The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - Start of the NBA season

Episode Date: October 24, 2023

NBA reporter Rachel Nichols joins the show in studio to help preview the start of the NBA season   Guest: Lane Johnson, Rachel NicholsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of the world. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every

weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to a podcast. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Well, I had said in June, remember J. Mack, I teased it two or three times. I said there's a dark horse to win the World Series team. And you said, you're kind of a baseball casual.

Who would it be? And I said over a course of two or three days, it's the Phillies. And my team that I picked is in trouble. Or are they? Game 7 tonight. And I think we're collectively kind of pulling for the Phillies because of, you know, Bryce Harper, they've got some star power, the bank. looks great. You know who's been at the game six last night?

Going to be at game seven the night? Taylor Swift? Maybe. Lane Johnson joining us live. Going to be a Hall of Famer, 11 years, four-time Pro Bowl to right tackle for the Eagles. Now, did you grow up a big baseball fan in Oklahoma? I know they have good sports, or did you become a Philly fan because you got sucked into the energy? It's crazy on television.

Did you just kind of get sucked into it? Yeah, it's weird. So I grew up close to Houston. I was an Astros fan growing up and ironic they played last year. So, yeah, I was at the game last night. Didn't go the way we wanted to, but a big game tonight to hopefully send them to the World Series. So I guess a redemption for last year. Yeah, Bryce Harper just fits the city.

By the way, so does the tush push. I didn't initially like it. I couldn't stand it. And my two reasons were it looks awful. And then I thought all quarterback sneaks do. And then I thought guys will get hurt. and I thought, well, guys get hurt on screenplays. What do I care?

I mean, everybody gets hurt all the time. It's a pro football, right? And so then I kind of like, I watched it this week, and I'm like, shouldn't I give the Eagles credit for innovation, Kelsey, Great O line, and Jalen hurts the power lifter? And I thought, it doesn't get a yard. It gets three. This is innovation.

This is what Apple gets lauded for with their products in Silicon Valley. They create something nobody else can do. How do you view it? I'll tell you what, it feels awful a couple days after the game, after going in there a few times. You know, I felt like, you know, Brady was really good at it with the Patriots,

you know, not so long ago, but, you know, it really started out, I feel like two or three years ago, and we were successful with it, and then really just, I guess, how successful we've been with it. I think it all starts with Kelce, just him getting low,

and then, you know, you have Landon and Jordan on that side, that's, you know, probably the biggest side in football. So, yeah, I was really surprised we ran it, you know, on that fourth down, the first one. You know, I think we're on our own 26 and ended up going for it, you know, twice on that series, really to, you know, put us in the position to win the game. So, yeah, I mean, a lot of talks been, you know, been on this subject. So it's just one of those plays, like, we don't run it all the time.

But, you know, we've been really successful at it. So, you know, I think it just starts with, you know, Kels and then everybody else from there just surging him. You said it. You don't feel good after it. That's what the NFL worries about. Like, okay, so you tell me, when you do that six times a game, is it tough on the body? Yeah, but what's weird for me is like usually, you know, I'm playing tackles. So I'm on the island. Usually I'm using my hands a lot more than what the guard or center usually does. So, you know, it's pretty normal for them. But for the tackles, you know, You know, we're going in and kind of dumpster diving. So, yeah, I think we get a little bit of taste. I think we get a little bit of taste. So with the centers and guards have to go through every place.

So it's a little bit of payback for us. Yeah, that's why Wright tackles last longer than centers. Dumpster diving's exactly right. So Nick Seriani, I really like Nick. I didn't, he had a press conference. I thought it was brutal. I thought this guy's not going to work. And then slowly over time, Jalen hurts, the identity, Shane Steichen.

He leaves. If I said to you, somebody had never met, Sariani, all the coaches you've had, high school college pro. What is Nick do? Like, what is the thing you've had coaches, all different specialties, position coaches, coordinators, head coaches. What's Nick's special sauce that he does that maybe other coaches haven't done as well? He's just very accountable and just what you talked about, their press conference.

