018 2019 you could see the growth uh this guy's coming he's a low down low and he's unselfish by nature and that's a really dangerous combination because you can really play off of him.

You can play off of him at the high post, the low post. I mean, he's just such a dangerous weapon. And so I got a chance to see that early on as a player. And then obviously he got better and better in the bubble series, you know, going back to 1920. You know, it just continued just to get better and better throughout the playoffs as stars do. You know, we're seeing something now.

You were a mature NBA player. you obviously the Warriors have always been a team where high IQ guys, Steph and Wiggins and Draymond. This is a catch and react offense. That's why it's hard for young players. And I watched Zion and I watch John Morant and some of their missteps. And I think to myself, the basketball culture worries me. In football, there's no AAU, hard high school coach, hard college coach, college for four years.

They're not only building a football player, they're building a man. Half the league is undrafted. A lot of the players come in married or quickly get married. The careers are shorter. Do you worry that the basketball culture is getting kids into the league, Sean, really fast, putting unbelievable run the franchise pressure on them? And like all of us at 1819, it's just too much. Well, somebody that came in the NBA as an 18-year-old, I think I have a unique perspective on that.

And it's a lot. It is. You know, there's a lot of responsibility. There's a lot of people, you know, a lot of new people, a lot of new faces. Yeah. The travel, you know, the season. You know, it is a lot for, you know, any rookie to handle, even going through four years, you know, I've seen rookies, you know, come out and struggle with the adjustments needed, you know, to be a professional. So, yes, to answer your question, it is a lot for any 18 and 19 years. but at the same time, you know, this is where the trends are going. You look at all the other sports, you know, athletes are able to declare and, you know, monetize their talents early. You see what college is now doing in order to combat that and try to compete a little bit with NIL.

And, you know, the NBA as well. I think you'll see, you know, kids continue to come out at an early age, whether it's one year, whether it's going through the G League overseas. just different portals and outlets to get to the NBA because I think ultimately that's the destination for the top-tier athletes. Sean, it's interesting. Janice, Yokic, Victor Wembenyama.

I've said before, the international players often play against men when they're 16. When they come to the states, it is interesting. I just went to Iceland with my son, and I told my son, whenever I go to a foreign country, I feel like I'm more polite, I tip better, I'm a visitor.

And sometimes international players come here. They're loyal. They're loyal to Denver. They're loyal to Milwaukee. They're like, hey, I'm not from here. I'm a visitor. And there is something about international players. They feel very mature.

I sense that as a viewer. I mean, maybe I'm wrong on this. But do you see it the international player? It's kind of a different sensibility when they come to the states and play. It definitely is. That's a good point. And, you know, as a player that's had international teammates throughout my career, there was definitely a unique perspective that they had. You know, just, you know,

in the terms of their careers, their responsibilities that they had to carry at such a young age, some of these guys been playing pro since 13, 14 years old. I mean, that's, that's a, you know, that's just a different set of circumstances that, you know, kids over here are, you know, they're still in school, they're still being a kid. So I think there's a bigger, hill to climb in terms of adapting, you know, to the league over here, you know, especially for young players in the U.S. I think overseas, I think they have an advantage, you know, playing against, you know, playing against adults, playing against older competition. Yeah. And then you look at them, and they've been playing already for four or five years pro and they come over here. You know,

they kind of have a leg up. Yeah. So there's a lot of stuff. The NBA, we have a draft in a week, Victor Wembenyamo will come into the league. We've got already rumors today on Zion and Bradley Beal and everybody's moving. I made this point that if you take LeBron out, people say, well, you know, mobility, you know, LeBron bounces around and wins. And I said, okay, that's LeBron. The Warriors won pre-KD, during KD, post-KD, okay? The truth is it's like saying, I don't have to go to college because Steve Jobs didn't.

Yeah, there's one Steve Jobs. I'm not it. So the one thing I think this league, it's underrated. Russell, MJ, Bird, Magic, Staff, Duncan, Akeem, staying with your team. And the Warriors are going through a transition. And they've said, we're keeping our guys. We're keeping Clay. We're keeping Steph.

