The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Warriors-Blazers, Browns, Kevin Durant, and the Pelicans

Episode Date: May 17, 2019

Colin discusses game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, more proof the Cleveland Browns are dysfunctional, why he feels the Golden State Warriors are not better without Kevin Durant, and his thoughts on rumors the New Orleans Pelicans refuse to trade F Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. Guests include Chris Broussard, Albert Breer, Stephen Jackson, Marcus Thompson, and Jason McIntyre.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions about the challenges that shape them

and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports. 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.

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, 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 SportsSlice 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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the Heard at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, it's a Friday. We're packed. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening.

We're in beautiful Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy is out today back Monday. It is great. We have a glorious day today. Marcus Thompson returns. Chris Broussard, Albert Breer, Jason McIntyre, End of the show. I was a detacked yesterday on the internet. I'll get to that in a couple of minutes. Barely slept last night at all. Restless night's sleep. Painful, hurtful things said by people I like.

Let me start with the Warriors. And I'm talking about all dynasties here, but in particular, Golden State and the Patriots, because they're the most recent. When you're a dynasty, it gives you equity. You can take bigger risks. Because you're the man, you're the team. You can coach with honesty and integrity and courage. You can go for it on fourth down in New England. You can trade a pro bowl player if you think he's overpaid. Winning, it's like money over time and interest.

It just compounds and compounds, and it gives you a different culture and a different belief and confidence. Golden State in this analytic tsunami, got to shoot threes, the mid-range jumper is bad. Threes, threes, only threes. Did you notice how they won last night? Did you see the shot chart? Trailing in the game, they relied on twos.

Portland leading in the game, leading. Just get buckets. Took a lot of bad threes. Portland had it. Chose to lose it. Golden State played with confidence situationally. Make a couple big defensive plays, Iggy. Get the basket over the.

the three if it's available. It has been, by the way, a bad, bad postseason for the analytic nerds. A lot of mid-range jumper teams are doing well. Fourth quarter Golden State all but one shot was made from the paint. Portland leading took 14 threes. Yet Golden State trailing took only six. And if you've noticed this year, they have moved in key situations, Golden State, off the three occasionally. Only eighth in the NBA in the number of three shot. That is with Steph Curry, the best shooter in the world. That is with Kevin Durant, the best player in the world. That is with Clay Thompson, the next best shooter in the world.

And they were 17th, actually, in the Mori ball stat. Darry, Rockets GM, friend of the show, love him. Houston's number one. Threes, threes, threes, got to shoot threes. We're chasing. We're obsessed. Three's three. The best shooting team in the league moved to 17th.

because the best shooting team in the league has the confidence to just go get buckets, to not play to the crowd and the critics and the analytic mavens. Last night's game, Portland had it and shot a bunch of bad threes. Golden State trailed and relied heavily down the stretch on twos. When you're chasing, when you're obsessed, when you're concerned and consumed about the optics And Golden State's not. New England's not. They trade good players.

Well, they're overvalued. They move the ball forth down in their own territory. We just like our chances here. But what if you, who cares? It's like interest. What did Einstein say? The most powerful force in the world is compounding interest. It's the same thing with sports.

The more you win, the more courage, the more honesty, the more integrity you can coach with. And don't kid yourself. There are coaches up there. There are GMs out there. There are owners out there. There are players out there. Petrified of what people might say about them if they lose.

Believe me, I got attacked by two yesterday. There was a moment in the game that was interesting. Golden State led 112, 111 had the ball. Steph's hands, three-pointer ends it. And they didn't take it. They came down and got the best shot from Draymond Green. 111. Now, a three-ball and the best three-ball shooter in the world had it,

would have ended the game. But they still went and took the best shot. And by the way, what's remarkable is Golden State shot 60% on threes in the third quarter. They could have easily convinced themselves, just keep chucking, just keep shooting. No, no, no. They were like, no. Now let's take the best shots available. Dynasties aren't obsessed.

They're not consumed. They're not chasing. New England and Golden State are both brilliant situationally. because they're not playing to anybody other than the truth, integrity of the shot, integrity of the play. They're not worried about the critics. Last night was a clinic in how dynasties win games they're outplayed in, how dynasties win a game they had no business winning.

