The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 2 - The right fit for Boston

Episode Date: May 10, 2023

Colin explains why Jordan Poole doesn't fit in the Warriors culture despite being a talented player He also reacts to all the criticism he's received for his hypothetical trade between the Warriors and the Celtics   Guest: Howard BeckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be in, however you may be listening. Lots of choices out there. Thanks for making us. Your choice and part of your day. J-Mack. Petino Mobley next hour. J-Mack. I think my suggestion

is an interesting one where we know in sports that aggressive wins. The Dodgers have been hyper-aggressive. The Warriors have been hyper-aggressive. You know, the Rams won a Super Bowl. Hyper-aggressive wins. The sit-on-your-hand, Celtics have one title in 34 years. They were rewarded when they went hyper-aggressive on KG.

The Packers, two Super Bowls with Farvin Aaron Rogers in the last 50, 60 years. When? When they went and got Reggie White, Charles Woodson, when they went and got aggressive. So Boston, even if Boston won, remember, the Warriors won, and they got rid of Harrison Barnes and went and got KD. That's after winning. Most people don't do that. Oprah Winfrey was number one in the country.

and she had the sort of courage to go, I'm going to change my show. That's very rare. Tiger Woods was number one in the world and said, I'm going to change clubs. Most people, I worked at a company that changed when things were bad. You have no leverage.

You look desperate. Years ago, another place. You got to change when you're winning. You got to change when you have strength and power. The Celtics now, even if they win, there's no clarity with Tatum and Jalen Brown. You can watch. I've been on this thing all year long.

There's no clear, they don't know what they are. Win or lose, and they may lose to the Sixers. Go get Wiggins and Jordan Pool. Pool doesn't play defense, but Tatum does, Wiggins does, Robert Williams does, and Marcus Smart does. You got enough defense. Okay. Then you get Wiggins can take a little of the scoring heat on the wing away, and Jordan's

going to give you 25 a night. I showed her the stats earlier. When Jordan Poole plays and Steph does and the average is almost 20, a game. So you'd get better scoring between Wiggins and Jalen Brown and a little less defense, but Tatum wouldn't feel this weird clarity thing. He's better than Wiggins and better than Poole, and everybody would know it. Meanwhile, the warriors, to make the salaries work, Steve Kerr's son played with Jalen Brown at Cal, I'm told. Jalen Brown, because Clay no longer can defend, Jalen Brown gives you an elite athlete and defender next to him, high-functioning

Jalen Brown super smart. The guys that don't work there like Jordan Pool or DeAngelo Russell can be a little young, undisciplined, unstructured, immature. Jalen Brown is all about structure, right? Like he has got a number one mentality without being a ball hog. He would also fit with Draymond Green functional in terms of, they know how to play basketball. And then you get Malcolm Brogden to make it work off the bench because you're going to say, hey, listen, we're giving your Wiggins and Pool.

You can get 50 a night from those guys or 45 a night. You've got to give us more than just Jalen Brown. So let's give us a guy off the bench. Again, Brogden, been around the game forever, been around the league, can play with instruction, very smart player. But my takeaway is take a big swing when you're good. Don't take swings in any business when you're struggling because you're desperate. You'll overpay for stuff. The Celtics can say if they win a title, we don't need to make the move.

That's when you make the move. The warriors can say, hey, we got a bunch of rings. We don't need to make the move either. you call up a peer and go, let's make this thing work. Let's both be a better version of ourselves. Pools wearing us out. But he averages 26 when Curry's gone. And the Celtics can say, we love Jalen Brown.

But he and Tatum, it just doesn't, we don't know who the guy is. Move him out. Tough one. Chemistry is a big thing for the Warriors and Kerr. Can you break up the chemistry when Steph Curry is 35 years old? And all of a sudden you're interjecting two years. guys into your top six? How tough will that be of an adjustment? Not at

all. The guy worked with Kevin Durant overnight. It was like five years ago when he was like 30 years old. But take Brady, take Mahomes, take Curry, smart people adapt. I would agree, largely. Steph Curry's one of the smartest players in the league. He'll adapt to anything you throw at him as long as the guy is functional.

Jordan Poole, DiAngelo Russell, they don't work in the warrior system. They're better unstructured. You can't depend on them. They're super talented. We saw a deal over the other night. He's a super talented guy. but if people are so, I mean, sports rewards the aggressive. Dana White took the UFC during the COVID and said, I'm going to rent an island. He literally changed sports.

