The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - How the Lakers can improve

Episode Date: May 24, 2023

Previewing game 5 of ECF and who is favored Did Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla save his job last night? Colin believes Trae Young would be a good fit for the Lakers   Guest: Dan WoikeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour three, live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening.

Thanks for making us. Part of your day, a lot of choices up there. Dan Wojke and studio, he's a great NBA guy. I knew we're doing a lot of NBA. You know what? Got about two more weeks, heavy NBA. And we just pivot right into more vacation than NFL. Don't forget the NBA draft.

mid-June, something like that. I like the NBA draft. Do you? Not that I don't like it. I'm much more into the playoffs and the free agency. The problem with the NBA draft is there's maybe two guys that end up having a huge impact in the league, maybe three, and they're not going to really have an impact for another four to six years.

I mean, Jason Tatum is just now, the last two years, having a major impact. So you're just getting kids. So whereas the NFL, like the Seahawks have a great draft, the following year they get into the playoffs with those four or five great young players. So I don't get it. Yeah, it takes like four or five years. It's like if you're a stand-up comedian, you go out, do a set, and you get immediate response if the joke is funny. You can do a movie.

It takes nine months to make it. Then you make it. Then it's edited. Then you put it out. And then it's a process. You don't get gratification for. And by the way, then when you let it out, some movie starts. slow, then they anchor man, then a year later it hits at the box office. It's that slow gratification

of certain businesses. The NBA draft is very slow gratification. You really don't know until year three if you have yourself a motivated adult. Then sometimes you think you do in John Morant and he goes sideways. Well, I could argue that if you look at the Miami Heat and what they've done in this postseason with undrafted players, there is now more of a premium on the second round. round. You can find massive value. Nicola Yokic, second round pick. Now dominating the league, best player in the world, can you find those

in the second round going forward? Because there's a lot, it's a global sport now. I find a lot of guys out there. By the way, do you want to take a guess at Heat Celtics spread for Thursday? I just got an alert about it. I would guess Boston's

favored by two and a half. Three. You're not even close. Boston is an eight-point favorite at home in game five. I'm taking Miami in the points. I'm taking the points. Is that shocking? They're down three-one.

Remember in game one, was a game one that I said Miami was getting eight and a half and it was disrespectful to Miami. So what is it now? That is disrespectful to Miami. Eight. They lead the series three to one. And they just played a bad game so you know they'll be completely energized in Boston. Miami has broken all the computer models.

They broke in the Vegas. spreads. Nobody understands this series. Underdogs won every game. Well, I took Miami plus eight and a half game one. I'm taking Miami plus eight in game five. I'm going to just keep the money in my pocket. You don't have to bet every game. I don't understand what's going on in the series.

It's crazy. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. 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, 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, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.

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

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

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. a crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you 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. 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. Covers the Lakers for the LA Times. We put him on as often as we can in studio. Dan Wojke is joining us. So let's cut to the chase. There's the retirement talk by LeBron James. And, you know, listen, he's a very strategic guy.

Yep. That was a very emotional moment. But he did last year on the shop. He did talk about one player he would like to play with. That's roll the tape. Today's game. No, that's a in today's game,

but Steph Curry. Yeah, that's the one. Steph Curry's the one that I want to play with, for sure. Man, I love everything about that guy. Let's let. Lethal. Lethal, man. When he get out of his car, you better guard him right from the moment

he pulls up to the arena. As soon as he get out of his car, he better go out. Now, there's a story today. It's out there that if he decided to make another move, You could hang out with your family, go up for a two-game homestand. Napa, he loves wine.

What do you make of any rumor to the Warriors? I don't buy it for a second. So I think I've been on a little bit of a roller coaster with this, Colin, professionally I would say, since the end of game four with LeBron and kind of what he said. And I was in the room when he said, I've got a lot to think about. I was also in the room when he was asked previously about the future. he said, I'm not even thinking about the future. This is all in the same press conference.