We're keeping Drima. We're keeping our core. You tell me, and I think the advantage of that, Sean, is you can work through struggles. You're like a family. You've been through arguments. Like you're not like you're not Honeymooners like you're not right like you've been through bad moments You tell me you were on

Nine teams The value Of being patient The downside the mobility Because I watch all these LeBron arguments And I'm like he's one-on-one The dynasties all come from like patience That's right

And he also brings a different set of circumstances You know just with his brain his name, you know, there's added pressure, wherever he goes, you know, media scrutiny. But you just don't see it in today's age, players, you know, staying with their teams, keeping a team together. The collective bargaining agreement, you know, continues to change. So teams have to continue to change, continue to adapt with the rules. But you look at a team like the Spurs, what they were able to accomplish,

keeping those three guys together and Duncan, Genoblee, and Parker. I mean, it's, you know, it's an incredible feat. It's very hard to do. I think it takes humility. You know, there is something about a life cycle of a team, I believe, within five to six years.

You know, it kind of starts to, you know, some of those things start to erode. You see some of the same faces, which is great, but it takes personalities to mesh. You know, so there's pros, cons to it, but I mean, you look at what the warriors have been able to accomplish. You look at those three guys, starting with Steph. He has the personality, you know, to create that type of environment where, you know, he can stay on a team for 20 years because, you know, he's an even better human

being than he is a basketball player. And, you know, teammates will want to play with them. And Golden State's a great place to play in a great market where they can attract some free agents as well. By the way, you committed to Duke then went high school to the pros. most of these guys either go one year or, or, you know, the NBA would prefer their scouts. Don't hang out at high school games. They don't want to eat that nonsense. But it is, do you remember your first year as a pro? What was, give me the single thing where you were like overwhelmed?

Oh, I think seeing Shaq for the first time in person. It was like, human beings shouldn't be this big. That for me was, you know, that was, you know, that was, you know, mind-boggling. But I think, you know, my first welcome to the NBA moment was guarding Joe Johnson. And I told this story before, you know, it was a preseason game in the middle October. And, you know, I was matched up against Joe Johnson. I had never heard of him before. This was kind of my first preseason NBA game.

And I was just shocked as far as like, why haven't I heard of this guy, you know? And it was before he had, you know, signed on to Atlanta, signed on to, you know, to Brooklyn and become a superstar and 10-time All-Star. But, you know, it showed me that there was, you know, valuable players and roses throughout the NBA, throughout NBA rosters. By the way, the Joe Johnson's and Jeff Greens, they got buckets on a lot of people, Sean. I watched Jeff Green getting buckets in the finals. I'm like, that guy's been 15 years in this league getting buckets on people, man. you play Bruce Bowen was a great defensive player in the NBA he could get buckets a lot of these guys decide to become like defensive stoppers because that's the only way they can make the league

Joe Johnson scored on everybody yes he did yes he did and uh you know he he didn't discriminate either big or small you know I had a chance I had a chance to play with them and I still remember uh you know coming out of time out in Toronto and the playoffs it was game seven and I was like, man, what's the play? He said, man, give me the ball and get the hell out the way. I was like, that's the play. That's the play. That's the play.

Sean Livingston, three-time chance. Great seeing you. Look good as always. Good stuff. Appreciate it and good luck going forward. Absolutely. Thanks for having it. You bet.

Sean Livingston. Yeah, I talked to Bruce Bowen once about that. He said, I could score in the NBA, but I knew to make the Spurs. I wanted to be with a great coach and a great roster and a great team and a great culture. I don't play defense. He's like, but all the whole. these guys that play defense in the NBA, you go back and look at the time we're on our test. Ron our test could score.

Just to be on a great team, we're going to give Kobe the ball. But it's the, the quality thing about this, as good as the NFL is, seven rounds, and you can find Brock Purdy in the final round. If you go, I was talking about this the other day with Alex, the back. I said, we should go last 20 years in the NBA. because unlike football, basketball is a global game, how hard it is to make the NBA. If you went the last 20 drafts, on average, how many impactful players per draft? In fact, you could say the last 10 because it's become more global over the last 10. So as the sports become more global, do you get seven impactful players?

Now, Marcus Smart's impactful. You don't have to be a great score. Like Marcus Smart's a very impactful player. It's not just Draymond Greens. wildly impactful. It's not a great score. But how many impactful play a guy that can help you in a playoff series? Because that's what it's about per draft. I mean, it's the numbers much smaller than you would think. I mean, let's be honest. We got two rounds. And it's rare to find a great, I mean, it's rare to find a really good second round. I'm sorry. Can you define impactful? Because I will

give you this name. 2017 draft. First round, the last player drafted, Josh Hart from Villano. Would you quantify him as impactful or not? No. Is he winning a playoff series? Is he a key? He's integral to the New York Knicks and basically every team he's on. He's a rotational player. He's a good player, good player.