Like he said, we're not listening to anybody. We're going to go rent an eye. None of its fighters got sick. So I guess let me ask, this is the bigger question, Colin, does this mean, A, you think the Warriors and Celtics cannot win the title? And B, would you still want to do this even if either of these make the finals or win the title? Yes. Okay.

By the way, Oprah, number one show in the country. country said I'm going to do a smarter, more ethereal show, less topic-based. Tiger Woods, number one golfer in the world. I'm going to change clubs. You don't change clubs when you're 38. You don't change TV shows when you're seventh in the ratings. You change. This is like a business 101.

Change in it when you have leverage, power, capital, and momentum. When you've got inertia is when you change. The Warriors lose. We don't think they're a bad franchise. They just need a reboot, a tweak. They don't have to do it. Well, I would consider getting rid of Clay Thompson more than a tweak. Well, I don't know what you do with Clay, but what you do is get Jalen Brown.

Maybe Clay is your first guy off the bench. Maybe it goes Steph, Kerr, and then you move up because you have Jalen Brown, you can move off Gary Payton. All I'm saying is the Warriors have constantly tweaked. They moved off Wiseman. That was smart. They needed to. I think they're ready to move off. Cominga?

I think they're ready to move off Cominga if they keep Wiggins. Maybe I've grown up in radio and TV where we're constantly looking for work and we're constantly having to adjust. Maybe it's because I'm a West Coast guy. I didn't go to church as a kid or a, you know, I don't have a life full of tradition, divorced kid. Maybe I'm just too loosey-goosey on this stuff and always willing to take big swings. But when the Kansas City Chiefs lost Tyreek Hill, everybody freaked out. They were like, we're in a position of power. Now we can give up Tyreek Hill and get a fortune back.

So like Portland had the Dame Lillard C. kept waiting. And now they want to move and they don't have any power. We're making the playoffs every year. We're going to keep it together. Keep it together. And then it fell apart. And now they're in real dire streets. Let's bring in Howard Beck's been covering the NBA for 25 or 26 years. I know we just sound like we're crazy people over here, Howard. We're just making, we're doing sports talk radio. But I do believe, Howard, I'm watched this, and I've been on this all year with the Celtics. I'm not a backseat driver. I just struggle late in games with the clarity between Jalen and Tatum. Tatum's

better, but he's got a two mentality. Jalen Brown's got a one mentality, but he's kind of a two. And I always feel like Pippin, MJ, Clay and Steph, McAil Byrd, even Shaq and Kobe, who were turbulent, one was the dominant interior force, one was the next Jordan on the perimeter. Let's say the Celtics don't win. Howard, don't you have to do something after six years of this? Great to be with you, Colin. I don't think you have to do something.

And I think that if you do decide that it's time to do something, you're not breaking them up to get back anything less than an outstanding return. So I was listening to you talk about the possible deal with the Warriors, which is a really interesting one with two teams that were just in the finals a year ago against each other. But that, to me, did not sound like enough of a payoff if I'm trading Jalen Brown, who is an incredible young talent, who I think has a very bright future of many all NBA nods ahead of him, including potentially one that I think is coming today. So I don't know, also I don't know that I want to break them up. I think that the Tatum Brown duo, for whatever their shortcomings have been in this series or in the finals last year or in previous years together as they were kind of growing together, whatever those flaws are, they're still one of the best one, two punches in the NBA. And especially in a time when having really versatile wing players who could all shoot, handle, defend across multiple positions is really valuable. But you know that Milwaukee's going to reboot around Janus and Drew Holiday. We feel that.

Pretty good front office. Let's go to the Warriors side. And I'm not a Jordan Pool guy, but there is a number that's pretty clear. When Steph's gone, he averages 26 a game with Steph 16, meaning he needs to be the man, not the man that subs for Steph Curry. He's kind of his own, and I do think he'd be a really nice player for a lot of teams. if they lose to the Lakers, and right now statistically, data tells you historically they will. What kind of move?

Because they've been very comfortable, Howard, tweaking and rebooting. They've been, they're very Silicon Valley. They'll start over. You tell me what would make sense for them if they go, they win tonight and then they lose insects? So first, I'm not ready to write off the Warriors yet, especially when they're playing an elimination game at home. I think they'll probably extend this thing. I could be wrong. The thing about the Warriors is they have evolved a lot, right?