He was asked again about the roster moving forwards and something. I haven't really thought about it. Right? So, like, multiple times he said, I don't really want to talk about my future. I'm not really thinking about my future. And then eventually, at the very end of the press conference, the guard came down and he said what he said about his future and how he's got a lot to think about.

To me, what's so interesting about it, because, like, in the immediacy of it, I'm so used to LeBron being so calculated. that it's like, oh, this has to be something. He's trying, he's angling for Kyrie Irving. He's trying to... Force a Trey Young deal. He's trying to get more power in the organization or whatever it is.

My initial reaction. And then you read through what he said. You rewatch what he said. And it's like, I mean, this is the fourth time that he finally says something. And then you talk to people around him and the word that kept coming up and with my sources that are close to LeBron was raw.

You heard the word raw a lot. and this was an incredibly long season, Colin. I can attest to that. Like, it felt like... You covered them. Yeah, it felt like three years and one. I mean, I had a conversation with LeBron 10 games into the year where we talked about how I was feeling like game 92 and not game 10

because they were dealing with the same sort of Russell Westbrook fit issues that they were dealing with the year before. It was like, bang your head against the wall. These things weren't getting solved. It was a very emotionally journey year. Then things got better with the trade deadline and the way they were. reformed the roster, but then he got hurt and had to deal with the physical recovery, which at age 38 is much tougher than it was at age 28.

So I think we've kind of entered the Aaron Rogers, Clayton Kershaw, Brett Farr, Tom Brady's stage of LeBron James postseason press conferences, where the answer to this question from here until his actual retirement will be some version of, I need to think about this because it's hard. And he's not a guy who's going to do this at 40%. he's going to be 100% in. And so it's going to take some time to refill the energy tank

to decide he's going to do it. But he's got 100 million reasons to do it. He's under contract. He's going to be a Laker next year. Okay. It should be noted, every place he's left has had a major rebuild. That's why a commingo Wiggins pool move.

I mean, they played pool off the court the last time they saw him in a series. I think if there was a team that would would know the warts there would be the Lakers. It's just to me, look, if he comes to you and says, I want to be traded, there's really only a handful of teams in the NBA that can even accommodate that. Or he would go to. Or that he would go to.

Warriors would be number one. He doesn't have a no trade clause. The Lakers would do right by him. He would do Miami or Golden State. Yeah, like those are teams or Cleveland, certainly, right? But the issue with like any LeBron trade, right, too, is like, I mean, you are taking in not just a massive salary, you're taking in a massive. of all-encompassing presence.

And I think what I think is more interesting about LeBron now as we move forwards. And we'll see, I mean, look, he may just decide to walk away. Year 20, it's over. Like, he could decide that, I suppose. But what I think is more likely is that he continues to sort of transition into this phase of his career where he no longer dominates for a month or for a week or even for a game, where he's dominating for quarters. He's dominating for eight-minute stretches.

is. And we saw some of that in this postseason run. I mean, look, Austin Reeves won them a playoff game. Lonnie Walker won them a playoff game. LeBron seated sort of the stage for those guys and conserved his energy. And when they needed him in game four, he played 48 minutes and almost had a 40-point triple double. He was incredible. So did Joe Missoula, the Celtics head coach, did he save his job last night? No. I think, and no, because I don't really buy that his job was. that in jeopardy. I do know that this is certainly the era of if things go wrong, we ax the coach. Especially in the NBA. Yeah, especially right now in the NBA.