I mean, you saw it in the Super Bowl. New England, Rams tied early. Did you ever think the Rams were going to be better late than New England? No. And last night I'm watching that game and I'm thinking, God, Golden State's just taking smart shots inside. When the rim's available, go get it. Don't be worried about playing to the analytic tsunami. Don't be worried about if you lose, what will they say?

No pressure, not tight, total confidence. That's what dynasties look like late in games. And these dynasties, don't kid yourself, Michael Jordan. They didn't sweep teams in the finals. They didn't sweep teams in the Eastern Conference finals. Michael Jordan's Bulls went to a lot of game sixes. Go ask Utah. Go ask Phoenix.

Go ask Seattle. They went to a lot of game sixes. They won a lot of close games in those playoffs, just like Golden State won last night. Just a piece of art, is what that was. Three minutes, four minutes in the game, that was art basketball. Good shots, smart shots, hit them, make a play defensively, situationally coaching. Great, great, great, great, great. Let's shift to this.

This was not great. almost ruined my night. So yesterday, a story came out. And a story came out basically that Cleveland, their coach, Freddie Kitchens, was clearly not happy, but said Odell Beckham has left town. We want to get his mind right before he's at practice. He came for one, OTA practice, and left. Now, this bothers me for a lot of reasons.

Number one, Baker Mayfield's in his second year. Odell doesn't know the players, the coach, the playbook, the formations, doesn't know anything. Receiver quarterback, especially receiver young quarterback, get this thing tight. Come on, let's go. I wouldn't care if it was a tight end. Running back a corner, a safety. Star receiver, second year quarterback, let's get the timing down. I mean, Tom Brady spends his off-season with Edelman, and they already have timing. So I said, we've got more drama. We have a coach having to talk about OBJ. I said, is it me or is OBJ gone from circus catch? to now just more circus.

So I put up his 10 most memorable moments in his career. Not his 10 best plays. I didn't call it that. Not his 10 greatest catches. His 10 most memorable moments in his career. Because my point was, once you start looking at him, the catch, the boat, fight with net, meltdown in tunnel, Paris hotel room, fight with Norman, peeing in the end zone. My point was, once you start looking at his 10 biggest moments, it's a lot of non-football nonsense.

There's the catch. and that's just a bunch of Paris hotel room fighting with a net, peeing in the end zone. I'm like, we've gone from circus catch to circus act. I didn't say this was the 10 best plays, and my point was, I thought, a very fair one, which it was very fair. And OBJ is a public figure. You've got to deal with some criticism.

Well, OBJ went apoplectic. He attacked me viciously on Twitter. I'm not going to go through all these. I'll put it up for our FS1 listener. It just was like hours of just four separate tweets and reactions. By the way, Baker Mayfield came after me. Didn't love that because I thought we were just getting tight. And so Baker attacked me and O'Dell Beckham attacked me.

And of course, this proves one thing. That's right. We're no TAs. It's already dysfunctional. Let's retrace the steps here with me and OBJ. I always supported O'Dell Beckham Jr. in New York. I said, listen, he's young. He's dynamic.

Eli's a shot fighter. he needs to move. This is not working. And I said that. I said, I don't like all of his nonsense, but this kid's great. This kid's an all-timer. Eli's a shot fighter. He's doing some nice things.

You got to put this kid with a legit top 10 quarterback. And then I also sat on the air before he left New York. I said, I think he's going to get traded despite what the giant said. And I said, you know, this kid was not dysfunctional at LSU, and he was not dysfunctional his first year in New York. he's gotten kind of chaotic as the giants have become chaotic. And I sat on the air, I said, let's be honest about this. Maybe he's just a young kid that doesn't work well in chaos.

I know personally, I don't either. I'm a child of divorce. I like less conflict, steady management, quiet in the house. And he reached out to me. And he said, you kind of nailed it on that. And it was a really neat 30-minute conversation. I was up in Utah hanging out skiing. And we really connected.