Okay, so what's impactful? Not all-star. Marcus Smart, average is 11.5 a game, but is viewed largely as the soul of the franchise. That's a very impactful. Draymond Green, seven and a half a game. Incredibly impactful. Impactful means we're not the same franchise without him. Okay.

The Warriors, the Celtics are not the same franchise, at least in the previous five years without Marcus Smart. It's not points. A lot of guys, Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota was not that impactful. I know, but if you're a numbers guy. But in Golden State he is. If you're a numbers guy, like impactful is kind of thing. Impactful means, are you the same? The Warriors do not win the title last year without Andrew Wiggins.

He was really impactful. He scored more in Minnesota. He wasn't impactful. Give me the impactful players on the Denver Nuggets that just won the title. Yokich, Gordon, Murray. Everybody else is replaceable. It's funny. You say that because the two guys they added most recently,

well, KCP was kind of recent, and Porter, I guess, not as recent. But those two guys had their moments. Had their moments. Impactful. Gordon literally wore down Jimmy Butler. Yokich was the best player, and the best player slash playmaker was Jamal Murray.

Okay. Those are impact. Now, Michael Porter's got. good talent. Michael Port couldn't hit the side of a He had a rough, but in the deciding game, 16 and 13. He had a couple nice buckets. Impactful is to how many guys per draft are impactful? And your numbers, what?

You said about seven? I'm guessing. I haven't looked. Maybe it's 10. It's a good exercise. But it is. Go back to the- I'm into that.

I don't know if the audience would care. The last 10 drafts has the sports gotten really, really global. It's just, and I'm talking like, if you look at the Knicks, Jalen Brunson is impactful. Julius Randall is impactful. How many guys are really... I don't have another impactful player. They've got talented players. How many are impactful on wins?

Eh. I mean... Okay, 2015 draft. Carl Anthony Towns... Impactful. No, in Talented. What? Talented.

Okay. Give me the guys... This is the problem with the word impactful. Carl Anthony Towns... Carl Anthony Towns... I think he's been all NBA once. I think. I mean, we could double check that.

But I'll give you that, but you tell you. Tell me a playoff series. He is. I don't know if he's. They're trying to get rid of him. They went and got another center. They're trying to get rid of him. How impactful has he been?

Andrew Wiggins was not impactful in Minnesota. He was talented. He's impactful with the Warriors. So Carl Anthony Towns, I'm told, two-time all-N-B-A guy. Okay, so I'll give you impactful. Who's the other guy in that draft? In that draft. Well, hi.

Porzengis, no. Miles Turner, no. Devin Booker, impactful. So that's two. Yes, yes. Terry Rozier had some moments. No, okay. Two.

That's in the first round. That's it. Oh, Kevin Looney. It's borderline, probably not. So people, Kevin Lutie, is it made me a back from a Carl Anthony Towns is not. No, I'll give you Carl Anthony Towns. All right. I didn't talk into it.

Montrez Harold. No. Had his moments. He was like the number two guy. Okay. So in this draft, clearly there are not set. Norman Powell. Norman Powell.

No, but. he, no, he's, again, he's a rotational guy. Bro, that's it. I'm not saying, draft was trash. Oh my gosh. No, I'm not saying Josh Hart can't play. Yeah, but impactful.

In the NFL, every draft has 30 impactful players. Minimum, maybe 60. Seven rounds. There's like 260 guys. But I'm saying, and that's just the domestic league. So my point is basketball is recruiting from the world. And you get in one draft two impactful players. Also, there's like how many roster spots are the NBA?

Like 14? Well, that's part of it. It's really tough. Yeah. But two in a draft. So you could say, well, the NFL rosters are bigger. Yes, they're four times bigger. Two impactful players in a draft?

I mean, a guy, like Jimmer Fredet was a legendary college basketball player. He did not have an impact. He has less impact on this show than that chair. Stop. He's a nice guy. I had him on my podcast. Nice guy. Then he goes overseas.