I mean, you look at, and you could look around and say like, when will there ever be this good of a coaching crop out there to potentially to fill this job, right? You could talk to, you know, Monty Williams. You could talk to Doc Rivers. You talk to Neck Nurse. Like, these guys are all very accomplished, right? You have multiple NBA champions and they're Frank Vogel, you know, is a former NBA champion who has ties to Boston. All of that tracks, but I think Brad Stevens is a very loyal person, for one, loves Joe Missoula. And Boston got to this point, you know, especially through a regular season, in large part because of the way Joe Missoula handled a really rocky transition for an organization that was sort of in chaos. And

he has been very much a rookie coach in these postseason. We've seen him, I think, mismanaged timeouts at the end of games. You know, I don't know that admitting in some fashion that like maybe the locker room isn't listening to before a game. But look, his team responded. And I think the way Boston played last night shows me that they are serious about their prospects in this series, that they really, you know, I don't think they will be the team that comes back from 3-0.

But, I mean, the pathway is not, you don't have to squint to see it, right? Like, they're going to go home. They have two home games left that they can extend the. series. You have to win one more on the road. It's not an impossibility and they've got the shooting to do it. I want to pivot back to the Lakers. You covered them for the LA Times. So I never bought into them as a championship team because LeBron could give you great moments and halves, but not 40 great minutes. AD was good every other game. And Austin Reeves is a good player, but on a championship team should be a four or five. DeLo, I never trusted. He eventually vanished. I don't

think LeBron next year is going to be younger. No, I can guarantee you. He will not be. AD's not suddenly. This is his longest healthy stretch, going to be vibrant, dynamic every night. And Austin Reeves is what he is, and now he'll be expensive. So my takeaway is you've got to take a big swing.

I heard a Trey Young discussion today, a Kyrie Irving discussion, Fred Van Vleet's on the market. Do you look at it and think, A, do you think they're a championship team next year as it's constituted, and B, of all these rumors from Golden State, the Trey Young to Kyrie?

Is there one that you go? I could be talked into that. So I think to your first question, I do think there is room for growth with this team. This is a team that barely practiced together that had real continuity issues because they were thrown together in early February. And despite that had significant LeBron injury

missed 13 games in the middle of that chunk and they were kind of even two teams with that. And I do think there's growth with Austin Reeves. I do think that there's still growth potential. with Rui Hachemura, that they've maybe found something there with him, that they can, can, you know, even elevate him a little bit more as a consistent kind of, you know, three, four slash scoring option, like into the Kuzma type role that they had before. This was a good year.

This was a chance. I think this also factors into why LeBron was so angry post-game is like, they do think the window is there because they were four wins away from the finals. and in those four losses to Denver, despite losing to what was clearly a better team, you can, what is it, Colin, 12 better minutes from the Lakers in those four games to get them up three one.

Denver is young and ascending. No, exactly. These teams are moving in different directions. Yeah. That is true. But I think, you know, I think that the risk in taking the big swing, if you're the Lakers,

is two years ago you took the big swing. And it was Russell Westbrook. and you, in addition to the bad encore fit, the accounting fit was a mess. Like having a roster that had three major contracts and had a minimum bunch of guys and like one guy in the middle class and Talen Horton Tucker, it left you with no outs.

You couldn't fix it. It was too hard. They tried. They couldn't really find the right money to make deals. They didn't have the draft capital. I think, you know, if you go down that, wrote again, you're really opening the door for the same problems. Like, you balanced your roster. But Trey Young's a real player. Westbrook is way past his prime. Trey Young,

Trey Young is a guy that would get attacked similarly defensively, as D'Ansell Russell did in the playoffs, right? Trey Young is also somebody who I do think would be like, yes, as you talk about potentially like torch passing and you move to the next chapter of your team, he's certainly good enough to consider. A lot of minutes, a lot of games. But I think to me, like the biggest non-starters, I don't know how you get them, for one. Like, the Lakers aren't flush in draft picks. You know, they would have to probably put together some sort of package around, and I'm just playing fake GM here.

DeAngel Russell, Austin Reeves, and two firsts. I don't think Atlanta listens very long to that phone call. I think Kyrie Irving is a more realistic person. He's a free agent. The Lakers could create around $30 million in cap space. if they clean the books of everybody. Like Delo, Beasley, Vanderbilt. Like everybody except for Reeves, James, and N.D.