And I said, hey, he told me some things I still won't relay to you about where he wanted to play, whatever. Then he signs with Cleveland. I sent him a congrats kick butt. Because, you know, I knew it wasn't exactly where he wanted to go, but it was a good start. Baker Mayfield's very accurate as a thrower. Obj runs the best slant pattern in the league. I'm like, good. You'll get stats. At least he's playing now with a young quarterback moving into his prime. It's a good feeling for him. And then yesterday, the story about he's been in Cleveland three days of the 65. He came for one left. Coach said, I'd like him to be here. I've never said that, but he's got to get his mind right, and it's been 65 days since the trade, and he doesn't

have his mind right. And then the reaction, and it's sort of proven my point, which is, are you a circus catch, or are you just a circus? Because now you got the quarterback. Now you got the players around you, because Cleveland's got players. Now, are they a great team? I don't know, but they got players. They got players everywhere. They got two good running backs and at mid-season, a third. Their offensive line was top three in the league according to pro football focus. They got now Odell and Jarvis Landry, best young tied in in football, good pass rusher,

Denzel Ward's an elite corner. They got all sorts of players. But my concern was this. Tweets, Instagram, net, circus, thin skin, overreacting. I do not regret. in any way my 10 most memorable moments because my point was, what is OBJ now? Is he the circus catch or is it just now a circus?

You can't be in Cleveland three days of 65. You got to get there. You got a great young second year quarterback. You got a new coach. You got a new playbook. You got new teammates. You got new players. You got new offense.

You got new. You got to get there. You got to be in town. You got to get your mind right. I don't want to hear about 65 days. 65 days? That's enough time to get your mind right. And by the way, Tom Brady, he's vacationing with Julian Edelman.

He's working on that stuff nine years into the relationship. You've got to get this thing down. And so my concern initially for the Cleveland Browns is this. This is it. By the way, there's a story out today. I'm not going to get into it, but Big Ben is very. vacationing with his wide receivers and running backs at his lakehouse. Not on Twitter.

I'm screaming and yelling at innocent victims like me. Once again, I am trying to save another franchise. Philadelphia 76ers, I'm trying to save you. Cleveland Browns, I'm trying to point out some problems and save you from going down this absurd 20-year abyss you've been in. I'm going to say, mean things about me. That's fine. But I'll just let you know I did not sleep well last night. Very restless. And I can't do this show at the highest level if I'm struggling with sleep. So OBJ and Baker, if you'd like to apologize to me at any point, I am certainly willing to consider that,

listening to that. And I have two seats now. Always welcome. You could come on the show anytime. And I will give it great thought, but I would strongly consider accepting your apology at this point. Coming up next, we're freaking out about the word better. Or the Warriors better. We're freaking out. Better is freaking us out. I'm here to talk you all off the ledge. Warriors, there is some better without KD.

That's coming 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. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion-dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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. 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.

SportsSlice 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 Slicelive Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going.

From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladecki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile,

that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts for wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So good to have you in there. I have not heard from OBJ and Baker Mayfield yet. Still waiting for an apology.

I have come to terms with I will accept the apology at any time it is given. Hopefully over the weekend I can sleep better. So Seth Curry, brother of Steph Curry, feels the warriors are, quote, harder to guard without Kevin Durant. Quote, I think they're harder to guard. They move around fast. when he's not out there. They're definitely not a better team.

The word better is interesting because that's what everybody's freaking out about. Whoa. Whoa. LeBron's better than MJ. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Well, LeBron is better than MJ at a lot of things. He's a better passer. He's a better rebounder.

He's a bigger, stronger athlete. He shot a three ball better. There's a lot of things LeBron is better than MJ. Six for six. Whoa, better. Whoa, we're freaking out with better. Well, Steph, is a lot of things. better without Katie in the floor statistically.

Draymond is better without Steph on the floor. Carson Wentz is better than Nick Foles, but here's what happens. When Nick Foles is not as big, not as strong, not as athletic, but Alshon Jeffrey is better with Nick Foles. The offense is more balanced. It's a little less ad-libbed. They follow the coaching. But Carson Wentz is better than Nick Foles, but there are things Nick Foles does better

than Carson Wentz good enough to win a Super Bowl. Okay, one thing is clear watching this. Golden State's not falling off a cliff. Sorry, Charles Barkley, when Katie leaves. They may not win titles, but they've got a great coach, a great GM, a great owner, a great culture, a great system, a great new arena, the best back court ever, the greatest shooter ever, the best ball handler in the league. Steph Curry could be the best leader in the league, the energizer buddy in Draymond Green, the best Robin to Batman in the league in Clay Thompson. It may not be better, but it's not falling in. off a cliff, they're going to be fine.