He scores like 70 points dominant in internationally. Now he's on the three-on-three USA team. with Fran Fraschilla as a coach and a good guy. And they're dominating. Like, he's a great, great basketball player. He just can't really make it in the NBA. That's right. There's nothing wrong with that. But my point is,

think about that. That's why I don't get too worked up on the draft. Victor Weniam is going to be impactful. My guess is Scooter, Scooter, Scoot Henderson's going to be impactful. Brandon Miller. Barnes from Alabama. But go look at all the rookies this year.

One guy felt really impactful. The kid in Orlando. Paolo Bencaro. He felt very impactful. That's like, whoa, that's a different team. That guy's on the floor. Your eyes go right to. Walker Kessler in Utah?

No, no, no. He was. Very, very good. He's impactful. Chet Holmgren played zero game, so no. So, too. Kegan Murray, integral to the games. Come on, he was starting to become very.

Ben Matherin in Indiana. I know they didn't win a lot, but he is very, he's a good player. He's a starter. Very close to being impactful. So we got three and a half. Yeah, not a ton. One of the Williams kids, Jalen Williams. at OKC.

They made the play-in. Interesting player. Christian Brown in the rotation for the Nugs? I wouldn't say impactful. He had a couple of nice moments. He also bricked two free throws in Game 5. Now we're getting great.

I was ready to trade him, by the way. I love this. Okay, so that's basically it. So I'm seeing impactful. And again, the argument is, well, the NFL rosters are bigger. Duh. They're four times bigger. But the NFL's got 30 times more impactful

players. Here's what's cool about the NBA. In the Heat Celtic series, the second most impactful player on the Miami Heat was not even drafted. The Martin kid, Caleb Martin, who was unbelievable, nearly one series MVP in the East. Butler Bam and Caleb Martin were highly impactful. Nobody else was. But then Caleb Martin vanished in the finals. Ten points again. But he was a very impactful player for them in the playoffs. And that's weird with impactful. You just said Caleb Martin was impactful and Carl Anthony Towns. All these guys are talented. Josh Hart's really talented. Jalen, Brunson, and Randall are impactful players. If they both play well, if you went back to look at Knicks, on the nights they both played well, they probably won 75% of those games.

Cam Reddish could have the night of his life. If Brunson and Randall don't play well, they get beat by 12. We'll wrap on this. Zach Levine, impactful or no? He's really talented. But I've said this before. I've said this before. Not a winning player. He's a talented player. It'll be Andrew Wiggins. Now, now, now. somewhere and be a number three because he ain't a one go somewhere, be a two or three, and then you can be, oh, Andrew Wiggins. Okay. That was Aaron Gordon in Orlando, not impactful.

Wildly impactful in Denver. Like, I mean, literally, he was Wiggins of last year. You're like, they don't, yeah. I mean, he was leaning on Jimmy Butler. I felt like he took him out of the series in the end of it. Yeah. All right. Oh, interesting.

I love those. I'm sorry. I just love just talking about sports and players and teams and building. Like that's, I know it's nerding out a little bit. I like that NFL NBA. It's frigging fun. It is. 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. Hey, this is Tom Verducci from Fox Sports, MLB Network, and Sports Illustrated. And I'm Joe Madden, and we're going to be around to talk a little bit about managerial decisions. And what may have occurred to the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. It's the Book of Joe podcast. I can't wait for this, Joe. We're going to dive into what goes on in the dugout and behind the scenes in Major League

Baseball. Cars, whined, whatever else we want to talk about. Yeah, well, there are no boundaries, right? Listen to the Book of Joe podcast on the Iheart radio app, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast. Podcasts 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. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing an over. over a decade of my own experience in the middle health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross.

Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Roman Raines returns to Smackdown and the future of the bloodline hangs in the balance. Is J Uso in or is Paul? Heyman out. Plus a tag team gawk match to determine the number one contenders for the tag team

titles and all new Friday night Smackdown. Live at 8, 7 Central on Fox. All right, that's not waste any time. Jay Mack with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Dalvin Cook has not been signed since the Vikings unceremoniously dumped him last week. Cook went on the Rich Eisen Show to discuss what he's looking for in his next team. I want somebody that volume Dobbin Cook. I want somebody that that won't me to be there and want to give me the ball. I just want to go into the right

situation so I can just go help somebody win. Like the money don't come or whatever it comes. No, you play good, but they're going to pay you. That's what comes with it. But I just want to go somewhere and feel like it's home for me. Go somewhere and help somebody win and just go beat me. What do you make of it? The whole DeAndre

Hopkins thing. Nobody's beating down his door. DeAndre Hopkins has to go on visits. Dalvin Cook. Like, where are the offers? Do you? think Carolina is the place. They've got a rookie quarterback. They let go a DJ Moore. They're not paying anybody on offense. They just drafted a left tackle last year. They're not paying anybody on offense.