The entire supporting cast has changed around their core three guys of Steph, Clay, and Dremont over the course of this dynasty. And there were at least a couple of times and certainly before last year's championship that we thought it might already be done. So they have been nimble as a franchise. They've been bold. They have tried a couple different things, right? They have gone the veteran route.

And then they were trying to do this two timeline thing that has kind of, failed, let's face it, right? You trade Weissman for Gary Payton the second for a reason. Whether, you know, if they fail in this postseason, whether it's time to then lean even further into that move, right? Maybe it's time to see what you get for Cumminga, Moody, Jordan Poole, and say, listen, we only have a couple of years left with these guys. Steph is still playing at an MVP-type level. Clay Thompson is better now, better now than he was a year ago when they won the championship, because he's that much further removed from those devastating injuries. You have a window with these guys. And Draymond is still incredibly effective. But the way to win with those guys is to have

other veterans who know how to play a certain way, who know how to win at a high level, and who just know what it takes. And their young guys in various capacities have just not met that expectation. And Jordan Poole was really valuable at times a year ago in that postseason as they made the run to another title. And right now he just looks kind of lost. So yeah, I don't mind the idea of moving him on if you can find a better fit. But, you know, with that new contract kicking and everything else, I'm not sure what you're getting back for him. Yeah. So, you know, it's funny to watch. If you go back to the bubble year, it was LeBron out of his prime, but very, very good in spurts, AD dominant and very well-rested, three and a half months sabbatical, right, during COVID.

And a bunch of guys that were bounced around the league guys, KCP, you know, guys like Rondo, that could kind of fill space and a defensive coach. It was also a weird year where the veteran teams folded in the playoffs and the young heat because the veteran teams missed their wives, their kids. It was a psychology year, and the Lakers were the one old team, an older team that flourished. So it was kind of a weird year, but in an odd year, it worked, a two-man team. So this year is weird. Bucks get rolled.

Cavs and Sacramento young teams can't win a series. everybody's banged up. Chris Paul heard again. And I look at this Laker team and I think, LeBron is out of his prime, but is good in spurts. AD again, is dominant. I have not seen this team, Howard, at all as a championship team. I'm flummoxed. It's a bunch of bounce around the league guys away past his prime LeBron and AD, who's good every other game. Did you see this as a championship team two months ago, three months ago?

Glad you mentioned this. I have a story up at GQ Sports on GQ.com right now about what I'm calling the age of chaos in the NBA because of everything that you just mentioned. And the fact is, it seems like no one, whether the good teams or the bad teams, especially in the West and also the case with Miami and Milwaukee, were actually what their records suggested they were, right? It's the inverse of the old Bill Parcell's adage about your record. You are what your record says you are. No, they're not. The reason we're confused by the Lakers is this just isn't the same Laker team today or the last month and a half, two months, as they were to start the season when they still were trying to figure out how Russell Westbrook fit or didn't fit with them and when

they didn't have enough shooting or defense around their stars. And oh, by the way, when their stars were missing massive stretches of games. So partially it's just that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy. And then a lot of this is they completely changed their supporting cast before the trade deadline by bringing in DeAngela Russell and Jared Vanderbilt and Rui Hachamura and the rest. So they actually have a functional team. So yeah, the record suggests that they did not have this kind of run in them, but their play over the last, you know, four to six weeks of the regular season when they had one of the best records in the NBA, when they had one of the best defensive efficiency ratings in the NBA suggested that, yeah, they might actually have another run coming. But it was so hard to assess because the rest of the West was just as weird and hard to read as the Lakers have been. Who do they match up better with?

The Suns with no bench or Denver with very little big game experience in these spaces like an AD or a LeBron. Like if you're if you were Darvin Ham, who I think's actually done a really good job, you know, they turned the roster over at the trade deadline. And literally the team almost immediately got very good defensively and now they're great. If privately, if you talk to Darwin Ham, who do you think he would rather play next? Man, this is a tough one because, you know, Kevin Durant, obviously a decorated champion and a great player, and Devin Booker has just been absolutely on fire in the postseason. But I'm picking the Sons.