Okay, look at Katie like this. Katie is the he's the five-star chef, the Zaggette chef, the James Beard Award winning chef. And when he's in the kitchen, Gordon Ramsey, he dominates the kitchen. He dominates the kitchen. The meals always spectacular.

The critics love it. It's unbelievable. And then he leaves. And by the way, the meal's still really, really good. Is it better? Let's get away from the word better. The kitchen's more fun. Everybody's part of it. It's a collective. They're happier.

It moves better. Everybody feels a little less rigid. And is the meal better? Probably not. But it's still really, really good. And there are things that work better when Gordon Ramsey leaves the kitchen, although you won't get the five stars, Zaget, redid, rated perfect plate.

But the kitchen's still good. The meal's still good. The kitchen's more fun, lively, and communal. That's okay. That's the reality with superstars. They hog up all the oxygen in the room. That's just why Shaq yells at Charles Barkley on TNT, because when Charles is on a set, he steals all the oxygen because he's a superstar on television.

And KD steals some of the oxygen. But the meal's not better. We'll go back to that word everybody's freaking out about, but it's different and it's darn good without him. But over the course of a year, you want Gordon Hayward in the kitchen. He's going to make a series of decisions on the menu, night-to-night decisions that will keep you five star. And you'll probably slip to four star, four and a half star without it. But you can still go there and have a great meal. And on nights, you walk into that kitchen, you're like, man, it's

fun and lively in here. It is just everybody's having a good time in here, not as tense. Because once you have KD, it gets a little tense because, oh, now you got to win. Because when you got the five star chef, you got to have great meals. Can't have a bad meal, a bad set, a bad night, a bad menu. And when you got KD, you have to win the championship. You have to. Now, Golden State, eh, kind of surprised how well they're playing. It loosens up the room a little bit.

But we're freaking out about better. LeBron is better than Michael Jordan in a lot of things. There are things Nick Foles did better than Carson Wentz. Ask Alshan Jeffrey. And yes, the Warriors, Steph and Draymond are better. The passing's better. The cutting's better. The fluidity's better.

Can't deny any of that. Nick Wright was talking about that on first things first this morning, and he doesn't even like Golden State. Even if the Warriors aren't better without him, Steph and Dremont are. When KD's not there, both of those guys have to play at such a high level. Draymond was so much energy and step with so much potency that those guys, they step up their game enough

that it at least almost accounts for not having KD out there. He's right. And for the record, I think we're all thinking the same. thing talking about this. KD's out of there. I still don't think he's out of there necessarily. Now, I think he will leave. I've had a current NBA player tell me he's 100% gone.

I've had a former all-star player tell me he's 100% gone. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't leave. I would stay off Twitter. I wouldn't listen to Instagram. I don't care what anybody says. I would open up the new arena. After you guys win your third, then you'll win a fourth, potentially.

I would not go. Zion's not going to New York. We don't necessarily know for sure that. Anthony Davis will go because do the Knicks have enough pieces? But I would imagine KD's watching shows like these and listening and reading and tweeting and burner a count or not. Some of this is landing not great with KD. And I'm just here to tell you, KD, the menu will always be better with you in the kitchen.

But it's not going to be lousy without you. And you do create an intensity and expectation. because of your greatness that's palpable in the room. And when you're gone, it's a little loose. It's a little fun. Over time, I don't want too much fun and too loose. But in short bursts, it's good. Veteran newsman John Goulet with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So speaking of Baker Mayfield, who has not yet apologized to you, You have had your issues with Baker more off the field over the years, I would say. Yeah. But he's been doing something recently that I think you would actually really like. He's been trying to learn from Tom Brady.

He spent some time with him when they filmed that NFL 100 commercial that was funny. He also spent some time with him at the Kentucky Derby. Here is what Baker said about him. Just being around, you know, the greatest of all time is just, obviously it's an honor just to be around them. And then how he is with his teammates, the guy he's played with in the past. you know, how they speak so highly of them. And then just you don't really talk about football in those situations. But how he treats everybody, how he handles himself, I think is just some of the better examples on how to go through life.

