The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - NBA

Episode Date: July 12, 2023

Thoughts on NBA free agency Fox Sports Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas joins the show in studio to set the expectations for the men's national team as they continue to rise to the top of international competition.   Guest: Jim Jackson, Alexi LalasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, welcome back, Jim Jackson, Fox Sports. So we've got Wemby, we got Zion, we got all sorts of interesting, forget the dame stuff for now, it's going to take a while. So the NBA free agency, there, a lot of fans bristle at it, and I kind of do, but I get it, when a player says, I want to go there and a team is like, well, bro, we got to get something back because it gives the player all the leverage, but you also don't. want an unhappy player. In the NFL, they don't give a rip. They just trade you. NBA's different. So the player generally gets what he wants. But let's go beyond that to free agency and what teams are doing and building and plans. What do you see?

You know, first, I agree with you on that the player empowerment part, but you think about it, you still, even though players have demands, you can't really think about a player that's demanded to go somewhere where a team adhered to that but didn't get a boltload of things in the turn. Yeah. So it wasn't like it was one side of. like a player, decided, okay, I want to be traded here. And the organization said, okay, I feel obligated that no matter what happens, that will trade them over there.

Right. I could think of one time, like Kobe, when he resigned this deal with the Lakers, they overpaid him. They probably got strapped salary cap-wise. But Jeannie wanted to take care of him for his long term, I mean, for what he gave to the franchise. And they knew that it was strapped them from building the team. But that's the only instance.

Now, he didn't ask to be traded, but they adhere to his contract demands because of his longevity and what he brought to the table. But he also brought a lot of titles. Exactly. He's been great, but it hasn't brought you a ton of titles. So how much do you owe him? But that's why I think when you think about players demanding to go somewhere, we really haven't seen that come to fruition where a team hasn't gotten something out of. Anthony Davis demanded to get to the Lakers, but you got a ton of young talent, but you also had draft capital, too. So both sides kind of won what they needed to get.

If you'd give me three ones and two rotational, I'd be good with it. Well, look at the way teams are being built. Denver is where you got your top player, then you got Jamal Murray, you got Michael Porter Jr., then it's built around a combination of players that fit roles, Aaron Gordon. Look at Miami. Miami doesn't, besides Jimmy Butler, bam out of bile, then the secondary with Kyle Lauer,

you built around complimentary players that understand their roles. It would be interesting to see how teams continue to build, out like that if they choose to go back that way, top two players maybe, the rest are complimentary players of different contracts, which I don't want talked about when we're talking about free agent, which is interesting this year because you've been around, Jason, you've been around a long time. If the NBA could change one thing, what do you think it is? If constructively revenue-wise, if the teams wanted to do one thing differently, the owners or the owners? in regards to players in their contracts.

Well, I think they get jammed up. They don't want to give good players extensions. Like Paul George, the Clippers like him. They just don't want to give them an extension for five years. They'd love to give them a two-year extension. So I think that's a hard, and I think it's a difficult one. What is your idea? Guarantee contracts.

If the owners can get out of doing guaranteed contracts similar to the NFL. So players will make more shorter. So think about what's happening. We went from back in the day We can do a 10-year deal, right? Chris Weber, Big Dog Robinson. Magic had a huge deal. That dropped down to six,

dropped down to five. Now what you've seen in this year's free agency. Now, you know, the main guys are going to get their contract, four or five years, six-year deals. They're going to get their deals. But it's the secondary players because teams don't want to get locked into guaranteed contracts for a long time.

So what I wanted to show was this year's, like a lot of this free agency, what we're going on. Yeah. The headlines were, well, these guys were signing for a lot of money, multi-year deals. But if you dig a little bit deeper, like a Bruce Brown, okay, he signed 45 millions for Indiana. Yeah. Only one year's guarantee. Okay. Jock Landell, four years, $32 million. One year's guaranteed. So that gives cap flexibility, roster flexibility to the team, but now you're shortening those contracts. But as a fan, I don't give a rip. I don't

want my, I want my team to be flexible. What happens when teams, like Jalen Brunson deals great, he's good, it's fairly compensated, and it goes down. That allows the Knicks to be flexible. I think when you get into trouble, I don't care if players get rich, they all get rich. I want my team to be able to move off guys if they're hurt or if they underachieve, or if there's bad chemistry. Like, I would sign Kyrie, but in a year, if it doesn't work again with Luca, I want to get out of it.