I mean, as soon as he had it, he came into the team meeting room and said, guys, I just had a terrible press conference. And, you know, kind of just, it's really authentic to himself. And, you know, I think another great attribute of his is communication. So if there is any problems with the offense or defense, he'll let it be known, and he'll do his best to solve the situation. So I think just accountability and then the communication aspect with him is what made him so successful, you know, the past three years.

You know what's interesting, Lane Johnson, by the way, for our radio audience. You guys are very unique. You're the only franchise in the league that you're. you move off quarterbacks and coaches that win. Chip Kelly, Nick Foles, Carson Wins, Doug Peterson. This is a copycat league. If you win, you just sign guys. Everybody's terrified to getting tired.

Philadelphia is like, yeah, we won a Super Bowl. We'll try something else. It's very unique in this league, right? Like, that just doesn't happen in pro football. What's it like to be part of it that you're constantly, I mean, you just went and got a great safety from Tennessee. It's a constantly evolving machine. feels different than the rest of the league, doesn't it?

Yeah, unfortunate. I feel like we're, you know, very proactive in the building just with, you know, if we have any problems with our football team, we kind of address them and find our needs, and then we communicate, you know, pretty well with the veterans and start from there. I think, you know, coach has a good job of, you know, putting a lot of responsibility on the veterans to kind of lead the group and go from there. But, yeah, I mean, it's been, it's fun. I know it's a very fortunate to be a part of it. You know, there's a lot of the great players that play on not so good teams their whole career, but really over the past, you know, five years, we've done a good job of winning and getting the playoffs. And even though we come up short,

or we came up short last year, we, you know, we felt like we're in a good position to do some things this year. I was not a huge fan of Miami. I said, I think, I think if you get physical with them, they're fast. And when fast meets physical in my life. the time physical wins. Did you know in that game, did you have a sense, Lane? You respected them. They're dangerous. But did you sense watching film before the Miami game?

We're going to eventually have our way in the trenches by the third and fourth quarter. Did you see that? Yeah, I mean, but they came out playing, you know, five down the whole game. So different than what we were expecting. What's funny, you know, Fangio was with us all last year. And so he got to see how we operate as the offense. So it's kind of like, you know, he, He knew everything that we were about to do.

But, no, we knew defensively that they were sound. They had really good front, good linebackers. I knew offense they may struggle a little bit. Toronto arms heads out, their left tackle. You know, has been one of the best in the league for, you know, his entire career. So I just felt like they did a good job of pressure in Tua, really eliminated the run game. I think that made them really one-dimensional. Yeah.

Tyrese is going to make his plays, which he did, especially that one play. I don't know if you saw it, but, you know, he outran the whole. everybody in the stadium. So, yeah, we knew if we could eliminate some of those plays and a stop the run game, we're going to have a chance. So really, defense played a heck of a game. Offense, we're not where we want to be. You know, we're still struggling in the red zone.

Didn't have a great day, third downs, but found a way there, you know, really that last drive or two drives to seal it. So, you know, we're not clicking on all cylinders offensively. I feel like we haven't all year, so we still got a lot of work to do. By the way, you haven't allowed a sack in 44 games, which is just insane. Now, sometimes on the internet and television, people are like Lane Johnson moved his right foot. He's cheating. Lane's moving up.

What do you make when you see that with the, because you kind of, kind of created this like quick step? And everybody, because you never give up a sack, you know, what's the old saying if they can't be you, they hate you, right? So like when you see people say, Lane, you're moving early, what do you make of that? When I came in the league, I saw Jason Peters get off the ball probably earlier than I did. So he was better at it than I was. I mean, when I watch Trent Williams, Trent Williams does the same thing. It's like for me, you know, if you're in a hundred meter dash and you're a second late off the start, you're going to lose the game.