Like, go pay for a running back. Take the heat off Bryce Young. I said Jaguars last week. Trevor Lawrence, Travis E.N., Dalvin Cook. They're starting to pay people, though. They went and paid. They did a huge free agent spending spree a year ago. Like, who's

Carolina paying on offense? Like, nobody. Trevor Lawrence still on his rookie deal? Well, I know, but they spent $235 million on Christian Kirk was one of the guys they paid. They went and got Evan Ingram. They paid a lot of money for a lot of players. Carolina's defense makes money front seven. They don't pay anybody on. I don't have it in front of me, but they don't pay.

McCaffrey's gone. DJ Moore's gone. They're a couple best offense. One of their offensive line, I think they have a, I think they pay one of their tackles. What's the selling point if you're Carolina? Hey, we're the third best team in the division now. Maybe we are the second. Offensive coach, build the offense around you, get you paid.

All right, Jags. We're the best team in the division. We could have the best record in the AFC. We won't want to play off game. We push the Chiefs. Come help us, bro. Yeah. You're about the seventh most important guy on the team.

Do you want to win? Or do you want to just, like, make more money? If Dalvin Cook goes to Carolina and is a 1,4008 touchdown running back, he's going to get paid. $1,400? Well, I mean, they don't have DJ Moore. And they have a rookie quarterback. So they're going to run the football. Like, Carolina makes a ton of sense to me.

He's a good player. Good player. He's so good, how has he not been signed yet? Well, they're paying Kirk Cousins a lot of money. They're paying... No, no, I mean by 29 other teams. Well, we don't know if teams aren't kind of interested. Nobody wants to pay running back's huge money.

The Giants want Seekuan Barclay. They just, they've offered him, and they don't want to pay him what he wants. Would you take Dalvin Cook or at half the price, whatever that number is, 10 million, like Kareem Hunt or Ezekiel Elliott? I would take Dalvin Cook. I'd pay more for him. Oh. I think he's a really good player.

I don't know. You don't think he's a top five back? Totally overlooked. Probably not. Sequin, Christian McCaffrey, name the best running backs in the league. There's not a... Tony Pollard.

Breeze Hall. Nick Chubb? Nick Chubb is certainly excellent. Derek Henry is phenomenal. Josh Jacobs might have been the best running back in the league. So it's like Dalvin Cook's around that. Fringe top five. Top five, six-ish?

So you think there would be people beating down his door? Well, there is a running back. It's a, you know, safety, linebackers, running backs. People are reluctant to go big on that. Mama, don't let your kids grow up to be running backs. Well, it will turn a little bit. You can't tell me. Cyclical, yeah.

Outside of Mahomes, even good quarterbacks, Dean Running back. Centers in the NBA have been irrelevant for 10 years. Yokic is now making them hugely popular again, right? Starting to win. You win a title. Next up, Odell Beckham, back on the NFL field for the first time in 16 months. Oh, John Rob. I'm sorry, we're going to John Rom, the golfer. Colin, he made some statements about the lack of honesty and betrayal from management.

And then I'm sure you saw late last night there was a medical situation with Mr. Monaghan, the BGA, Comish. I don't really know what to make of it. The comments from Rory McElroy, then Rom, and now the medical situation. Well, I think, I don't think Jay Monaghan is going to remain as commissioner. The PGA players have every right to be upset because Jay Monaghan made a huge, took a huge gamble by using 9-11 families as pawns in this and basically saying that if you played on a live tour, you didn't like America, well, then does Coca-Cola like America because they and every other top 30 corporation in America does business with the Middle East. so does our government. So it was a mistake by Monaghan.

It was an overreach to use those families, and we all feel horrible for those families. To use that, it came back to Biden. And so the players have a right to be upset. They can't trust it. I said this. The play should have been by Jay Monaghan, not using 9-11s, because everybody understands, every grown-up realizes, every corporation in America is doing business in the Middle East. Yeah.