Three years, I'm trapped. But that's what I'm saying. The progression over the years of having shorter contracts allows more flexibility for the team. Now, from the ownership perspective, I get it. As a player, I want guaranteed money. You know, whatever it takes. So it's a confluence between the two thought processes. But this is why I go back and say this is that when we talk about player control and which league has the best of it, what would you say?

That players have NFL. Well, I'm talking about as far as players having really. control. Oh, I think, well, baseball contracts are endless, but I think NBA guys have more control. Okay, so control over what is the question? Because to me, when I look at it, and I think Adam Silver and NBA does an outstanding job of this, promoting the player empowerment. Sure, that's great. Okay. But the control part to me is not economic. Because when you look at the non-economic factors in basketball, okay, the league, the union will come in and say, okay, we want less four games in five days. We want less back-to-back games.

We want to shorten our training camp. We want all these things. Those are non-revenue decisions. That the NBA is like, okay, no problem. But when it comes to revenue-driven decisions, the bubble. Players didn't want to play, but guess what? It was stipulations in the collective bargaining room and said, if you don't play, you had to play.

Right. Well, the next year, since the season is so long, we want to start after. This is confusing for the audience. That's simple. I mean, for the audience is trying to, what's the simplest thing you want? and think is good for everybody. The simplest thing, that's not that simple. Because it's too much money involved.

It's too much money involved in regards to... I think teams get trapped and it screws fans. I'm glad a guy gets rich. They all get rich. I don't give a risk. The simple equation is this, is that you make money, I make money, we're happy. Okay? You make money.

Fans aren't happy. Fans want to win. But you can't, you're not going to be able to have. have three sides where everybody is happy. By the way, why is the NFL king? One of the reasons players have less power. If a guy is great, he'll get paid. If he's not, he doesn't disrupt the room.

We get rid of him. It's the same in baseball. You sign a big contract. If a guy underachieves, you're trapped. And then you have certain teams, like if you pay a fortune for Shohei Otani and he got hurt, angels can't afford any more players. So to me, I think fans are always like, yeah, I want the guy to get the bag. They're all rich. LeBron's got, the stars will always get paid.

But the NBA, I think the NFL, one of the reasons it's king, everybody's got hope. Albert Hainsworth goes to the Patriots, literally won't practice, out the door. Yeah. But structurally is different too because what they, think about the progression of where football came from. Because back in the day, hockey was, I think, bigger in regards to a national sport in baseball than football, okay? but over the years as football began to grow, they didn't have to adhere to some of the demands of the players. NBA is different because of what happened in the 70s and early 80s

with the drugs and the cocaine and the league was not prospering financially. David Stern had to turn that and say, we need to promote individual players more than teams. And I'm for it. But that's where the change started to happen with the NBA because they needed individual players to produce the kind of awareness, likeness, popularity for the league. And that's where I think the players begin to get more powerful in regards to...

But I think American players are now distracted in European players. I said earlier, four guys I would build around in the NBA today under 30, they're all European. Janice, Yonkish... American players been distracted. I mean, you know, because the way we grew up in our society, European players, listen, a lot of stuff that they deal with is a lot different. Well, they face men at 16. Oh, yeah.

I mean, Wembe just said yesterday, you got European basketball. is way more physical. They've been pushed around for three years. And they come over here and it's more, it used to be euros were thought of as soft. Now I think they're more skilled and our guys are distracted. IG, shoe, no,

I will agree with you from this perspective that it's a lot tougher for young men and women growing up here in America to stay focused on the bigger picture. Because you had so many things pulling away. Not just IG. It's just also family and friends who are filling young men and women's heads with expectations that they can't reach, or that you have to give something back to me if I help you here.

Where European players, not to say that some European players don't go through that, but for the majority part of it, the mentality is so different, and you can see it. Oh, you can see they play it against older people. They're visitors. They come in more focused. They feel like visitors. It's different. Anyway, I want to move off two things.

Wembenyama What is he going to look like as a rookie? He'll probably have some ups and downs to try to figure out the consistency in the NBA in regards to what's expected of him and what I say that is that Pop is going to put him in a situation

he's going to demand a lot of things defensively you have to be solid one you can't turn the basketball over shot selection all these little teaching things. It's just like when Tim Duncan came in he was fortunate to have David Robinson on the side so he can make mistakes and is not as well, I think, covered in regards to his mistakes.