And he just, he does it all right. Obviously, that was from yesterday. That was pre-shaven. That was Baker still with the beard. No, no. This is John. Tom Brady's a grown up. Does that create a little internal conflict in your brain right now?

No, it doesn't. Because the guy you love. Baker's not a dope. Baker's smart. Right. Okay, Baker, let's get out of the yelling, screaming, grabbing yourself nonsense. You're a very accurate thrower of the football. I do not think you're going to be Drew Brees.

And I think you're going to have to overcome a lot of the goofiness of the Cleveland ownership going forward. But, yes, you should model your career after Tom Brady and his maturity. Just like all you young broadcasters out there, you should model it after our show, not sloppy and mudflap in the morning on 97.5 New Mexico's best rock. you should watch us and model your show after us. I appreciate that you at least at our show and not just me. So earlier this week, Redskins Safety, Lyndon Collins, talked about how they got the best quarterback in the draft in Dwayne Haskins because the Giants passed on them and took Daniel Jones.

I do agree with that. Right. Well, remember Collins was not let go by the Giants, but not retained by Dave Guttelman. They could have franchised him. They could have done many things and they let him go. Good player, not great, but good, good player. Neither was cornerback, Josh.

Norman. Remember when Gettleman was the GM in Carolina, he rescinded the franchise tag on Norman. Remember, they tagged him and then undid it and let him go to the Redskins. Yes, yes. So Norman had some thoughts on the Giants GM Dave Gettleman on the Rich Eisen Show yesterday. Oh, boy.

I think we need to put him on salary. I think he put him on salary. I mean, they need to protect Dave Gettleman at all costs up in New York for sure. It's been sick, that man, at all cost, because he's winning for us. Is Dave Gettlement? Are those comments over the line by Josh Norman? I don't think Washington should have an opinion on anybody else's football operation.

Washington should just play football. Philadelphia could have an opinion on the Giants. Sure. The Rams could. New England, you know, Chargers. There's organizations that win consistently. Baltimore. You can have an opinion, but I don't think Washington. Washington, and this is a lot of Dan Snyder. Washington's dysfunctional, too. The seven to eight dysfunctional on NFL teams, Washington's one of the

dysfunctional teams. Aren't they? They can't get the quarterback right. It's also a little personal with both of those guys. And finally, before game two of the Western Conference finals, the Warriors revealed that Kevin Durant is not even making the trip to Portland for games three and four. So he will, he has been ruled out. And their head coach, Steve Kerr, he did not sound too optimistic. about this injury. Hopefully, he continues to progress, and he has made progress, but, you know, it's a little more serious than we thought at the very beginning. And so we'll see where it all goes.

But he's in there all day long getting treatment. He's done a great job of committing himself to that process. Rick and his staff are in there all day. and hopefully he'll be back at some point, but we'll just wait and see. I'd love to go one of those games up in Portland. That game three is going to be. It's going to be crazy.

I think one of them, Portland's going to blow out. I think Portland's going to have a really good game three at home. Yeah. But all Golden State needs a split. If they get a split, they got the series. Well, I mean, it's clear they don't need Durant to beat the Blazers, but do they need them to beat either of the Eastern Conference teams? Do they need Durant to beat the Blazers in Portland?

Let's just wait. They don't need him to beat the Blazers in Oracle, but now I get a four-point advantage. You know, what's the swing between Oracle and the Rose Garden? It's the biggest game. It's a biggest game in Portland in a long time. Yeah. Portland's going to be a tough crowd.

Great. Portland's going to be. By the way, I thought last night's game, the second half was one of the most entertaining 90 minutes of basketball I've seen in years. It was, and you know what I like about it? I love Golden State, not just jacking up threes. It was like a lot of smart battles. basketball, find the best shots. It's really fun.

That's the news. That's veteran newsman, John Goulai. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. Where is Bruce Ard today? Is he in New York? He's still in New York? Okay, let's not waste any time here with, speaking of veteran newsman. Have you noticed, if you noticed Bruce Ard when he goes to New York City, kind of mails it in out here?

Have you noticed how handsome and debonair he is? Let's go to the Coward Global Satellite Network. The guy looked like he's a Tom Ford model. What the hell's going on with Bruce Arr? Look at these pocket squares. So tight. Look at that. I don't know how to take that.