So once again, you have no bench. But that's the same problem that you just exited. So I think Path Lease Resistance here, Colin, is you retain who you can retain. And get better bench guys. Yeah, you work the minimum market again. And then, you know, you have options to try to fix your roster if it doesn't work and you can do it via trade. Tyler Hero comes back for the final.

They beat Boston. I think both are true. I like Denver, but by not as much. I think I like Denver, and I'm biased because I just watched a four-game onslaught. What do you make of you? He's the best player in the league.

I think the thing that struck me most in that series, Colin, was, I mean, in addition to like just the absurdity of how good he was offensively, is how tough he was to score on. he was tough for Anthony Davis and his physicality really, really bothered AD and I think

he gets no credit for his defense because he's got anchors for feet and stuff like that, yeah, I mean but he's so strong and so sturdy that he takes contact and he doesn't move. Just absorbs it. Yeah, and it doesn't look like a foul. It never looks like a foul. He can

dish out like real punishment because he holds his ground and somehow, I mean, this is going to say, this is going to sound crazy. Seeing him in person, his athleticism is like through the roof. Like he is, he is so gifted at grabbing a rebound and leading a fast break. Like, you watch guys sprint and somehow he's a step and a half ahead. It's the, it's the craziest thing. I mean, he looks like he's about to keel over and, you know, like you're going to have to get the paddles out or something.

But he is running and there's always people behind him. And that, like, as much as anything, his ability to continue to push into fourth quarters is why Denver swept the Lakers. He made every big play in the fourth quarter, made every right pass, he made every huge shot. And to me, that's conditioning, which is not a word you would often associate with Nicola Yokic, but it's conditioning, it's athleticism, it was his agility, his speed. He set the tempo of that series. And to me, I don't know, you went into these playoffs, I think, like a lot of people wondering, like sort of like what does Denver do if this doesn't work this year?

Like can they really go forwards with this core? And now you look at them and you know because we always like to overreact now you wonder like who's going to stop this core? You know? I mean you heard what LeBron said. I mean that like this was the best team that they have played since they like

LeBron and AD came together. This was the toughest series they played in and I mean they were they got swept by Nicola Yokic. I'm going to circle back one more time. Just listen to my pitch. Okay. What do you got? The Warriors have said, we don't care about the future. It's why they don't play Cominga and they moved off Weiseman. They have said we're bringing back Clay, Draymond, Steph. Meaning, if you're going to come play with us, yeah, got to be about

now and high IQ. Can I get the deed to Chase Center in the street? And the Lakers can say Jeannie Bus and Rob Polenka. We can kind of get our franchise back. Sure. Pool with Austin Reeves in the back court, Wiggins and Cominga, A.D. Cominga, Wiggins, Reeves, Poole. You don't got me. That's very interesting. I'd be calling around.

I'd say this coward guy is trying to sell me a bridge. You know, in this, in this scenario, like if I had to trade LeBron James, if I had to. Miami? I mean, they don't really have, I mean, am I getting Bam Adabio? How about this?

Are getting Jimmy Butler? How about this? Go to Cleveland. Go to Cleveland. Evan Mobley? What are you giving me? Darius Garland. Darius Garland.

Okay. Two draft picks. Okay. Jared Allen? I mean, I'd listen. I'd consider it. Again, I'm not asking for real estate in this deal, at least. But you stayed on the phone with Coward.

I would be more on the phone with Cleveland, Colin, than with San Francisco Colin. Darius Garland, Jared Allen, and a pick. You said two picks. See? I might be asking for three. Very difficult. This guy's hard to do a trade with. What do you got, Jay, Matt?