I used to work at ESPN. You know the first owner of it? Getty oil. Oil's everywhere. So what he should have said is you're leaving us and we're family. And we've helped build Phil Mickelson and Brooks Kepka. We've helped build your brand. Use the family play because that is real and believable.

I thought it was an overreach by Monaghan. And then when he joins the live, he's a complete utter hypocrite. And those players have every right to be upset. So we've heard from Rory, we've heard from Romm. We haven't heard from Tiger. I wonder if he's stealthily moving behind the scenes and not going to make... Monahan's not going to remain. I can't imagine that scenario.

All right. Now the final story, Colin, this is just breaking in the last 20 minutes. NBA news. Adrian Wode Janorowski and Sharm Sharania are both reporting almost simultaneously that Bradley Beale and the Wizards are working together to discuss a trade of the three-time All-Star who just signed a five-year deal last off-season. It looks like Bradley Bill will not be in Washington. to start the season.

Now, this is where it gets super interesting. He has a no trade clause. Right. I believe he's the only big time star with a no trade clause. Yeah, he's one of them. He averaged 22 a game last year with the Wizards. He's a little bit older. I think he's 2930 in that range.

Miami? Well, I mean, I wonder, the Wizards got the new GM from the Clippers. Yeah. And he likes young guys. You know, he don't want to work with Bradley Beale. There's no path to success with Bradley Beale making $50 million a year. I think Miami's in the mix. they might want Damian Lillard.

I think Boston maybe puts up. Jalen Brown. We bring in a shooting guard. We're less of the same. Anyone else jump out to you for a Bradley Beal? Remember, he had wanted to come to the Lakers or be in L.A. for a long time. What are they going to give them?

They don't have anything. I'm not necessarily saying the Lakers. But the GM of the Wizards used to work with the Clippers. Is there a chance that they say, Paul George, hey, it's not working. I'm just speculative. I think anybody that's worked with the clippers is so over the injuries to their wing players. They wouldn't want to bring in politics.

You're not bringing that to D.C. It's fair. I think Bradley, let me tell you something. I think Bradley Beal fits everywhere in the league. I don't think there's a single team that couldn't use Bradley Beale. He fits everywhere. I think he was all NBA one, so that's why he's eligible for 50 mil. He can catch and shoot it.

He can beat people off the drivel. Smart player, smart guy. Is he fall into that man, he ain't a one in Washington, No, he's not a one. He's a two or three? Now, making him your three at 50 mil, I don't know, is possible? No, he's a very good player. I think Miami, if Miami could say, listen,

Dame is a little more electric as a shooter, but Beale's a little bigger, fewer injuries. I can see where Beal has three to four more good years left. Dame has two. I could see that argument. Dame's small, Beal's a little bigger. Sacramento Kings pairing of Fox and Beal in the backboard. Is that fun?

Fox Beal-Cabonis is a big three. Ah. You move on from Harrison Barnes, I believe, is a free agent. Oh, I like that. I don't know. Again, Washington is going to want a lot of draft picks because you're going to want to rebuild. You know who's got a lot of draft? I'll say the last team.

Okay. Because they get speculated all the time. The Dallas Mavericks. Luca Donchitz gets a shooter. He has a no trade clause. I'd say I don't want to play with Luca. What? What about the state tax factor?

Oh, God. Come on. A lot of people talk about that. Why do you live in California of state tax members? I said to Bradley Biel, not the Jason McIntyre. Also, is this? State tax, I mean, state tax can matter, but, you know, why do you live here? In the end.

We got to do the show here. You guys called me out here seven years ago. Hey, Jay Mack, come on. Save the network. Save the network, Jay Mack. Yeah. I'm the same. I don't know.

I mean, I've been on this bandwagon for eight years. Could somebody go sign Bradley Beal? I love, and I know LeBron. LeBron loves it. Of course. LeBron's guys love him. He's a grown-up. Again, maybe not a one.

as a two or three. John Wall got all the pub. LeBron's guys always preferred Beal. Very adult, hard worker behind the scenes. D-Up. Bradley Beal is liked by the right people in the league. The right people like it. I love him as a two or three.

Excellent. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The third lie news. So we said to Jay Mack, come save the network. He certainly has the herd brought to you by Irish Spring. Wake up, fresh, clean scent, sensational Irish.

Bring suds, fill it up the shower. When the spring hits you, you're ready to own the day. Look for Irish Spring at your local retailer today. Good two-hour show. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars 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 Bole your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.