I'm picking the Sons because if you can just withstand some of the blows you're going to take from those two stars, the drop off to the rest of that Sons roster is pretty steep and especially the bench. And we've seen Mani Williams hunting and pecking throughout the last few weeks trying to find a rotation, trying to find bench guys that he trusts, trying to find guys who can. and give his stars a blow, especially Durant, who's having to play 40 plus minutes at this age with this mileage. I just think the son's room for error as great as their top level talent is, they just don't have enough behind them. And that's what happens when you make an in-season blockbuster trade. You don't have any time or resources to go replenish all the depth you lost,

and that's what they're going to have to do when the season ends, whenever that may be. By the way, LeBron and AD, you're seeing some of their fatigue as they only get one day's rest for the Warriors, I think playing at 7,000 feet against the deeper Denver team is hard. You know, that 40-minute flight to Phoenix is much easier and a team that has no depth than a deep Denver team at 7,000 feet, who, by the way, may have a two-day rest advantage in game one if they take care of the sons here quickly. All right, Howard Beck, it's great to see you as always. Covered the NBA since the late 90s, Sports Illustrated, New York Times, LA Daily News.

Howard, thanks for stopping by. Appreciate it. Thanks, Colin. You know, one of the things he had said, and J. Mack, I want your thought on this. So when I submitted my idea for a warrior Celtic trade, he said he didn't think Wiggins, a former number one pick, and Jordan Poole were enough for Jalen Brown and Brogden. So would you have to, if you're the Warriors, send maybe a Gary Payton over and say, okay, we're giving you Jordan Poole, but we'll give you somebody that can play 17 minutes a night good defense. So I don't know what Gary Payton makes, but would you go, Wiggins, Jordan,

Jordan, Poole, Gary Payton, we'll give you some defense. But then you'd have Marcus Martin, Gary Payton, neither great offensively. But I don't know. I don't think Wiggins and Jordan Poole for Jalen Brown and a bench player. That doesn't sound uneven. That's the problem with selling Jordan Poole now. His stock is, dude, that's zero points in 10 minutes in game four. What if he drops 36 tonight, though?

Well, there you go. You got to sell high. You know business. But I'm looking at Jalen Brown's contract. He's got one more year after this. That's it. After that, he become a free agent. You make him a big cornerstone guy.

Okay. So if he tells Boston, I'm not resigning with you, trade me. What is Boston? They can't do anything. They got to unload him. And then it. Wiggins and Pool at that point. I also think another place Jalen Brown works is Dallas,

because Luca plays no defense. But I don't think. They don't have the parts unless Kyrie Irving. He's not going back to Boston. There has no interest. Yeah. So Dallas is a great fit for Jalen Brown because he is a, both ends of the floor guy, and he could play with Luca.

And, I mean, he wouldn't take any of Lucas crap. So Wiggins last year in the finals was awesome, the second best player on the Warriors. He's still a very twitchy wing defender. So he's probably a top 25, 30 player in the league? Yeah, top 30. Jalen Brown's a top 20? Yes. And then I give you Jordan Poole.

I don't know. If I'm getting two top six players in my rotation, which is what Wiggins and Poole are, and for Jalen Brown, I'm doing that. No, no, I am too. I would do it if I was running the Celtics or I was running the Warriors. I don't know that I'd do it if I were the Warriors. Why not? I have an irrational like for Jordan Poole.

I know every Warriors fan out there hates him. I got buddies who are Warriors fans go to games. They text me. Can't stand Jordan Poole. Get him out of here. Like, you got to be patient, guys. He got punched out by a teammate earlier this season. He has not been the same guy.

He just hasn't. Come on. Now, can he get over that? I don't know. I personally would- Steve Kerr got decked by MJ. he had a good career. Got to get over that stuff.

When did that deck... I need to look up when that happened. How many years they played together after that? Oh, by the way, Steve Kerr was a role player. Jordan Poole ain't no role player. Jordan Poole is like 20-point-of-game guy. They give him $130 million. You don't pay a role player 130 mil over four years.

He is coming off the bench. $130 million. That's not a role player. World player is like a 10 million a year guy. 15 million a year. And that's to my point. The Celtic fans can say, no, no, no, no.

Smart Tatum Williams. You got defense. Well, here's the thing about defense. So last year under Ime Udoka, they were number two in the playoffs. I just looked at up in defense. They're 10th this year. Joe Missoula, not a defensive guy. You're not good enough offensively.

And, by the way, you're not elite defensively. Well, offensive hasn't been the problem unless they missed threes. I saw stat just now, 34 and 2 this season when they shoot 40% or better from 3. And when they don't, they don't, they're 29 and 28. Wouldn't Jordan Poole helped a three-point shooting? He certainly would. But it's not like, you know, Tatum was like three for 11 from deep last night. Horford was 0 for 7.