I don't know if he can say it, but during the commercial break, we asked about Fred Van Vleet and the Lakers. So I think is in play. I don't know if you're allowed to talk about the team. Yeah, I mean, I think Van Vleet is interesting. I mean, I think he was someone, my general sense with Van Vleet was that if the Lakers were

hell-bent on Fred Van Vleet, they should have tried to get him at the trade deadline. That's sort of my feeling. Again, for the same reasons that I just don't think it makes a ton of sense for them, completely unwind the work they did in getting more flexible at the trade deadline. I mean, they would have to renounce Ruehachamara. They would have to renounce to create even enough for cap space to get into the $30 million conversation range for Fredvill.

You're again essentially becoming a three max team. And I've come to the general belief that unless, I mean, we've seen it fail in Brooklyn. We've just watched it fail in Philly. Aging stars. Yeah, it's just, I don't think that's the way you build the team anymore. I think unless you are somehow lucking into a Miami Heat situation where it's Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosch, LeBron James, or you're the Warriors and you draft your guys and you're inputting one guy.

I just don't think the economics of it. Is there a way LeBron could get a clutch discount for it? I mean, listen, he's a better defender than Trey Young, we would have been. Sure, yeah, he's spicy. And he's a good offensive player. He's very high mileage. He's played a lot of minutes. Not a very big guy.

Yeah, I mean, I think he's a good player in theory, and he's a guy that I think would be a good LeBron AD complimentary piece. I just don't think the pathway is that clear, but you never know. You know what I mean? You start talking sign-in trades and stuff like that. I didn't think Miami, I mean, Miami didn't have the cap space to sign Jimmy Butler when they got them. they worked to sign and trade. Could that happen in this case?

I think it could. He, to me, would be the most natural fit. Fred Van Bleet, yeah. Yeah, I mean, Kyrie is the guy, though, because that is, we've just heard it so many times. And he's off the games all the time. Yeah, I mean, so that would be the, to me, the most straight ahead kind of thing.

But we talked to Rob Plinkett yesterday. I mean, he said the right things. He's going to say what he's going to say in that situation, which is we want to build around our young core, but you do talk about, you know, LeBron James getting older and stuff like that. I think keeping a group of 25-year-olds that had a pretty good season together

is probably the prudent thing to do. All right. Dan Wojke, L.A. Times, back with Herdline News after this. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders, podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA Great Fight. All happening in only one place. This league uncut.

The new NBA podcast with me. Me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to this league uncut with Chris Haines and Mark Stein. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do that? do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. 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. Oh, good to have you in. Tomorrow night, Celtics, eight point favorites. Take the heat plus eight. J. Mack with a news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Start with a quarterback you're sleeping on. Derek Carr, your guy. Yeah. Get in work with his new Saints teammates at OTAs this week. OTA's big topic. He's still adjusting to life with the organization. Derek Carr said he's starting to feel right at home in New Orleans. The foundation and the culture is already late.

I just got to come in and be me, and I've just been a fly on the wall. you know, being encouraging and being a leader and doing those things when I need to be and saying something when I need to say something. But I've honestly just enjoyed my time, just getting to be me again. And, you know, I think being in this building has been a, you know, it's rejuvenated me. You know, it's been a breath of fresh air for me, you know. You know, I never wanted to leave, you know, Las Vegas, never wanted to. But life had different circumstances.

But when I walked in this building after the last couple of months, I'm like, man, I'm glad I'm here. Well, he's got a better defense, no question, a better overall roster, a weaker division. There's a lot of pluses here. It's almost like, I'm not saying he's Brady. When Brady went to the NFC and that division and that roster of offensive players, it was built for Tom to have success. I don't know if the coach is the guy, but I will say this. That roster is significantly deeper than the Raiders roster.

It's also better than anyone in the division by a mile. Interesting thing, I close my eyes for a sec, listening to Carr speak. Does he not sound like Nick Saban? Is that like a new development? He sounds like he's a deep south guy. I did not know that about Carr. I know what's going with the sleeveless. Well, Fresno's a little country.