So for me, whenever laid off the snap and you get turned, you're in a really bad spot. But, you know, I think with a streak, a lot of it goes to. to Jalen too, being mobile and elusive. You know, when you have a mobile quarterback back there, sometimes the rush approaches are a little bit different. The defensive ends don't want to break in Tain or let him out of the pocket. So, you know, there's a lot that goes into that. You know, obviously, I have great talent next to me with the guards and centers.

So there's a lot that goes into a lot of its luck, to be honest with you. But, you know, my job is I try to get back off the line of scrimmage, stay square, and then, you know, just react. You know, you have such great athletes out there on the edge that you really have to be patient with your hands. These guys are really good at, you know, swatting your hands and getting around my head. So for me, it's all about being patient

and knowing to use my hands and then no one want to change up my set lines. So, you know, with that, you know, been very fortunate. By the way, the Eagles win almost 65% of their games when Lane Johnson plays 36% without him. He is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. As always, good luck. I'm jealous.

I would love to be at game seven tonight. The Phillies are the most consumable, watchable team in the sport. And I love Bryce Harper. Good luck to the Phillies and the Eagles. Good seeing you again. You too. Thank you. Thanks for having me on.

You bet 11 years, four-time Pro Bowler. You know, Tristan Worf has that ability. Like the Buccaneers are not the same team when Tristan Worf's doesn't play. Lane Johnson has that for the Eagles. Like when a right tackle has that much, I love the way he called it dumpster diving. Like that's why centers get their hands mangled.

You're dealing with a 340-pound nose. That is a lot of, he's dealing with an edge. Not saying they're not big and nasty, but sometimes in the interior, you get your hands all mangled up. 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 and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

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 of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all 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 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. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I thought the tidbit about Vic Fongio being with them last year was fascinating. Like, you know, we spent all week looking at these games, looking for edges, breaking

stuff down. I totally missed that. I did not hear anybody say Vic was with them last year, and it sounds like he kind knew how to slow them down. I'm just, obviously you have to watch the All-22 again, but they didn't run the ball effectively. against Miami. And Miami's defense is not great. 34 carries 99 yards. It's like three yards of carry. That's bad for Philly.

So really nice job. Could it be that the Eagles red zone struggles are as simple as this? Jalen's not 100% and they don't want to run them in a congested area. He's making mistakes. Well, but they don't, and he's making mistakes because they're not just running it more in a congested area because he takes more hits in a congested area and they don't want to do that as a staff. So you say, well, they're red zone. It could be based on the health of their question.

quarterback, and their takeaway is we want him healthy in November. We'll give up some red zone excellence early because we're winning these games anyway. Yeah, you know who's great between the 20s? The Eagles and the Falcons, and their quarterbacks have been turning the ball over at a crazy rate and the red zone efficiency starting to dial back. All right, let's start with the Detroit Lions. That's a rough loss they had to the Ravens. 386. I believe the Ravens had four touchdowns before the Lions had a first down. Jared Goff, three turnovers. But he believes the team will respond. in a big way in the week eight matchup against the Raiders.

It was no fun and, you know, hats off to them. They really got after us today and we got to respond the right way. We've been through a whole lot worse than this. This is a tough game. You know, we got our butts kicked, but this group's had a lot of adversity, and this is kind of our first taste of getting kicked in the teeth this year. And, yeah, we need to respond the right way and show up whatever it is Wednesday, whenever we come back and make sure we're ready to go.

One of my favorite bets of the week. Like the Lions bouncing back. So the numbers are varied. It looks like eight at Draft Kings, eight to half elsewhere, nine in the desert, which is kind of a leading indicator where it's going. I don't think the Raiders are good at all. No, and I think who's going to be getting the snaps for the Raiders at practice this week. And like Josh Jacobs is not going to really have any room, yeah.

Good teams that are humiliating. My first rule. I love them. It's just a number. But I love Detroit this week. Concern about the secondary for Detroit. I mean, guys were wide open. Who's going to take advantage of it?

Devante Adams. Who's throwing it to him? Well, that's a question. But if I'm Detroit, I'm looking on the trademarker. Where can I find a cornerback? We need a dude. Pittsburgh needs a guy. Their cornerbacks are getting roasted.