Would two of your starters are three for 18 on threes? It's not they lost. They got dogged. They got dragged. They missed their threes. I mean, first quarter, all sixers. Second quarter, double down on the sixers. Third quarter.

That game was never in question. Philadelphia went in there. and from the very first quarter, Mbid was rolling. Was that game more about the Celtics and what they didn't do? Yes. Was that more about the Sixers? Yes. Because I always get the same thing with the Sixers is,

I don't even know if the Sixers are great. They think they are. I don't think they're. They're Deontay Wilder of the fighter. 43 fights, 42 knockdowns or something like that. I don't know if he's a great fighter. He thinks he is. He's coming in with Alpha Haymakers and it's like,

I like that guy, totally flawed heavyweight, but I like watching his fights. Hey, Celtics last year, we're down three, two to the bucks. Go to Milwaukee for game six. Guess who had 46 points in a transcendent performance? Tatum. You know it. And they won in game seven, thanks to a role player, Grant Williams, who had like 47 points.

You don't go into Philly and do that. Jason Tatum does what he wants, where he wants. He is a superstar. Now, listen. Yeah. When is he going to start wanting? Well, it's game six. It's put up or shut up.

You know, I mean, come on. One more herd. The herd streams 24. four hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

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follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette.

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Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday, it's a showcase of some of MLB's biggest stars as Mani Machado lead the Padres against rival Mookie Betts and the Dodgers or the defending World Series champion Astros battle Tim Anderson and the White Sox.

Saturday at 7 Eastern 4 Pacific on Fox. Very excited about things. Tonight, Warriors Lakers. Very exciting. J-Mack with the news. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News.

All right, Colin, I know you're excited. Warriors Lakers tonight. Spread is 7 and a half. Darwin Ham talking about going back to the Bay area for game 5 against the Warriors. He expects a battle. from Golden State. It's going to be a tough one going up north.

That game on Wednesday is going to be another dog fight. We can expect another dog fight. That's a prideful team. The defending champions for a reason, so all of us are going to have to make sure we're on the same page and locked in. I do not think it's crazy. Sitting LeBron, keeping him on the bench,

and getting the freshest LeBron you can. I would play A.D. Wait, what do you mean sitting LeBron? I would not play him. Oh, okay. Come on. Why? Okay, I'll give you why.

Do you want to be the champion? Warriors went up 3-2 on the Kings, came home for game six, played like garbage, played with their food for two hours, and the King stole the win and got game seven. Kings don't have LeBron or AD. Those guys are... Kings are good.

They're not special. Many believe this Laker team is special. They are special defensively. They're great. I have no problem sitting LeBron the night. None. Play with AD, say Austin Reeves, Dennis Schrooter, run the offense.

I got no problem with it. You're not going to win anyway. I got no problem at all. You say, well, you're just conceding. No, it's strategic. LeBron, you watch the... Why would you sit LeBron and not AD? Because LeBron is older.

AD is fundamentally crucial to their defense. The only way to win tonight is to cool the Warriors off win a 104-101 game. That's the way to win. LeBron's not helping you much on the defensive side. He's smart, situationally. I mean, we all know. An extra day's rest for LeBron is a substantial. That's substantial.

LeBron gives you a different energy. There's no way LeBron would say, yes, coach, I'm going to sit this. There's zero chance of that. So the Lakers could leak a story that he's his ham. He says tweaked his calf. Can you imagine Darvin Ham? Darvin Ham, who's never won anything? Going to LeBron and saying, LeBron, we're going to sit you down for this one.

He would laugh at him. Remember, Darwin him pulled LeBron out of the game. Did you see the clip on the internet? Pulled them out of the game in the fourth quarter, Warriors were up for. LeBron literally, they used a stopwatch. LeBron walks out, says some stuff, then walks right back to the scores table.

He was out of the game for literally like 23 seconds. And like none of game time because it was not the free throw line. LeBron is the coach here. He's not sitting. That's not happening. Now, AD is interesting because I saw a stat where this is the first time he's played more than 20 consecutive games with the Lakers since like the bubble. And there is a part of Laker Nation's like, when is he going to get hurt?

When is he going to call apart? I don't wish that upon anybody. What happens tonight? He hits the floor. Would you consider sitting AD tonight? No, but the only thing I would tweak would, I would extend their rest in the first quarter and second quarter. Usually they sit like two, maybe three minutes. I would extend that like four or five.

