The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 3 - More on Kevin Durant's debut, the Lakers lack chemistry, what the Warriors probably need this season, Rachel Nichols

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

More on Kevin Durant's debut with the Houston Rockets, the talent they have, and why they desperately need a point guard Colin talks about how good Luka Doncic looked last night after his huge weight loss, but the lack of chemistry is a problem Taking a look at the Warriors and if they should make a play for Giannis Antetokounmpo   Guest: Rachel NicholsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

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Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on.

A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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 SportsRedio.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. Rachel Nichols has been covering the NBA for... This can't be right. 32 years. Is that, Rachel, is that right? 31, but sure.

Yeah, I was a college student, and I got a job stringing for the Washington Coast covering the end of the Jordan Bulls, 90s Bowl's era. I was very nervous. I was 19 years old, but, man, it was a great start. Yeah, I'd say. That's pretty good start. Covering the Bull is your first gig. That's pretty good start.

Yep. So you talked to Luca last night. I joked, I could see his shoulders. What did he lose? 30 pounds? Like 31 pounds, he said. He did. So, first of all, it's very obvious.

Like the first two to three years of Luca, now he gets to the rim. He can attack. He's much more of an attacking player. Last year he wasn't. He got hurt. He put on weight. It was a lot of fallaway stuff. You talked to him last night.

What do he say? Well, he said with the weight loss, he said that he definitely found it easier to move around. He got back on defense more easily. You saw that last night. And he talked about attacking the paint more as well. You know, he had more paint points last night than he did in any game last season. And you could see that. So that's great for the Lakers because Skinny Luca is someone they're going to need to depend on, especially when LeBron is out.

But you saw, you know, there's not as much rhythm between these guys as J.J. Reddick would have hoped in the opening night. LeBron being out, definitely a problem. He's not going to solve all of their problems roster-wise. But JJ made the point after the game. He goes, man, there were a couple times I was like, I wish LeBron was in there. He would just take control of this play. And they don't have that without LeBron. LeBron's such a floor leader.

He's such a communicator. He's such a connector with these guys. And, you know, as LeBron has aged, we've seen the basketball skills with the athleticism diminished somewhat. But the fact that he is so smart on the court, that is such a value for this team. And that's just not there right now. Yeah. There's limitations to what they are.

They're not very athletic. on the wing. They're going to struggle against the Minnesotas. They're going to struggle against the OKCs. I thought it was interesting. You talked to Steph last night as well. Listen, Horford's not going to solve the age issues, obviously. I do believe, I talked about it earlier. I think

four first round picks, Kaminga Butler at the deadline, I don't know if it's enough, but Jimmy would go back home. Kaminga's a very good player. When he's not on the floor with Steph, he can shoot threes, he's long. But my takeaway on this team is I think everybody in the building knows

in the West, there's got to be, I said earlier, Jimmy Butler's more fling than Faze. I don't know. I mean, maybe that's what they think privately. It's certainly not what they're saying. They seem to be very confident in the group that they have. You know, it's interesting. Steph told me that their biggest struggle last year, even after they got Jimmy, was they were trying to play so much catch up.

He said, we can't do that again this year. We have to be able to be in that top four in the West when the regular season ends. so it's a much easier ride starting out the playoffs. And even last year, they did make it to the second round. I know you think that Jimmy Butler is a fling. They don't think so. Since Jimmy Butler joined this team in games he's played, they are 24 and 7.

They absolutely believe he was the missing piece that they needed. And when I spoke to Jimmy about this, he said for him, it's such a good fit because he said for the first time since he was in Chicago, everybody on the team knows who the number one option is. There's just no doubt about it. And that includes him. He said the number one option is Steph Curry. It is always Steph Curry.

It will always be Steph Curry as long as Steph is playing. So that comfort level, that has been a big part of why these guys have all jelled so well together. They all know exactly what they're supposed to do. They all trust each other. And Jonathan Kaminga, to your point, he played really well last night. He did all the things that Steve Kerr has been asking him to do. So at least outwardly, they believe this is a team that they can win with in the West. And the Janus factor, of course, is always out there.