Wimby is going to be under such a microscope, and Pop understands that. I think he's going to have, he's going to be very strategic in how he grows. Okay. Schooled Henderson is going to have more of a chance, I think, to put up big numbers. But I think in the long run, Wimby, because of his talent, is going to supersede that, but it's going to take a little bit more structurally for him to figure. some things out in San Antonio, which would be great for him, thinking a long term. Zion weight and health issues, he acknowledged this week, I need wisdom around me.

Guys that struggle with weight, I can name four or five guys, Oliver Miller-Varrel well-known. It's interesting. We were talking about this yesterday. There's some discipline issues with him. Did you know guys in the NBA that entered undisciplined and became disciplined as they got richer? Oh, that's a tough one. That's a tough one. Because Zion's problem is that he was so physically gifted in high school, he can get away with anything.

Didn't have to develop much. It's like an ultra-talented player that doesn't have to work as hard because he's so much better. But then when you begin to get into a higher-level competition, now you start to even some things out. Because guys work harder. They take care of their bodies. And now they may not be as skilled as you, but they're performing at a higher level because they do all the other things. That was one of the things, challenges that Zion has to kind of figure out. out, he's been so dominant for so long at that weight, well, I can still do it.

But now you're talking about 82 games, if you play that much, the wear and tear, the expectations, all those things go into being a great player. And before, he can just turn it off and on. You can't do that in this league consistently for a long time. And that's what I think he's saying. But that's okay. He's still young. I'm glad that he has the awareness.

Now, the question is, Colin, he has the awareness. you do about it? Who do you bring around to ensure that you stay on course that allows you to be the kind of player, not that everybody wants you to be, the kind of player that you see and envision yourself be. That's what's most important.

Steph Curry is going to be asked probably if you look at the Warriors, they don't want to get smaller. He'll probably be asked by Steve Kerr to come off the bench. Who? Steph Curry? No, no, no, no, Chris Paul. You said Steph. I said, oh, I think that's why Jason last.

No, I think I did. Okay. Chris, you need to come off the bench. How's that play? That's a great question. I thought about it would be great for Golden State. Because what you have is Draymond and Steph handling the basketball in the first unit. So you don't want to take away from what Draymond does.

Or Chris does. Or Chris does. So on that second unit, Chris can be the solidifier in that group. Because what made Golden State so potent was their second unit? It didn't drop off as much when they were winning championship. No, that's interesting. and the two guys they want to really develop are Cumminga. Yep.

Chris is great at that. And the kid they just drafted the shooting guard back of clay. Yeah. So they want those two young guys to pop. What's Chris's strength? Right here. And getting young guys pick and roll to pop. Finding shooters the ball, pick and roll.

So I think what Golden States take is our second unit won't be as good as our first, but it'll be better with Chris. And he's going to end up developing. potentially two young stars because Kaminga, Curry doesn't elevate him. Steph's game is almost a, it's almost freakish. You watch it.

Yeah, you watch it. And it's hard for a young guy to feed off it because Steph's going so fast. Chris's game is more plotting. It's slower. It's more deliberate. He's like Kaminga, Chris's pace is built for younger players. Steph's going a thousand miles an hour.

I think young guy, I think Wiseman struggled with it. I think Kaminga struggles with it. It's just too catch and react. But also, Chris eliminates Kaminga from trying to do things one-on-one because he's going to set him up and put him in a good position to be effective. But I also think Chris Paul, if he comes off the bench, it doesn't matter at this point as a career, because they're going to be a lot of games where Chris ends the game,

where they may go with that small lineup. So that's what's most important. And he's not going to put the wear and tear on his body throughout the course of the season. So hopefully for Chris, he'll be fresh come playoff time, injury-free. And now that gives him an opportunity really to see, it can do completely healthy. So to be able to have the flexibility, I think, for Golden State is the key there. When to input, Chris, when to bring him out, when to put him in the starting line up,

when to keep him on the second unit. But also, like you said, he's going to ensure that he helps develop and make that second unit more efficient when Steph Clay or Dremon are off the game. Yeah, when Steph was off the floor last year, the plus mine plummeted. Well, because you didn't, I mean, it's just. And Jordan Poole was a turnover prone, played fast. Now, this is what I want to be interested to see with Chris Paul because Golden State is a high turnover team.

They've been a high turnover team even when they won championship. Because of some of the decision making trying to make the spectacular play. With Chris Paul does that skew down a little bit more because that frustrated Steve Curran, a lot of games where they've cut up one that the game was in balance. It was just probably inopportunistic turnovers that cost them some game. for a highly, I mean, educated and high IQ team to turn the basketball over like they've done, Chris Paul, I think, can solidify that a little bit more with his decision making. Good stuff, Jim Jackson.