Is that a compliment or is that an insult when I'm in L.A.? I'm not sure. Well, I see the way Parker dresses. You definitely need to step it up out here just to make that odd couple show work on Foxmoards Radio. I was saying this. It's been a bad couple. It's been a bad month for the analytic mavens because I'm watching Golden State

last night, Chris. and in that fourth quarter, they just went for the best shot. Portland with a lead took 14 threes. And in some instances, I thought bad shots. What do you make of Golden State? You know, you talked about it earlier this year. You're the first that tip me off to this. They are not in Houston's class as a three-ball team.

They really work a lot for the best shot. And I thought last night was an example of that. No, you're not. You're totally on point. and not just in the fourth quarter, but generally the great misperception about Golden State is that they're just this three-point shooting team that hoist a bunch of shots from 30 feet. Yeah, they do have the two best shooters or two of the best shooters of all time in Clay and Steph and then when Durant's there. But they were second in the league this regular season in mid-range shots.

They get backdoor layups. Steph and other guys will get dribble drives and finish at the rim. And then, of course, the three-point shot. So while Houston and last night Portland, Milwaukee, you know, all these teams have gone overboard with the three-point shot. Golden State, which changed the game, they still have a great balance. And that is one of the reasons why they are the best team in the league because of that balance. 32 and 4 when Katie doesn't play and Steph does. How do you think this is landing on Kevin Durant watching this transpire?

Look, Kevin Durant is a human being, all right? That means inside it's hurting him. I mean, period, the end. You love it if Nick Wright or Jason McIntyre was to fill in for your show, you know, and do a pretty good job. But if one of them filled in for your show and the ratings skyrocketed, you'd be upset because you're a human being. I would too.

Yes. I mean, unless Kevin Duran is Jesus Christ, then he's got to be hurting with the way they're playing without him. So I just think, look, I heard you alluding to it earlier. If they win this championship without Kevin Duran, he's got a bowl. If he has, because some people, I'm not one of those people. I don't think you are either. But there are people, fans and ex-players, current players, who belittle his two championships, even though he was the finals MVP,

even though he's arguably the best player in the world, they belittle those two championships. We heard Clyde Frazier do it say there's an asterix by it. What do you think that it'll be if they win it without him? They'll belittle them even more. Marcus Thompson, you know, you love him on your show, I love him. He just came out with a book, KD, Kevin Durant's relentless pursuit to be the greatest. If that title is accurate and Durant really wants to be the greatest to ever play,

he has no choice but to get out of Golden State and go somewhere and try to lead his own team to a title. I saw this story and I want you to address it. I'll talk about it later because I think the Eastern Conference could be in trouble if Kyrie Irving goes west. There's a story now that Kyrie is considering the Lakers and so is Anthony Davis and that NBA executives are petrified of Kyrie and Anthony Davis joining LeBron. Can you refute it? Confirm it? What do you make of that story? Yeah, I mean, look, everything I'm being told, and this is by people close to this situation, is that there is very little.

almost no chance of Kyrie Irvin going to the Lakers. Now, he will meet with them out of respect for LeBron. Obviously, they've rekindled their relationship. But this would shock people close to Kyrie, all right, if he decided to go back to play with LeBron and the Lakers. Obviously, there's a chance of Anthony Davis going there, but I think there's a better chance of both of those guys, KD and A, D, or Kyrie and A.D, going to New York.

We know about Kyrie's, with Kevin Durant. You know, if they go there, they're not, Kyrie's not joining somebody else's team, even though Katie's the better player. It's kind of both of them going there together. The reason I think AD could wind up with the Knicks

is because David Griffin, the new president general manager in New Orleans, is going to make it very difficult on the Lakers to get Anthony Davis. Now, I don't think you'll make it impossible, but it's going to be hard. And if he really likes R.J. Baird, who they could get from the Knicks, if they trade with the Knicks for AD, and you unite the roommates, the great friends, the former All-Americans at Duke, put them together in New Orleans.

That's a great storyline. Everybody would be into it. And they're two great young players. So I think New York is in the driver's seat and the favorite to get Anthony Davis. By the way, Milwaukee, Toronto probably isn't fascinating to the massive. We've got the Kauai could leave Toronto story. You and I talked about it this week. You know, it's really interesting when you look at this Milwaukee team and their salaries and their youth and the star and the coach. If Anthony Davis does not go east, if Kevin Durant does not go east, if Kyrie did go west, it looks like to me Milwaukee could dominate the east for a long time. Do people in the league, are they talking about that?