And I don't think any team is going to say no to Yana says to Kumpo, but Yannis has to want to go there. Yannis only has one more season after this that he's tied to that contract. And if he gets to the point next summer where he has not signed an extension in Milwaukee, the Bucks are going to have to make a deal for him because they don't want to just lose Janus for nothing on an expiring contract the next season. So that's when we might see things sort of come to a head. it's possible that if the bucks lose a ton in the first few months of the season,

Yanis could go before the trade deadline. But if they play decently well, Janice is at least in the short term interested in making this work, and he might not be available until the summer. So I would have opened with the OKC Thunder because they're the champs. My second game last night would have been Wemby against Cooper Flag. I think you've got to sell another generation. I don't think 62-year-old MJ is the, I mean, again, legend, I get it. I think baseball has pivoted to all of its young stars.

It's worked. I think basketball's still holding on to their legends. I would have gone Cooper flag. Wemby last night is the second game. So Cooper's going to be great. I can't wait to watch him. Wemby apparently, and you're on that, I apparently he's put on like 30 pounds or something. I mean, he's just been in the weight room.

Tell me what we're going to see. Yeah, no, he is super eager. And you can look at all the things we saw him do through social media and reporting this summer. He spent time in a monastery learning, you know, meditation techniques. You know, he was out there playing chess. He was trying to, you know, all these different things that he thinks are going to help him with his game.

And obviously, in the wait room too. He has such a high motor. I think a real key for the Spurs this year, even though they are still developing, they have a bunch of young players. They kind of need to get to that playoff point because so far it has been in Wemby's first couple of seasons. We'll get there. We've got plenty of time.

We want to bring everyone along slowly. We want to develop the core. They wanted to get maybe a few more high draft picks. We saw them get Dylan Harper this past June. Now it is time on Wendy's timeline to make the playoffs. He is just not a guy who's going to be satisfied with sitting around there. So I'm interested to see how the Spurs do that. The Spurs, by the way, another contender for Janus.

Can you imagine that duo on the court together? I can't. I don't even know if the screen will be able to hold how tall they are. But, you know, we'll have to see if they make any more moves. They are so stocked with draft picks and future assets that they are going to be a player if they need to be come the trade deadline and certainly next summer. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

Check out my weekly MLB podcast inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday. So do yourself for favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas, we invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife-12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis.

And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. So Katie was, I watched it, was very, very good in the first half. You know, game went long and, you know, I felt like Houston, you kind of throw Katie in.

He's your sniper, but they don't have a point guard now because of Fred Van Leet. So they obviously need a point guard. Otherwise, they become the clippers with Paul George and Kauai. And you're like, well, who's getting us into the offense? There's nothing Ty Lou can do. The Rockets similarly have a very good coach. I did feel like late Houston didn't quite

know exactly you know I mean I'm in Thompson's great and there's no question Katie's great but he's not going to start you're not going to get you into the offense like Kauai has tried what do you make of them going out they've got to solve the point guard issue in the west

in the east I think Shengun Amen and Katie in the east could win the conference I mean seriously I think you're 100% right I'm laughing because it's an absurd circumstance but you're absolutely right I mean, what kind of move can they make?

Because they're just in the West without their guy getting him into the offense. What did you make it last night? Well, look, the Rockets, this whole way through with Raphael Stone, have been very much, let's see what we have before we go out and make a bunch of moves. So they believe Amman Thompson can develop into the kind of playmaker they need him to be. And he did some of that last night. They expect it not to happen on game one of the season. So that will develop over the course of this year.

We'll have to see how well. he does there he's obviously just hugely talented and I would say the most athletic guy in the NBA right now yeah the problem is they don't have any depth there now that Fred Van Belede is gone so you saw Amman Thompson go out with leg cramps last night and that's why late they didn't look good because they really didn't have anyone to put in that position behind him and that's something they're gonna really need to find even if it's just a smaller trade for a backup point guard that's where I might see them going at some point

before the deadline because the depth issue is as much of a problem as just not having Fred out there at all and KD look he took the blame for the loss after last night and he certainly had a couple things that were just not in character for him right no he was never going to go be the team's point guard but he usually makes his free throws and he missed a crucial one at the end of the game we saw him you know foul she I would argue that wasn't his fault she just danced around so much on that play I think any defender might have drawn a foul there. We did see him call for that timeout that they didn't have a little Chris Weber action. Fortunately, none of the refs saw it or certainly fortunately for the rackets. I haven't spoken to