You got it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. J. Mack with the news. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotes. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

Yep, that's me. Clipper 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, personal health, personal health, personal.

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. 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. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Go to the Denver Broncos, Colin. They were awful last year. They were.

Downright putrid. But they now have Sean Payton as head coach. New energy to the organization. Safety, Justin Tim Simmons says the entire team is ready to move forward. He's good. You have to have a short-term memory. 2002. Denver Broncos are in 2022.

We've turned the page, and we're all focused on 2023. I think it helps a lot when you have that mindset. And I know a lot of our team does. Working with Coach Payton has been great. It obviously has been just a few short months talking about OTAs, but they've been great. Practices have been fun. I'm looking forward to camp here in the next few weeks. Well, a lot of this team, I really want to see.

Will Russell run more? And is that young running back? Is it Jibonthe Williams? Is he ready to roll? If they can be a more run-oriented team, more play action, Russell moves, a little more consistent run game. They've upgraded the O line. It'll just shift the way they look.

So Russell's mobility will be a curve. It'll be the off-speed pitch. So if you go back to Seattle when they had Marshawn Lynch, when they have the power running game, because he's not the greatest pocket passer, he's okay. When he can give you, when he has a run game and Russell can throw to surprise you, the element of surprise, that's when he's effective.

Last year, they trailed. It's third and nine. Russell drops to throw. He's not going to run. It was painful. Russell's great on third and three. Run, pass, not sure. So if they can have a dynamic run game and they've upgraded the O line,

let's get back to Russell. Element of surprise, mobility. That's Russell at his best. Not sitting in the pocket throwing 39 times. I know we're talking about the playoffs in Denver, but Colin, just looking at the AFC. I'll have my AFC playoff predictions tomorrow, but I don't know, man.

I mean, in the division, we have the chiefs in. You put the Chargers or Broncos, and you look around the AFC, and it's like jets, dolphins, you know, we like the Steelers, the Ravens. Not everybody's going to make it. It's tough. We'll do that tomorrow. Next up, player mobility has been strong in the NBA, giving stars the power to make the moves they want in free agency.

But longtime agent David Falk doesn't like the direction of free agency. Falk obviously represented Jordan back in the day and spoke out about the next. negative ways he thinks things have changed. I find it sort of boring. You don't need free agency because these teams, the minute the guy says, I don't want to be on the team, they accommodate him. I think it's terrible. It's one of the reasons I stopped enjoying being an agent because the knowledge you have and the creativity you have is severely limited by the rules. The system becomes so clogged by a whole group of grossly overpaid players that don't bring in revenues, don't sell tickets, don't sell concessions. They sell shoes. They sell. They sell shoes.

That's an individual thing. I know. Less about the TV. This is an interesting topic that might be worth exploring more later in the week. But he's not wrong. I'll say that. He's not wrong with some of this stuff. Like the biggest free agent move was Fred Van Vleet.

I mean, long are the gone are the days of LeBron moving and Kevin Durant moving. Now it's basically, I'm going to sign, get the max amount of money I can, and then just demand a trade, and you'll give it to me. So I don't know how the end. The NBA fixes that. It's not easy. Finally, NBA has approved two rule changes for next season. Refes will now be able to call a flopping penalty,

which gives the opposing team a free throw attempt. This will be implemented on a one-year trial basis. The second change will give coaches a second challenge if their first is successful. I think one out of two here is not bad. The flopping stuff is, oh, I don't know. You like that rule? I think it happens in soccer and basketball. I think an occasion.

You should get one flop a game. You know what I love is quarterbacks who flop when they're getting decked by the defensive line in there. I love that. You love that? Hey, Broadway, sports, it's all theatrics. Got to sell stuff, man. Always be selling. Sell to the ref. I got knocked over this guy.

ABC always be closing. You got to close those sales to the ref. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurdline News. All right. Alexley Lawless around the corner, Panama, USA.

United States Men's National Team tonight. Jay Mack, you better get your question ready for Alexi if you've got a personnel question on the United States Ben's national team around the corner. Live in L.A., it's the Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben.

Host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller. 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 IHard 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 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 plastic. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The voice of Fox soccer, Alexei Lawless, women's World Cup this summer tonight. The semifinals, Concaf. it is Panama USA we have crushed them most of my life there was a recent loss in memory that still stings coverage tonight 7 Eastern on FS 1 so I was telling JMAQ I don't remember a time in my life there'd be players there'd be there'd be Dempsey you Donovan there'd be a goalie there'd be individual

players I never thought we had a lot of depth I see our speed this is a second team unit speed depth of scoring, skill. Are my eyes deceiving me? My father was an optometrist. I've got strong eyes. This looks like a deep, swift, skillful unit. Well, trust your eyes, and this is a good thing. I don't know how you spin it into anything but a good thing.