And if we fall apart in the third quarter, we fall apart. No big deal. But I'm not punting on the game. That's not happening. sitting LeBron. That is maybe your hottest take since I joined the show. Shit LeBron in game five. Sit him?

He had a quarter in this series. No shots, no points. He's conserving energy. I do that sometimes on this show. I pace myself. I'm like first hour. I'm going to slow play it. Save it for the final. In case Calhurt's a little tired final hour. I got to put him on my back. Carry the show.

Sometimes you've got to pace yourself. LeBron's good at that. Next up, this is spicy. The Toronto Raptors, within the last hour where it has gotten out they interviewed J.J. Reddick. Hire him in one minute. An ESPN talking head for their opening coaching job.

Now try him out. He's more than a talking head. Well, that's what he is currently. That's his job resume. He is a former very substantial NBA player. High IQ player. Yes. He once found my dog. It got lost in my neighborhood and J.J. Reddick found it. Was this Connecticut or? No, it was up in Manhattan Beach. J.J. Reddick's not a talking head.

That's what he does. Now, he is. He brings a lot of sense to... The nonsense. To NBA people when they're talking... Yes, he's good. He met with ownership in the first round of candidates. I would hire him in one second.

Duke guy, we've seen a lot of these players go right into coaching. That guy can coach. I'll say this. Some of the stuff, some of the clips I've seen online, he's really smart. And I like his analysis and breakdown. He will relate to players. I do wonder, are we seeing Darwin Ham? You know, he's been coaching for a little bit,

but he's a young guy relates to play. players, there is something to the idea that Reddick could seamlessly make a move. And by the way, you know, JJ Reddick is going to be successful at whatever he wants to be successful at. This is no shot at anybody. But our industry is changing. There's a lot of uncertainty at that place. I'd take this professionally. If I was his agent, I'd take that job in one second. I know a little bit about Redick because he lived in Brooklyn near some of my friends and he was commuting to play for the 76ers because he's very family guy. I don't see him moving to Toronto.

That being said, I know it's a beautiful city, great city. If that Nick's job opens up. You know what? That's not a good first job. Too much pressure? I think the New York... James Dolan is kind of a... Yeah, I would take Toronto in a heartbeat over Toronto.

Toronto, you're a little out of the American media tunnel. It's a sophisticated, diversion. You're going to have to uproot your entire family that's been. They go to private schools and all that. Canada is nice. Canada is great. It is nice, but that's a big change. No, it's not.

What's the difference? You know, you think it was easy to move my family across the country for this job? What's the difference between New York and Toronto? Sophisticated upscale cities. America versus Canada? There's no difference at all? I know they're good cities, but there's a lot of other stuff at play. Family members living around, like, there's a lot going on.

Come on. It's called private jets. He'll have one. This is not Calgary. It's Toronto. It's one of the world's most unique. It's not a knock on Toronto. It's like Zurich, Switzerland.

Zurich, Switzerland, Toronto. Those are big boy cities. There's a lot of influence, money. A lot going on with the Raptors. I don't know that that's even a great job. Fred Van Fleet, like, what are we doing? They're brother about Scotty Barnes. That's why it's a great job.

Because right now, they need help. Right now, it is Prime Pickens. I think J.J. Reddick is a home run. If I was an NBA coach, my first gig, you can do way worse than Toronto. Toronto's a top eight, nine job. Let me also ask you, you like the idea of coming to the studio every day. You know your routine. Yeah.

Is J.J. Reddick ready to get on a plane and travel for 41 games? He played the league for 50 years. Yeah, you don't think he's thrilled to not be doing that anymore? No. You think he wants to sit next to those yellers and screamers every day? He's over that. All right, moving on. He calls games, by the ways.

I mean, bottom, and I'm not taking a shot at the other place, but you don't know what is going on over there now. They've got, that company is changing rapidly. Reddick's one of their rising stars. Boom, go take the gig. I think my family would love that big. If I went to my family and said, and I was young, like Redick, and say, guys, we're going to have, how about this? Let's move to Toronto. My family would be so excited.

Yeah, let's move to Toronto. I'll be on the road a ton. Let me ask you this. Enjoy it. Give me a break. When you're an NBA head coach, there's tons of support systems. They'll be in great schools. Let me ask you this.

Better job. Milwaukee or Toronto? Well, no, that's not fair because they have Yonnes. Yeah. Okay. Orlando or Toronto. Orlando, I don't think it's open, but come on. Sacramento or Toronto.