Katie this morning. I don't know if it was nerves or not. But here's something I've seen, Colin, and I'm sure you've noticed it too, that great, great players in the last quarter of their career, you'd think that they'd have no nerves in the world. They've been doing this forever. They're so elite. They're one of the best ever. They get a little more jumpy toward the end of their career because they know better than anyone that it's almost over. And Derek Jeter and I used to have long conversations about this. He said, I was more nervous in the final year with the Yankees than I was in my rookie year. I don't know if that's what Katie was feeling. I don't know if it was just, you know, he's got to get more in league with his teammates short preseason and we'll see him be more

comfortable as he goes on. But some of those little uncady things, again, I haven't spoken to him. I'm not inside his head. But it seemed a little bit to me like a little first night, not quite in the team yet, maybe a little bit of, I would say jitters, but just discomfort. We'll see. Yeah, and the crowd's getting after him. And, you know, I mean, I just, that's, I mean, listen, Draymond Green admitted a couple years ago in Boston. He's like it got into my head. Like, I get it.

If you're in an arena, it's not like the NFL where fans are a mile away. And the NBA, they're eight feet from you. Yep. You know, and they're in your face. So I get, I get players. I mean, I think officials get intimidated. I think officials in college and pro get intimidated because of the proximity of So if Katie struggled late, I get it.

I get it. Rachel Nichols, Fox Sports. We're going to have her on a lot. And tonight it is Cooper, Flagg, and Wembe. Can't wait. Good seeing you, Rachel. See you there. All right, JMAQ with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. All right, Colin, great news out of Baltimore. Lamar Jackson just jogged on to the practice field to the first time since September 28th. Okay, now this is a game now. Now, Bears at Ravens is a game.

So it's interesting. We don't know that he's playing yet. And I just wonder how much this was calculated. So practice starts and then 20 minutes later, after things are underway, Lamar just jogs out. Now he's only doing minor warm-up throws, a little bit of running. Colin, he hasn't practiced in almost a month. I don't, maybe this is gamesmanship from Harbaugh, you know?

You yank the ping pong tables and then you plant the seed. hey, maybe Lamar's back. Maybe it's Cooper Rush again. I don't know. My gut would tell me he's not going to start. I don't think you rush him out there. My gut tells me he's going to play. Dude, they can't lose any more games.

Now that Joe Flacco's beaten Pitchburg, they got to play him. I think they have to play. I don't think they have. I mean, listen, he's not going to be. How many quarterbacks, Justin Herbert's gotten hit 50 times? Nobody's 100%. If you're 90%, I mean, first of all, Lamar's going to want to play. that's the kind of person he is. He's going to want to play.

You're going to have to talk him off the field. So I think you play him. But you're waiting to bet this, right? You're not laying anything yet. Well, first of all, it's not a very good NFL weekend. So if Lamar plays against Caleb, that's a great game. The league, the league could use Lamar in that early window. All right, let's move on to the Philadelphia Eagles, Colin.

Jalen Hertz, quietly. I said quietly, having one of the great seasons. Are you ready for this? In Philadelphia Eagles history? He has 11 touchdowns in one pick. Best in the NFL. He's got a franchise high 108.9 passer rating. We know the Vikings defense with Flores fresh off a buy.

He cooked them. Perfect passer rating. 326 yards, three touchdowns. Colin, I'm waiting. Where is the respect for Jalen Hertz? Come on. He needs it. He's been phenomenal quietly.

They've been outgained in every single game. The staff looked it up during the break. Okay. Well, maybe that's because Sequin Berkeley's not doing his job. I mean, he doesn't have 90 yards in a game. I don't take this season. But all I heard last year, Colin,

hey, it's all Sequin Berkeley. So now no Sequin, five and two. Hertz has great numbers. Like, what are we doing? Are we going to give him? I see you. It's just, it's paining you to say,

yes, Jason Hertz. He's a top five quarterback in the league. No, no. He's a top five winner in the league. Oh, goodness, gracious. I don't know what he's got to do. I mean, highest passer rating, Colin, I don't know. Big names on that list, your guy, Jared Gough.