To your point, put a name, attach a letter to it, A, B, C, team, whatever you want. This is the United States men's national team. This is representing the United States. And this is a group of players, to your point. many of them because of the way the schedule works are players from MLS. Many of them are less experienced and younger. And yet there is still the expectation that they defend the championship, depend this title when it comes to the goal cup.

They had a really fun and entertaining game against Canada to get to this point. Now they've got to take care of Panama. They get through that. They get to go to the final and play potentially Mexico in the final. But to your point, this is creating depth. And this is all about 2026 in the World Cup that's coming. And so the ability to have players not only that are getting the experience playing for the national team, but in a tournament setting, I think it's incredibly valuable.

And there will be players that you are watching in this tournament that do matriculate or continue on with the full national team. So when I heard that Christian Pulisic, who's not in this, shouldn't be, they're building depth. He doesn't need to be here. He would be the best player in the Concaf if he was here. He is now transferring from Chelsea to A.C. Milan. AC Milan. Now, it's not as physical as the English Premier League. So to me, I looked at it.

He won't get banged up. It'll be less physical. He'll probably be more productive. I see it as a win-win. How do you view it? Well, he's going to, you know, one of the story clubs in the world. And we're in the midst of kind of a renaissance of Italian soccer in Syria. And that's a good thing because he's going to a place where there's a whole lot more attention.

To your point, the style of game, I think really suits him. I think he's coming in not just as a nice to have, but as a player that they want to start. The big question, all was with Christian is can he stay healthy? Because if he does and if he is healthy, I think he can get a consistent amount of games and really be an influential player for A.C. Milan and in that Italian country and culture, and it's a wonderful experience. Now he's gone from Germany to England and now Italy, playing for some very, very big clubs. And we have multiple players, G. O'Rena, again, an elite player for us.

He's not going to play in this Conca Calfe. As you said, this is sort of a way for our young players to get in this region, we can win a lot of these matchups without our top guys. Our top guys are overseas. The G.O. Raina situation, a dad involved, Greg Burrhalter involved. Where are we now? He's on the beach probably waiting to go back to... Brucea Dortmund in Germany for now, unless a transfer were to happen. But like him, a lot of players that play in Europe have the summer off. And so there are these two tournaments.

There's only a couple of holdovers, including, by the way, Matt Turner, who has continued on from the Nation's League. star for us. He's awesome. He's just a wonderful goalkeeper, wonderful person and just an incredible representative of what I feel is the greatest country in the world, to have him in goal. When it comes to Giorana and others, look, there are going to be games, and as I said, this is about 2026, and that whole drama and ridiculousness off the field, you can't just forget about it. And Greg Burrhalter, when he does come back, he's been the name of head coach, when he does come back to the team, is going to have to deal with that behind the scenes and make sure that he is getting the best out of all

players and kind of figure out and, you know, have a come to Jesus type of moment where he talks with Giorana and figures out how that relationship and dynamic works going forward. Well, basketball and international soccer is very star-driven. There are no great teams without great drama. It literally, I mean, I'm sure you could go to some Swiss team. They're neutral. They all like each other. But mostly if you go to Italy and France and America, we have had these dramas in basketball and soccer because they're star-driven and it's okay. Hey, it keeps us employed. Let's be honest. Okay. I mean, it's incredible content generation, and we talk about it. And it is as interesting and titillating to your point as what happens on the field.

But this is what sports are, and this is what sports entertainment is. And the stories of the players, and the stories of the players behind the scenes are as important and as interesting as anything else. Okay, Messi goes to Miami. They've not been a good club. We know that. But he is, you know, when guys come over here, they're well compensated, they usually are past their peak. How close to his peak is he? I mean, six months ago, he won a World Cup, so he's not too shabby. The interesting thing that I see is, what is Messi going to look like in the context of a league that has manufactured parity?

In the context of a team that is not the greatest. That's all he has played for is the best teams in the best leagues in the world. And you say manufactured parity, because our leagues either, Salary caps. Salary caps, single entity, all of that. It's not. So he's playing for Miami, but Miami isn't, by the way, even within that parody, Miami is a bad team. So how is he going to look playing for this team?