Trade market this coming week is going to be fun. Next up, Michigan. Ah, yes, you love this story. I don't know. I don't want to have a strong take on it because I have a feeling this is going to get worse for Michigan. That's just a gut feeling. But the Michigan staffer bought tickets for more than 30 games over the last three seasons at 11 different Big Ten schools, buying tickets across from the bench on both sides of the field, Colin.

Here's Dion Sanders chiming in. You could have someone whole game plan. They can mail it to you. You still got to stop it. You still got to stop it. So in football, it's not as pronounced as baseball. If I know a curveball is coming, I got you. You know, with football, I don't give it during him.

You know a sweep is coming. You still got to stop it. Back at our glory days with San Francisco as well as the Cowboys, you know Dernwell, Emmett Smith is getting the ball. You know Dernwell, Mike Urban is running the comeback. You know Dernwell, Jaden Oversack is going to do what he's going to do, and you can stop it. somebody who would know

baseball and football star Dion Sanders if you know it's an off-speed pitch boom hey we're going to do the tush push the whole stadium knows nobody can stop it Tom Brady to Edelman on third down and six Gronker Edelman the whole stadium knew

where the ball was going couldn't stop it. Remember that Chiefs drive at home the Patriots were driving in the AFC title game and they went to Gronkowski on third down like three straight down Everybody knew it was coming. Gronk still made the catch. But the bigger picture is this just another thing that Jim Harbaugh is going to roll his eyes at and says,

you know, I don't need to deal with this crap. Get me out of here. You know what he's going to roll? And he is leaving. No, what he's going to roll? Ohio State in about eight weeks. Do you watch Ohio State's offense? That's going to be, whoa.

Michigan. I would say Edge, Michigan, for sure. I did see the greatest college football stat this season. J.J. McCarthy, the great quarterback, who I have is a top 10 pick. Other people are late first round. Okay. He's taken four dropbacks in the fourth quarter this season. Four.

That's it. What if there's a tight game, Colin? Can be a little dicey. I do like Ohio State. But isn't it kind of embarrassing? If you're an athlete, instead of acknowledging this guy beat me, he still unshines. It's like years ago that it was a fight years ago where a boxer had like plaster inside of his glove. Now, that's different.

That is completely unethical, not just illegal, but completely unethical. Or if you were, you know, you were a boxer. You were Jose Altuve with something under your jersey tapping. Okay. So no, no, what's coming. Those cheaters in Houston, I'm so glad they lost. But at some point, you have to acknowledge as an athlete. You know, I got to make stops.

I got to make buckets. Well, the tush push is not cheat. That's not in the same realm of what Michigan is allegedly doing. you go in with a game plan and scripted plays. And then after about the 12th play of a game, just go make play. I mean, the NBA, have you ever heard of NBA huddle? They'll do these NBA huddles during playoff games,

and everybody comes over their gasped. And then you'll hear Kerr go, hey, just keep moving. We're not diagram and squat. They're just like, hey, hey, make sure if you come up on that high screen, watch, he tends to cheat on it. That's the huddle. Like, after your 12 scripted play and your situational stuff, I mean, I just, the deception is not winning Super Bowls.

It's not. It's playmaking by a quarterback in the fourth quarter. So Bill Belichick recording the walkthrough for the Rams. You didn't think that was anything? Zero. Nothing, Burger. Jeez. Man, you love cheating.

Okay, got it. Final story, Denver Nuggets defend their title tonight. They raised the banner on LeBron and the Lakers in L.A. Despite how things kind of ended weird. I don't think these teams like each other. Denver did a lot of jaw jacking to LeBron and Anthony Davis. Austin Reeves is adding that LeBron understands and trusts their roster. Colin, what do you got?

50 wins for the Lakers, 45. 50-ish. I think Miami, everybody is selling Miami heat stock. Of course. I think they'll be, take the over on the heat. People are under. Give me the under. Okay.