And Jalen Hertz checking in fourth. By the way, highest pass rate, where's Mahomes on that list? He hasn't been. He was terrible last year. Come on. Where's Josh Allen on that list? I don't, I don't, that's a good question. Passer rating is a part of, there's a compilation of stats.

Yes, I'm. composition. It's okay. It doesn't mean the end of the world. Final story is your Dodgers. They are headed into the World Series. Obviously, starts Friday on Fox. Everybody's very excited, especially to see Shohei Otani. He had that incredible six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and then pop three homers.

Probably the greatest game in Major League Baseball playoff history. I don't know. I don't know what's better. Anyway, Dion Sanders was so impressed that he has charged. signed in on what Otani did. He did what? Six innings struck out 10 and then went three for three at the plate

and hit three home runs in a close-out game. Can they just hand him the MVP during the game? Like everybody's launching and he hit bombs now. It's unbelievable, man. What this game has gotten to, but I like it because it's faster, it's quicker, and you're allowing, it's many more guys.

I hope he opens the door for others. Because there's many more pictures, many, not more, that's no sound right. many pitchers that can do both, but they're never allowed to do so. I'll tell you this. One of the things that's very noticeable when you watch Major League Baseball now, how many dudes throw at 100? I mean, it just shows you how much stronger people are.

First of all, there's so many pitchers now that are like 6'6 and above. It's just guys throwing straight downhill. But I can remember in the 70s and 80s that Nolan Ryan in the 80s, You're like, oh my guy, that guy throws a hundred. And not every pitch. Nolan was at 98 a lot. There was a guy that pitched for the Astros, J.R. Richard. And I can remember the name because J.R. Richard was a guy that could reach.

I think he reached 100. Is this a 70s reference again? Yeah. Yeah, that's when sports was really special. Oh, gosh. Back in the good old days. I'm just telling you, Nolan, Ryan, J.R. Richard. I can't think of a third guy.

Seaver threw it hard, but I think he was like high 90s. everybody throws a hundred. It's insane. There's one guy that threw a hundred three, one oh four? Yeah. It's amazing. Athletes keep getting better. Imagine how that works.

It's funny. Hey, Nolan Ryan. Funny thing about Nolan Ryan, he's through seven no hitters, but go look at his win-loss record. You would think of a guy has seven-no-hitters. You only won't want 78% of his starts. I think he was a little above 500, I think. Boy, they need a Jeopardy category with 70s sports trivia.

You would clean up, man. I would. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Okay, the staff is looking it up as we speak. Look at this.

He won 52% of his games and had seven no hitters. Yeah. But it's just everybody's throwing 99, 100 miles an hour. out of the pen, closers, it's incredible. And Toronto still, I'm telling you, Toronto's going to be viable in this series. I'll take Toronto to win game one, Dodgers win next to, and then we'll see what happens.

But the Blue Jays will be the first team in the playoffs to put consistent pressure on the Dodgers because they just get runners on and they've got a lot of guys that can drive them in. And there's no way Blake Snell can be that good against Toronto as he was against Milwaukee. There's no way. That was Kofax-like. I don't think we see that again. 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, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

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

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little Notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 occupier Pella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending. Opinions are flying. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsSlic on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen Chinch win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted.

She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

So we were talking about this. There are certain teams that I buy more than the betting public or the experts. I think the Dallas Mavericks are going to be really good. And I don't buy the calves. I think they're deep. But Donovan Mitchell can go a little Westbrook. I don't think he necessarily elevates others. I think Houston with a point guard, if Fred Van Bleet was healthy, could win it.

Because I think Shen Goon by the end of the year has a chance to be a top six player in the league. top five or six. I think he's that good. He's a kid. But I was just sitting here thinking of the top ten teams in the league. And again, at the top, it depends on what flavor. I think Denver has a chance to be the best team in the league. And then I think OKC, Dallas, and Minnesota round out the top four. All the best four teams are all excellent coaches, smart teams, you know, can protect the rim. Denver, OKC, Dallas, Minnesota.