Well, so many people in the league are convinced that Anthony Davis will end up in the east and that Kyrie Irving will stay in the east, whether it's Boston, although a lot of people think he's out of there, they think it's New York. You know, there may be an outlier here or there that thinks they're going to go to L.A. And then most think KD. is going to New York as well. So I don't think people fear a lopsided league as it has been, like the East has one or two good teams and then everybody else is in the West. Yonest, though, you're right about them if that were to happen,

having a chance to dominate the conference the way LeBrian James has. If your scenario came true, I mean, Philadelphia would be the only team in their way. And we know how immature they are. We know about Joel NB's health issues. it could be LeBron James all over again. But here's something else, Colin, we need to look at. What is Yonis, what is his ceiling? Like if the Milwaukee Bucks win the championship this year,

that'll be completely unprecedented. I don't think we've ever seen a team go from the 16th best record or somewhere around there to the NBA championship in one year without adding a major star. The closest I can think of, you'll remember this was Portland in 1977, but they did add Maurice Lucas, who was an All-Star. So this is unprecedented. What does this say about how good Janus is?

And wait until he adds a three-point shot. He's getting better from behind the arc. I think in two years, he will be a very competent three-point shooter, probably around 36, 37, 38 percent from three. he's going to be unstoppable and he could wind up eventually putting himself in that goat conversation. Good stuff, Chris Broussard, have a great weekend.

Enjoy Rob Parker in the show today. Odd Couple Fox Sports Radio. Thanks, bud. All right, Colin. He goes to New York. He's the best dressed man at Fox Sports. How about that? Coming up next, I'm going to say something and do something.

I've never done before in my career. Goulet as a witness. That's next to her. Catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal. conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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. 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 Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Life throws hurdles big and small.

The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WMBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star, Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain.

It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you. but don't ever feel like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladecki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals.

At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get started. so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses steve burns dustin ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust i want you to just really be a good

person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free I Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Discover's going further with Miles rewards than ever before. Discover at Miles Card automatically matches all the miles you earn at the end of your first year. Limitations apply, Discover match for new card members only. Learn more at Discover.com slash travel. By the way, we have had, I'm just telling you right now, ratings, numbers come up. in podcast streaming. Holy moly, good to have you in.

So I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to foreign territory, and I'm not sure how this will be received. But I'm okay with the pushback. I mean, I got Odell Beckham Jr. screaming at me and Baker Mayfield saying mean, terrible things. I won't sleep well, but I can survive, right? I'm drinking water and trying to do everything else, right?

Here I do something that I've never done before. My first ever hot golf take. So Brooks Kepka's leading the PGA championship and shot a course record yesterday. And he bores me to tears and I could not care less. That's my hot golf take. He's the Kauai Leonard of Golf, great and boring. He's got no personality. I get no mood swings.

I get no fist pump. He's a weight room junkie. Ooh, fascinating. Go back to Golds after you hit another birdie. He was asked a couple of weeks ago what you think about on the course. He said, I don't think much. Oh. Great, fascinating.

Got Hemingway out there. The guy's grape nuts. I ate him my entire life for cereal. Every morning my mom made me eat raisin brand, but mostly grape nuts. Forty years later, I don't remember one bowl of grape nuts. I remember Lucky Charms. I remember Honeycomb. I remember Count Chocula.

I remember kicks. I remember tricks. I remember Apple Jacks. I don't remember grape nuts. He's a great golfer. Yep, won three of seven majors. But all you golf addicts who pull. your pants up to your neck.

When you get post-50, you've been lecturing me about Jordan Speeth and Rory McElroy and Justin Rose, and they're going to be the next tiger. There's never going to be another tiger. He threw his clubs, he swore, he didn't look like a country club guy. He was grade at 11. He was different. The red

shirt, the galleries. He moved the earth. He was a walking tsunami. Tiger was different. The injuries. Even now, the divorce, the stuff. And I know what you're saying, old cranky golf guy. It's a shame that you have to do that to be interesting. No, it's not. It's called life. Don't you stop for a car wreck? Come on, golf guy. There's a car wreck. Eight cars piled up.