I think, I think, I, I think the Bucks will rest a lot of their older players. I think Brooke Lopez, Middleton, Dame will play like 58 games, like that, 60 games. So I don't think their regular season record. I mean, they brought Dame over for one reason. Fourth quarter's playoffs. So a lot of these teams, and watch what Phoenix does. Phoenix is going to give either Beal, Durant, or Booker, although less frequently, a night off all the time.

You'll have two of the stars, not three. unless it's a big game against, you know, like a Denver or a Lakers. So Phoenix has three dead-eye scores. They don't need to play all three. They'll get enough chemistry. Colin, I look at the Lakers. I look at one through 10. I don't know if there's a better one through 10 in the league.

I'm not even kidding. Some of these teams are top-heavy. Boston doesn't have a bench anymore. Milwaukee don't have much of a bench. Sons, Grace and Allen, they're bench. Lakers, they've got some depth, man. If LeBron could stay healthy, and AD could stay healthy. And Rui and Austin Reeves.

Rui Hachimura! He's good. Can't wait. Very excited. Open tonight. JMAQ with the news. From the versatile EQB to the sublime EQS sedan. Mercedes-Benz has gone all-electric.

Check out their stuff. MBUSA.com slash EQ. More NBA. Rachel Nichols stops by. That'll be fun. A lot of stuff to talk about opener tonight. World Series. You can see it in the horizon.

We have a game seven tonight. in the National League. A couple NBA games. It's all next. 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 grapevine. All happening in only one place.

This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with 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. gun cut with Chris Haynes 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 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 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-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you 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 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.

Well, she's covered as many big events as anybody in our space. 25 years NFL, NBA, 6 Olympics, March Madness for another network, golf. We're so glad to have Rachel Nichols. NBA starts the night, and I think we both love the NBA. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. We didn't a lot of titles, and everybody hated the Lakers, but that's what makes the NBA, stars, villains. Your team beat my team, though. I grew up a Washington Bullets fan. Kevin Grevy. So, West Unsell, baby, 100%. So I, of course, you know, was too young to see them actually win the title.

And then by the time I was old enough, your team was beating them for the title and then on and on. And it's been a few decades since they were in even a conference finals. But who's keeping track? It's opening day. Everybody has a clean slate. Everybody wins. The 70s, they took turns.

Everybody went in titles, no dynasties. Okay, let's start about the Sun's Big Three. And you and I were talking in the hallway a few hours ago, is I'm really excited for it. It's very rare. When Shaq and Kobe were together, it's the only time in my life, the two best closers,

one perimeter, one interior, were on the same team. I could argue you have, this is very rare. Three elite perimeter closers. It may not be Katie Steff Clay, but it's a reasonable fact. is it not? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's good enough. I mean, KD. Steph Clay was so elite. They were so

far leaps and bounds over anyone else. There wasn't even any competition. This being not quite that version still means they're pretty good, right? I mean, it's an incredible collection of talent. And the fact that you have Devin Booker at the center of it in his prime is sort of the key factor to me. He turns 27 next week. This is a guy who's already scored 70 points at age 20. I mean, he has so much growth between now and then, and he has so much more growth to go, that you can have the luxury of having KD as your sniper who might be hurt sometimes, right? I mean, there's matchup tonight. There's a lot of people billing it KD versus Steph. It's, you know, not really KD's team. It's Devin Booker's team. And KD., by the way, has said he's perfectly fine with that, and so is

Bradley Beale. So I like DeAndre Aiton, but I do feel like he would have been lost in this offense. I liked the move to move off him. How did it play in Phoenix? What is the sense? Because he's very talented. Yeah, absolutely. I like Dan Drayton, too. I think he is going to thrive somewhere, but he wasn't thriving there. And that's the bottom line. They tried a bunch of different fits with him. They tried a bunch of different strategies. They weren't happy with his growth. He wasn't happy with how the franchise was treating him. That was a marriage that needed to dissolve and have the parties go elsewhere. So I think that Phoenix got value in making that trade. Just a little bit of subtraction there, addition by subtraction, not because he's a bad guy, but just because the fit