Ooh. Well, they're not firing Mike Brown coach in the year. Let's look at openings. All right. Detroit or Toronto. Toronto by a mile. Not even close. And my wife's from Detroit.

Can I wait to. the lottery to see if they get Wembenyama? Hey, that's a real thing. He's a change agent. Victor Wembe Nama. I can't wait until we're talking about it in June. I think Toronto is

a very, very well-run organization. And it's a beautiful, brilliant, highly... I've never known anybody that live there or spent time there that didn't like Toronto. Ever. I liked it. They hate me there for some Raptors' takes.

But how many playoff series wins since that lucky Kauai title. You're just trying to inflame people. They won the title. I'm speaking facts. If you can't handle the facts, what's the saying about facts and feelings? I don't know. Listen, they haven't won Jack Squat since Kauai bolted.

Final story, let's go back to a really good team in New York, the New York Football Jets. I know the audience loves them. We bring them up all the time. High expectations. You're talking about five or six primetime games for Aaron Rogers. Six, they say. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

It's trying to dial down expectations and remind everyone that it will take some time for them to figure this out. Potential is one of those fancy words, fancy words, that we haven't done anything yet. We have some very good pieces. There has to be cohesion. There has to be mesh. Aaron runs things on the field very uniquely. So there are a lot of things the guys are going to have to learn and get used to. Where that goes, I'm not sure.

But I know there's going to be some growing pain, some bumps. It is just about us getting on the field, getting everybody comfortable with each. other and we'll see where it goes. Hey, hack it. Don't feed me this garbage. We go to see how it goes. You better win 10, 11, 12 games. Bottom line. Will you be satisfied at 10 and 7? Yeah. Wait, are we in the playoffs at 10? Yes. Fine. Anything less. But you're on the road. To Kansas City. I'm not worried about. Aaron Rogers makes loves to the road. It's automatic. Jets wool, I'm not worried about it. As long as we're in the playoffs. Now, you're on a heater. What are we got here? Offensive weapons. Look at this.

Come on. That's better than what Aaron Rogers Time out. Time out. Let me just say, look at this. Grease Hall off a major injury. Superstar. Garrett Wilson, 13 years old. R-O-Y. Alan Lazzard, a number three receiver.

McColl Hardman, Andy Reid, said see ya. Corey Davis, always under delivers. Denzel Mims, kid. I won't defend him. Randall Cobb, 100 years old. Tyler Conklin, I have no idea if he walked in front of me. You mean, you got these guys being the Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Roger Craig, Montana, Niners here, and you got a defensive coach.

Right. Well, listen, anything short of the playoffs, and the coach is going to get canned, the GM is going to get canned. I do think Randall Cobb's a good dresser. I saw him on the internet this weekend. Very fancy dresser. That's your takeaway from the Jets' offensive skills. We got bigger problems than I thought.

No, but seriously, Hackett. I don't want to hear Nathaniel Hackett. I don't want any, you know, just do your job behind the scenes. All right. Get that offense humming. We won seven games with Joker's a quarterback last year. Let's get to 10-11. Let's close some Ws.

Okay, let's 10. Eagles, bills, chiefs, those are tough games. Now, they do only go west once to Vegas. Their schedule, they go west one time. And they play the Giants. Even if they're away, it's in the same stadium. No, their schedule. The travel schedule is easy.

The teams aren't. They got some big-boy teams. Seven wins last year. But the schedule wasn't this hard. High school Colin Cowherd at quarterback. Okay? Did you play college quarterback at Eastern Washington? Do you know what the local media called me one time as a quarterback?

Efficient. And I was totally satisfied. This is 1973? What was it? 82. All right. Jay Mack for the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd line. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, it's Ben. to the fifth hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour?

I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.

And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Big news this morning.

We now know the date of one of the key games of the 2023 NFL season. Christmas Day on Fox. Jalen Hertz and the Eagles look to continue their NFC East dominance against Daniel Jones and the Giants. The entire schedule will be revealed tomorrow night on NFL Network. That'll get them. That'll probably be the highest rated game. You think the Giants are pulling back so long.

Eagles 45 Giants 10. Now, as a Jets fan, do you hate the Giants? Totally. Can't stand them. Yeah. All right. Never been a fan. All right.

I'm trying to think of a Giants player I liked. Lawrence Taylor. He didn't like him? Oh, Lawrence Taylor. There you go. Yeah. That team had a lot of likable guys. So I was watching the Sixers Celtics last night, and I will say this.