I guess. I've never been to, have you been to Fresno? Yeah, many times. Three or four times. Wow. Well, what's that all about? Well, they had a really good football program, and I covered teams that were there,

and they love their Fresno State Bulldogs, and they've had some good NFL players. Okay. I thought it was maybe Turk the Shark in his. No, I mean, but it's like they love their sports. It's a little country, agricultural a little bit. I think about that. Again, there's a world where the Saints with this quarterback win like 11, 12, 13 games.

Oh, God. Again, if you look at the schedule, Coward, they're going to be favored in probably like 80% of their games. This division is a dumpster fire. I'm not denying they have the best team in the division and the best quarterback. So I should probably listen to you, and I still haven't made my official predictions. This has a Vikings. Remember last year the Vikings? Like, we knew they were going to be good.

But when the Packers Crater, bears were a disaster, and lions were good, but not quite there. The Vikings rang up, I think, 13 wins or something. Their head coach has had two jobs. I know. He's won 30% of his games. Don't you worry about that a little? I mean, he's a defensive coach. That in 2023 is a consistent.

concern, and he's won 30% of his games in two locations. At some point, it's him and not everybody else. It's a real roster. What happened last year? I don't have a counter. He's got to do it. He's got to win. Alan's got to win.

Next up, you are all in on C.J. Stroud and the Texans. Listen, he's going to have his work cut out for him. And it's not like they're giving him the starting spot. Davis Mills and Case Keenam are on the roster. Head coach D'Amico Ryan said they will not decide on a starter. until the fall. This feels like a steak dinner bet. Who is starting week one for the Houston Texans?

Stroud, Keenham, or Davis Mills? Well, it's not, in our opinion, in the AFC, a playoff team. So I guess the question becomes, is there a need to absolutely play him before he's ready, him being C.J. Stroud? I think coaches would rather, like, go with a guy. I mean, it's really on C.J. Stroud. He played multiple years at Ohio State. If he can't beat out Davis Mills, I'd be concerned.

Well, Davis Mills is a pro. He's been around the league. He came highly-tattered, I believe, from Stanford. No, I mean, he's fine. But you wouldn't draft C.J. Stroud if you thought he was your future. Well, this is interesting. So they open at Baltimore, they're big underdogs. But then they're home against Indie. Davis Mills can win that game.

Indie. So can C.J. Stroud. And then they're in Jacksonville. Well, if Stroud doesn't win the starting job, there's a world where... Who do they open up with? At Baltimore. That's an L. Probably an L.

Vers the Colts, I'll give them a win. So they're one in one week three. At Jacksonville. One and two, and then who is it? Well, do one and two or two and one. Are we sure they're Jacksonville... Yeah, they're going to lose. Then versus Pittsburgh.

Where? At home. Okay, that's a viable. What's after that? At Atlanta. Okay, I would go with... To me, I would go with C.J. Stroud.

Here's the logic for holding Stroud. They buy week is seven. After the buy, you come out against Carolina and Tampa. Those are two of the worst teams in the league. Maybe you start Mills. Stroud gets, you know, six weeks of watching the offense, and then he comes out of the by week against Carolina and Tampa. That's not bad at all.

That's a good call. That's a good call. This is what I do. Yeah, you do it very well. Final story, Miami Heat. Okay, so I really, really like this a lot. And I made, you know, I kind of force this one. coward. So you know I like Jimmy Butler.

You do. He had the 29 point game last night. I know. He takes the podium and this is how he addresses the media. Listen closely. What they're trying, because everything's going to be all right. Alicia Keys, rolling in there. They're getting eight points at Boston.

How cool is Jimmy Butler? Honestly, if you can think of NBA players, you want to be friends with. Like, if they were your neighbor, you'd get them to have a beer with them and invite them over. Like, Jimmy Butler would be that dude where I just, I might do more yard work. just so I could, like, talk to him over the fence. I'm not one of those guys, like, doing yard work.