wasn't working. And now that bad juju is out of the locker room. And then you have a guy coming in, Nurkich, who's one of the more cheerful guys in the NBA. Yes, that's a great point. And he's also played behind a ball-centric guy, Dame and C.J. McCollum. So he knows how to be the third guy and get points. Absolutely. So I think that they've got a great, you know, they got a lot more depth than they did right after that KD trade when it gutted the team. I'm a big Frank Vogel fan. I think that he is underrated in the league in terms of being additive. He's not a Hall of Fame coach yet, but he is obviously someone who brings more to a team than just being a nanny or a babysitter.

And I think that's going to provide an interesting dimension for them, especially defensively. He's a defensive-minded coach. He has put that stamp on the Pacers when he started out, how he won a title with the Lakers, and then now with this team, I think they have another good shot to be there when it counts at the end. I don't know what in the world it's going to look like. I am fascinated with Chris Paul to the Warriors. Dude.

I don't know what it is. That was a knock you over with a feather moment. They're getting smaller. Think about all of the battles out here in California between Chris Paul's clippers and Steph Curry's warriors over the years. How nasty it got. Brutal. The idea of those two in the same uniform playing on the same floor for the same team is bonkers.

I'm still not ready. But Draymond has put his arms around him. They all have. The high IQ team. Yeah. No, they know. That is such a smart team. They understand how much chemistry and joy is the key to their success.

Steph was going around with Chris Paul at Summer League back in July in Las Vegas. They have really made an effort to bring him into the fold. It's going to be interesting. There's reports out there that Chris Paul could start tonight. There's been a lot of back and forth. Should he play on the bench? Should he not? Good coaches sometimes let those superstar players who are in the later parts of their career

find out for themselves. It's time to go to the second unit. So we saw that when Dwayne Wade went to Cleveland. And Ty Lou said, yeah, okay, you think you're still a starter. You start for the first 10 or 11 games. Let's see how it goes. And then the proof is in the pudding,

and it's easier for that guy to move back to the second unit. So we'll see if that's what happens here. Honestly, it's about who finishes the games, not who starts them. And I don't think we'll see Chris Paul play as many minutes as some of the other starters because they want to keep those minutes down for him. So he'll see him in and out, but I think he could benefit from the second unit there

because he can run that in his style, which is a lot different than the Steph Curry sort of cutting running style. So Victor Wambiominyonial, You know, I watch all these internet clips in there. It's sensational. It's crazy. Blocking shots. So, Pop, if I recall, signed an extension right before they got them or near there.

And my takeaway was because Pop wants to control the minutes and the games. Yeah. So I've been a believer, and I said this with Chet Holmgren on the air, that when I get a uniquely gifted 7273 player, I'm playing you 58 the first year, 68, you're not going to go from international ball to that tunnel of cardio. And NBA has always been a more physical league than people that don't go to the games realize. What are your expectations for Victor? I mean, he's been incredible so far, even in the leap from where I saw him when I was in Vegas

at Summer League to the preseason. We've seen him develop super fast. So that only indicates he's going to be a quick learner when he plays real NBA games. I don't think basketball fans across the country, forget San Antonio, could have had a better thing happened than the marriage of Greg Popovich and Victor Webbenyama. Here is a guy who is poised to be one of the biggest stars possibly in the history of the league over the next 15 years and the fact that he is not going to be with a coach who doesn't know what to do with him on a team that has a bad culture or losing culture, which is what happens a lot of time when you're drafted number one

overall. He is going to the Greg Popovich finishing school of basketball. And I absolutely think you're right. He's going to monitor his minutes. Greg sees the big picture. He knows what's ahead for Victor Webbenyama, he's already done this with Tim Duncan. He's already done this with David Robinson. And for Victor, he talked really openly that San Antonio was his first choice before they were even positioned to do well in the draft lottery, because if you think about the history of international players there, French players there, he reveres Greg Popovich. And that's another great ingredient into a good season for him. So I thought the Westbrook addition to the Lakers was odd, not that Russ won't be a Hall of Famer, but it was a weird fit. Well,

It didn't fit. And so they move off it. Darwin Ham, who I think has been greater than any expectation. Totally agree. Darwin works for the room. He's respected. He's a grinder. He's terrific.