I like aggressive businesses and I like aggressive teams. I don't know if the Sixers are any good, but between Doc Rivers and M-Bed and Maxie and M-Bed, they think they're great. And the Celtics are all about self-doubt. And the Sixers are all about self-belief. And they just punched the Celtics right in the forehead. It came right out. And I loved it.

The Boston fans are booing the Celtics. And this is what I say about the Celtics. They're good. They're just not ever great. And whereas Philadelphia is like a very flawed heavyweight fighter who sort of has a knockout punch. And they're not the greatest fighter. It's got the Tyson quality. But God, do they believe in themselves?

M. Bede was homing in the first half. Maxie was out of this world. And there is something to be said about old guys may be inconsistent, but their A game is still available. and that's James Harden in the postseason. And I like what Doc Rivers said after the game. It is a big games. I mean, they really are. Every game you play, the playoffs are hard, winning's hard.

And I just thought we played the right way. Guys who went out of the game, was shaking the hands of the guy going in. Guys play to exhaustion. We were up three to. All right, that's it. All right, that's it. We have to get our rest and we have to get ready because they're going to come and play great. And we've got to be able to sustain that and still win the game.

Okay, I said yesterday, Devin Booker's been great. I don't think his shooting is sustainable. It wasn't nearly as good last night. The prolific score in the NBA playoffs, Luca last year, Trey Young the year before, James Hardin with the rockets in the bubble, you're sacrificing stuff. And, you know, again, James Hardin lost to the Lakers in the bubble, Luca last year, Trey Young. And now you have Devin Booker. This team has done. no depth, but they have the prolific score. And it's often, it's sort of the junk food of NBA playoffs. It's fun. It tastes good. It's satisfying in the moment, but you're not left with much substance. It's nothing against Phoenix, but they've become very reliant on Devin

Booker dropping 38 points and shooting 62%. And I just don't think that stuff's sustainable. As great as Steph is and Steph's better than Devin Booker, this series has been about Steph, not getting consistent performances from Draymond, Clay, Wiggins, and Looney, and Jordan Poole. So again, Devin Booker in wins for the Suns this year is average in about 41 points. In losses, 29. If 29 can't get your wins in the playoffs, I mean, it's just not sustainable to shoot 67% from the floor and score 40 a game. Here's Booker on heading back to Phoenix for game six. I mean, I've been in here a couple times now.

And, you know, I love it. You know, like I said, every game has its own character. Every game has its, it's just every game is its own movie, its own different preparation and everything to go with it. So, you know, we're going to watch over film, see how we can be better for game six. The other NBA story, Steve Kerr was on a local radio station in the Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area.

And he was, there's a lot of people are talking about, talking about what do you do with Steph and Clay and Draymond. I think you have to consider not romanticizing the past and moving off Clay Thompson. Draymond's still an elite offensive catalyst. He's top five in assists in the playoffs. He's a great defender. Steph still 35 years old and can take over games. Steve Kirk talked about the big three and the idea of moving off them.

No, no. Never crossed my mind. I mean, I played on those Bulls teams, you know, the last dance. I can tell you from experience, even though everybody now says, whoa, why didn't they keep that team together? That team was done. That team was finished emotionally metal. There was nothing left in the tank.

And I don't feel that way about this team at all. I think these guys, Steph, Clay, Dray, Damon. They've got lots to give for years to come. So I never even have stopped to give that a second thought. So if he believes that, then, and if they lose, they're going to tweak. The question becomes, what do you tweak? Because right now they're healthy and they're losing 3-1. So what are they going to tweak?

I mean, Looney's the only guy of size. Do you get rid of him? Wiggins, but he's your only dependable wing score. Jordan Poole, who I do think has a market as somebody I do think they consider. But when Curry's missing games, he gives you 25, 26 a game. So it's not, that's why I think the Warriors have to do a big move. Just tweaking it, I don't think it's going to make, it's not going to correct the course if they lose this series. Okay, I know you're hot for Jalen Brown.

Let's say the Celtics will not part with him. He makes all NBA. He stays in Boston. Does Bradley Beale interest you in some kind of Clay Thompson swap? Yes. Closer to his prime. Yeah. Well, we know the Lakers had been hot for him.

LeBron liked him. High IQ player, smart player. Good shooter. Lakers get Bradley Beal. That feels like a championship team. This one may be... They might win the title without him. Howard 3 next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy.

Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? 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 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 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 blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.