But if he were my neighbor, I feel like Jimmy Butler's got this cool vibe, singing Alicia Keys. He was singing a thousand miles by Vanessa Carlton. Have you seen that video? Carmelo Anthony, he's, like, not having it. It's Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving on a plane. He's also created during the bubble his own coffee company. I bought the T-shirt.

Like, I'm a Jimmy Butler fan boy. He's not like my number one guy. But I'm like Butler, man. He's a cool dude. Okay, let me say this. If you had to win a game, not like Jason Tatum for the future, because you wouldn't take him. Give me your starting five in the league. You've got to win a game and your stars have to play 40 minutes, which eliminates LeBron.

You played 48 yesterday. I know, but wilted in the second half. LeBron's not giving you a full game. If you had to take a starting five in the league and they got to play 40 minutes, Butler's on the team. No doubt. Yokic is on the team. There's no question. Butler's on the team.

I probably got to have Luke on there. All right. Luke is on the team. Zach LeMole Marie at the shooting guard spot. But you couldn't take LeBron or AD because, or Tatum, you don't know. Well, Tatum, I know what I get from Butler. 50 in game seven. So quick word on Butler.

Do you remember the bubble? Lakers win game one. Lakers win game two. They're up two O in the heat. Miami absolutely needs game three. Butler goes off. I think he had 40. unbelievable performance.

It ended up with him being a meme because he's like leaning on the basket. Exhausted. He went all out and they got the win to extend the series. I would not be shocked if he went into the garden and did like a curry against the Kings or Tatum against the Sixers. Would not be surprised if Butler had like 45 points

in the garden tomorrow night. I will look at Jimmy Butler props over in Boston. He's that dude. You don't mess around with Jimmy Butler, man. He's guys... I don't disagree. What are his props right now? I mean, it might take a minute to call him up on the site.

I'll have it for you after the break. How's that? All right. All right. I'm excited. You're done? J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lai News. Let's go back to my Super Bowl bubble. J-Mack was bothered by it. I think it's pretty accurate. Jets Miami are the next two I would add, but I need to watch him play in September. I got to watch two as health.

I got to see Aaron in that. tough schedule with the O-line and the young receivers. My Super Bowl bubble, very historically accurate. I think as quarterbacks have become so crucial to the league, there's about six to eight teams max that are Super Bowl teams. In fact, I always had eight as the number. I think now it's gotten down to five. Give me your elevator pitch on Dallas being on the outside.

My pitch is it's a very good defense that just got better at their weakest spot. corner. It's a very good defense. They just added because they have a young safety I like in a star corner. So they solve their biggest issue. Why they're on the outside is they're going to become more DAC dependent. Zeke is gone and Tony Pollard off an injury and the top tight ends gone. I still don't love Gallup as a two. They're very seedy lamb and DAC dependent. And the O line is, I would say, segwaying, a little tenuous. We're not exactly sure all the pieces. They just don't feel like they have the roster of Philly or San Francisco or Cincinnati. They don't have the star quarterback of Kansas City in Buffalo, but there's something there.

Dallas is viable. It feels like Dallas has more questions than my Jets. Well, the Jets questions are big questions. Left tackle, okay. Aaron's fit. You just said he looks spry and young, like an hour ago. I said it. I have to see it.

I say a lot of things. I got to see other things. No, I said, there's an argument. You argue that Pittsburgh or the Jets or Miami should replace Dallas. I think the Lions have a case. But you said, by and large, and by the way, I don't love Dallas. They were the last team I put in. Okay.

But I can be talked out. You're on Pittsburgh heavy. Probably too heavy. I think their division's really good and their conference is amazing. A lot of new in Baltimore. That has me kind of off the Ravens. How many playoff wins have the Chargers had with Herbert? I forgot.

Oh, boy. There we go. Quite a leap to the Super Bowl. Snarky didn't help Aaron and Green Bay. All right, we'll see you tomorrow, live in L.A. It's the hurt. 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.

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