Now, they're going to do everything and move hell and high, everything, hell in high water, to try to give him the players around him to make him good right now. But it's really going to be interesting. This is arguably the greatest player ever to play the game who is going to, not just a mediocre, but right now a poor team in terms of Intermian. I like how you say that. We manufacture parity. We try to do it in our sports, but the truth is, globally, the greatest players win the most games

and the most championships. But there's a disparity, too. You have the haves and the have-nots, the super clubs, and then everybody else around the. Yeah, I mean, you go to the English Premier League, French League. Just a different way of doing things. Okay, German League's got two clubs that have dominated almost for a hundred years. Some people dig that. You know, I like the parody.

I like that when I wake up and I'm a fan of an MLS team, I could have been the worst team last year, but the potential there for me the champion exists. wake up and that new season arrives. Okay, Women's World Cup kicks off July 21st. Megan Rapino just retired. Legacy all time in women's soccer. I view Mia Hamm is here. Everybody else levels below, but she culturally was different.

I don't know if she's a top 10 player, but she felt to me big. Megan Rapino has transcended the game. She is bigger than the sport of soccer. And while, you know, from a, you know, the opinions and the stances, sometimes the literal stances that she has, I fundamentally disagree with as a player, I want her on the field because she is a badass. She is fearless in the things that she does and says off the field. And on the field, for a number of years, she has continued to deliver.

And she has won. The platform that she has come from soccer. And I will fight to my dying breath for her to have the freedom to be able to express these opinions, even though I don't necessarily agree with all of them. When it comes to ranking her as to where she stands, she's going to go into this World Cup with this national team. By the way, U.S. Well-Wins national team trying for an unprecedented third World Cup in a row.

Never been done. Men's or women's. But she's going to be in a substitute capacity, and so a limited type of role. But there will be moments where I think she can come on and have magic. Because with the ball at her feet, she is better than anybody the U.S. has. She's got a little Clint Dempsey. Yeah, absolutely.

She's got some dog in her, you know, absolutely. A little toughness? Yep. Oh, she's definitely tough. It'll just be interesting to see when and how she is ultimately used in this moment with Lachon-Donoski, the head coach. When is it right for her to come on the field? Because if it's a track meet or if there's space, that's not her game, and she will get exposed.

But if the U.S. has the ball and is looking for a moment of magic, she can come on. That's very much Clint Dempsey at the end. And she can be that hero. And look, she's always going to bring criticism and, you know, people are going to have their say as to her when it comes to her opinions and who she is as a person. But when it comes to her actual playing ability, she's right up there. I will say that if I had two lists, to your point about Mia Hamm, I think Mia Hamm would be at the top when it comes to both the soccer and the transcending the game.

When it comes to soccer, I'm not sure where Megan would be like in my top five, but I know that she would certainly be in the most influential when it comes to the things that she has done. And like I said, how she has transcended the sport. Give me one name the next couple of years for a casual with our United States men's national team. One name, we know Weston McKinney, we know Pulisic, you know Gio Raina. Matt Turner's now a guy.

Give me a name. All right, so for the women, Trinity Rodman, you might recognize that name. So she might be a big star come this summer as will Sophia Smith. When it comes for the men, Brandon Vasquez, we have seen him come on the field here in this Gold Cup in a substitute capacity.

I'd like to see him start. Now was not on the men's national team. He was not called into the World Cup, so he's getting his moment right now. Now he is a much more traditional type of nine striker, and this is desperation time for the U.S. Flo Balagun, I know a lot of people are going to talk to him because he has come on this scene, and he's got an incredible pedigree scoring over in Europe, but still only a couple games with the U.S. He's only.

How old is he? Very young. These are like early 20 types of guys for all them. He's the guy J. Mack is all fired up about it. Yeah, and you should be. We've had so many forwards that we've thought would be the guy, Josie Altador. Now we have like a glut. I like Pepi.

I like Pepi a lot. I know you like it for. Hesus Ferrer is on fire right now. We've got so many forwards. It's almost like, you know, an embarrassment of riches. Could we say that about U.S. soccer? I don't know if the riches yet have gone and been, you know, been looked at to justify whether they actually are riches.

It could be, you know, cubic sycone or whatever the hell it is. But right now they look pretty. Right now they look like diamonds. We just hope that once they are authenticated, that they continue to give us what we need. Conca Calf Gold Cup semi-final USA Panama. Tonight, 7 Eastern on FS1. He's our friend. He is always, always welcome on our show.

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