I like Dallas more than the betting public. and then I think you get into a Orlando Knicks Cavs situation. They're good. They're not elite. And then I would say Houston Golden State Lakers are all flawed. Houston doesn't have a point guard. Golden State's too old. And the Lakers are not athletic enough to defend the rim or the perimeter.

But I don't, I mean, Orlando Knicks and the Cavs, I do not think are titled teams. I think Orlando is the best team in the east. now adding Desmond Bain now if Jason Tatum was healthy it's different if Halliburton's healthy so in one year Indiana and Boston could very well battle for the championship this is a lob-sided year and again I am not into the last year I remember J-Mac coming on the air and predicting that Indiana was going to dominate Cleveland and I thought you were nuts and you they I mean, they dominated them. And so I'm just, I think the caps have depth, but I just, I just don't see it.

Yeah, there's a lot of championship team. I think Garland's out. Max Truce is out to start the season. The Knicks, by the way, Carlante Towns not playing tonight. I don't know if teams are starting load management or just trying to prevent the injuries. Because, Colin, we saw last year what, Damian Lillard, Tatum, Halliburton. These are like top 20 players in the league all go down with injuries. The great players in the league.

Donovan Mitchell's a good player. He averaged less than four assists a game in the playoffs. Yeah. Okay, so he's, you know, it's like the Kauai Leonard thing. Kauai is great. Who's he elevating? Westbrook was great. Who, in his prime?

Who's he elevating? James Harden, to his credit, pivoted and became a much better distributor, I think, in the mid the second half of his career. But I, um, so if you look at these international players, what makes Shengun or Yokic so great is, their ability to score 30 and have 12 assists and hit multiple threes. These international players are their skill level at 22, 23, 24 years old is unbelievable. Our domestic players are great. They're not as great early. And I think it's the academy system over in Europe, whatever it is.

And I think Cooper Flagg, who debuts tonight, has a European feel. He handles the ball, scores at the rim, elite plus defender, can shoot the threes. A Cooper flag in terms of a domestic rookie is about the best player we've had in a decade. Possibly. It's interesting because even in tech, and I know you follow tech a lot, you go look at who Elon Musk recruits as the engineers. He goes and gets international guys to come over here to America and work for Tesla. This is well documented. Similarly, you've got these basketball players very well-rounded. They do everything great. The work ethic is amazing. They come in and like you said, Shengoon is not even 25 years old. He's, he's, I think he's,

I think he's 23. I mean, these guys are, honestly, I think what was the number seven straight MVPs have been international? Yeah, the last American MVP, domestic guy, Arizona State, Oklahoma City, Houston was James Harden seven years ago. And the odds on favor of this year, in terms of like numbers, Wemby's going to give it a run because Wemby's going to have six blocks a game, 25, 28 points a game.

Wemby Cooper flagged tonight? How good is that? See, I would have had that last night. I would have both put it with the thunder of the champs. Then I would have gone to Cooper flag. See, the NBA made a choice. 62-year-old MJ, 40-year-old LeBron, hopefully, and Steph. They made that choice. They do it on Christmas.

But, Colin, they would get crucified on Christmas for not putting Indian and O KC. Remember last year that was the big story? Well, you're going to give us our respect. Obviously you're going to put Curry and LeBron on opening now. Why? Well, because they're Curry and LeBron. They've carried the league for 15 years. They had the most social media followings.

They're huge on every platform. You need them on opening. Is Major League Baseball? Who is the last? I mean, Major League Baseball is not going to open up and put a star in his 60s in the opening night, opening day. Otani playing in Japan a couple years ago.

And like Sunday night baseball is always Yankees, right? Yankees Red Sox? Like, I mean, I can't bash the NBA for that. I will say Wembe versus Cooper Flagg needs like major promo on whatever network has. Here's the top five MVP odds for the NBA. SGA, Yokic, Luca, Janice Wemby, all international guys. I mean, that's what the league, and I'm for it. Well, it doesn't help that Zion Williamson like ate his way out of the league briefly.