LeBron has totally bought into him. And Anthony Davis have. He played through injuries last year, played through some pain. Listen, I know LeBron's going to give me 55. Anthony Davis, 65. Is it realistic, one through eight, nine? Are they in the building? Do they feel like nobody's paying attention?

to us because everybody's like, Suns, Buck, Celtics Nuggets. You're talking about the Lakers or the Capers now? The Lakers have kind of an underdog feel, right? I don't know. The way that Lakers are covered in the media, could they ever be underdogs? I mean, they are half of the national conversation,

a big chunk of the time. I think that they are a great, deep team. I think they absolutely have a chance to match her even better at their performance from last season when they made it to the Western Conference finals, right? I just think, to me, you have to give the defending champs the respect until they show you that they're in the middle of a championship hangover until they show you that they've lost a step. You have to give them the respect

to say that they're the favorites for this year because their team is largely intact. They have one of the greatest players we've seen in decades in Nikola Yokic. They have Jamal Murray who could be a number one on a lot of other teams. Great coaching, great togetherness in that locker room. So I'm going to always give them the benefit of the doubt until we see otherwise. But I think the Lakers will be right there. And no LeBron James. team is an underdog. I'm sorry. It's not. So, you know, Milwaukee, I said this earlier, that I feel like Dame is a little bit with Janus. It's got a LeBron Wade feel. Wade was a one-title guy. Here comes LeBron. He's a three-title guy. And the conversation with Dee Wade is really great

player to icon, legend. There's a lot of pressure, though, in my opinion on Milwaukee. Dame's older, smaller, broken down recently. And Janus wasn't sticking around if you didn't give him Dame. Usually, I don't think of Milwaukee as pressure. I think of Boston pressure. Sure. L.A. pressure. I kind of think there's pressure on Milwaukee to be good quickly. You know what? Janus took a whole lot of pressure off them yesterday by signing that extension. I mean, the idea, he even came out and said, just six weeks ago, he came out and said, I am not signing anything until next summer. And it was financially smarter, frankly, for him to wait until next summer. And there was a feeling even after the Dame trade that he would wait

and see how it worked out. He didn't do that. Yannis doesn't like those questions. hanging over him. Will you resign? Won't you resign? He said that before. And he obviously has decided the way he wants to run his business is, you give me the tools I think I need to win. That's enough for me. I don't have to win for me to resign. I have to know I have the respect of the organization to give me everything I'm asking for. He signed his last big contract just a month after Drew Holiday came to town. And the fact that he's signing this one just after Dame comes to town tells you a lot about Yanis and the way he approaches basketball and that he's in it to win it. He's competitive, but he understands that they have a team now that can win it, and he is all in on that.

Yeah, Lakers, to me, are the deepest team with Denver. I think Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Boston, I love their starting roster. I'm not sure there's a ton of depth. So I, and by the way, Denver was not a great bench scoring team last year. So we sort of overvalue benches. Yeah. Do you got about six guys? What a Pat Riley, six guys. Right. It's like seven guys deep, basically. You know, I mean, the eight max during the playoffs. So I think it's the guys that you're talking about on the floor. Superstars win playoff games. That's just a fact.

It's nice to have a big bench and it's nice to have depth and it definitely makes a difference. But let's not kid ourselves. It's the guy at the top of the lineup. It's the two or three guys at the top of the lineup. And Milwaukee has that. Yep. Rachel Nichols, so glad to have you. 25 years of cover in the NBA, the NFL, 6 Olympics, golf.

We are very lucky to have you. NBA season starts the night. Lakers in the Mile High City. sons at the Warriors can't wait for both. Thank you for making time for us. We'll see you tomorrow. Live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group

perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.