And John Morant can't get his act together. Those guys were supposed to be next. Well, a few years ago. One of the value propositions of international players is they're more mature. It's fair. I mean, Zion and Jaws struggle with maturity. Ant has struggled to some degree with a little maturity. The international guys, they just come in, and it is all basketball, no nonsense.

They'd live, breathe, eat, sleep, hoops. And they're really, really loyal. Cooper flag appears to be cut from that close. He's not out there at the nightclubs. You know, he's not flexing on social media. He appears to be one of those. I mean, is he from Maine, I believe? Or grew up there.

I can say that Maine does Maine have a nightclub? I mean, I, I mean, you walk in, it's $12 cover and caribou sitting in the corner. I don't even know what. No, I think Cooper Flagg, here's the thing that I see Cooper Flagg. His skill level for his age. Yeah. feels European. I mean, if you've not, I watched last night, Houston,

Schengoon's skill level at 23 is insane. Cooper Flagg can do everything. Runs the floor, handles the ball, shoots, really physical, defends. Most, even LeBron is rookie year. Wasn't a great defender. Cooper Flag is a, people have said Jason Tatum is his comp.

Two things he's better than Jason Tatum. Much better defender at this age, and much more aggressive player. I mean, Tatum still has that kind of passive thing in big spots. We're like, take the game over. Cooper Flag is hyper-aggressive, unbelievable defender at his age. So he is better than Tatum. Now, a lot of young players shoot the three better than guys that broke in eight years ago

because the whole damn sport is shooting threes now. So I'm not going to hold it against guys. But in terms of Cooper Flag is, he's old-school aggressive. Like he's not going to hang out in the summer. dude, he's going to be all Mavericks, all basketball, all about winning. Well, Tatum is in that mold. And by the way, I think he was all NBA for like four years in a row, first team. Let's not say Cooper Flagg's better than him yet.

Maybe down the road. I'm saying at his age. Yes, yes, at his age, Cooper Flag. Phelag, phenomenal. Listen, you want to make me cry? You know, ask me why Cooper Flag didn't get the ball against Texas Tech in the final four and how Duke blew that game. Oh, my gosh, it's unbelievable.

But anyway, so last night, it was fun. It was a midweek. I've always argued the NBA. Every league should cut down games. Of course, they're all going in different directions because billionaires want more money. I've always argued the NBA should open on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Because we get football saturation, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. We talk about it Monday.

And then Tuesday, Wednesday is wide open. That's when the NBA should start. I'd cut it down to 68 games. I'd cut baseball to 120. I want the playoffs starting in August 20th, not least. late September, October. But, you know, nobody's listening. Try telling these players that, yeah, you have to take less money,

try to tell the owners, hey, less revenue because you're down 15 games or whatever, none of that's happening, you know. I got to tell you something. We, this is, we are in the golden age of globalization sports. The NBA, I'm watching last night, these guys are so good. The quality of bigs, European bigs, is just wow. Just wow. They're not going to do for 30 on them because they're not that fascinating, but in terms of skill. And the other thing is international players, when they come over here, like they really, I mean, it's a little bit like you and I traveling overseas with our family.

You tend to be a little more gracious when you go overseas. You tip a little better. You feel like, hey, I'm a visitor. It's almost the way when they come to the states to play basketball, they're very gracious. I mean, they're nice to fans. They're just all they care about is basketball. Yeah. And they're not, they don't. I mean, I think they're really great stewards of the game. But man, they want to go back home in the season ends.

It's interesting. And they're totally loyal. Luca was devastated that he was traded. Yeah, if you look at some of these franchise quarterbacks in the NFL, they're in that mold. Jalen Hertz's all business shows up with a briefcase. Justin Herbert's not out partying. Patrick Mahomes, total clout.

Like, they have their act together. And it's almost like a, European basketball vibe. We're like, honestly, I don't, I mean, Joe Burrow goes to a couple of fashion shows, but otherwise, these guys are locked in. You know why the Eagles don't have a ping pong table in the facility? Jalen's like, none of that nonsense here. The adult.

Jalen hurts. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 street or 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moment. in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear.

Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife-Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last?

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