You don't stop and look. Oh, you're the one cool guy who doesn't. I do. Everybody does. Dustin Johnson, by the way, is fascinating. Hot wife, drug issues, meltdowns, inconsistent play, bombs it off the tea. He's fascinating. Dustin Johnson's fascinating because he's flawed, because he's imperfect. Just like Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is imperfect. He's real.

It's why Kevin Durant's interesting. It's why Aaron Rogers is interesting. It's why a lot of people think Russell Wilson's boring and Jared Goff is boring because you get the same guy and Andrew Luck is boring. I get it. I just like my quarterback's boring, but I don't like my golfer's boring. Arnold Palmer wasn't boring. Lee Trevino wasn't boring. Tiger Woods wasn't boring.

Phil Mickelson's had all sorts of controversy. He's not boring. Every time I'm opening up something about Phil Mickelson, he's in trouble doing something here and something there and this bet and this stock. He's fascinating. He's the only guy in sports I've never had on the show. I die to have on the show Phil Mickelson.

I love the guy. I can't turn off Phil Mickelson. I can turn off Justin Rose. I can turn off Rory McElroy. I can turn off Jordan Speeth. I couldn't turn off Tiger. So it's my hot golf take. By the way, how.

How would the gallery respond to my hot golf take? That's the same applause as Kepka gets. And nobody's saying he's not great. But you people have been telling me for a decade, oh, this guy's going to be Tiger, this guy's going to be Tiger. There's never going to be another Muhammad Ali. It's never going to happen. So rare, so you know.

We're never going to have another Tiger Woods. Not going to happen. We almost had, we've had people close to Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant was close, and LeBron sometimes is better. But Tiger Woods, we've had a lot of good basketball players, but Tiger Woods changed ratings. I mean, he changed ratings on the U.S. Open, on the Masters.

Like, people just left watching these legendary tournaments. I haven't missed a Masters in a U.S. Open. I haven't, you know, or a Kentucky Derby. I mean, Nike literally said, let's go all in on golf. Nike? The jogging's running football uniform company? Let's go on golf. to golf. Tiger leaves, let's pull out of golf. Dick's sporting goods.

Biggest sports, you know, company in the country, moved out of golf when Tiger moved away from golf. It's nothing against Brett. Brett, the guy can bench press Rhode Island. Brooks. There you go. Brooks. Brooks Kepka.

I'm not denying he's great. I'm not denying he can bench press me. I'm not denying any of that. I'm not denying. He's amazing. But he's not interesting. He's not fascinating unless you sit in a course all day and hit golf balls. Yeah, that's really negative.

Not just honest. Phil Mickelson's fascinating. Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicholas. There are a lot of guys that are interesting. Dustin Johnson. I just, you know, I got to be honest with you. I like people with issues. I like people.

You know, I mean, when it comes to golf and tennis, these individual sports, team sports, I don't want you to be a wreck because you're part of a team, a collective. But when it comes to skiing and tennis and golf, I like a little juice. I like a little energy. I like a little hot mess. I do.

I do. That Tiger Masters win, why was that so fascinating? Because for like years, he was on, you know, you see him on the video. He's slurring. He's on the road. He's messed up. And then he recovers from it and his redemption. And that's what Hollywood's writing movies about.

I mean, by the way, Agassie, we learned years later he did meth. Pete Stamper's did not. Pete Stamper's was boring. He was flawed and fascinating. It's the herd. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis,

private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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. 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. 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 Sports Slice on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow 10. Timbo Slica Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them?

On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel on.

Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning.

It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fantine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth,

or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood,

pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Ah, here we go. Hour 2 and a Friday, man. We are packed. This show is just starting, baby. This is The Herd, wherever you may be

and however you may be listening. We are live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and right here on FS1. Joy Taylor is gone. She is back Monday. A veteran newsman John Goulet fills in capably as always. By the way, is Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham, Jr., have they apologized to me yet for the awful things they said yesterday and attacked me viciously on? Not yet. I have not seen an apology come across yet.

Yeah. What ifs? You look at the elevation of Baker's career, his branding. I'm a big part of that. So a little apology would go a long way. Maybe even a video or something would be nice, not just some pithy, I'm sorry, on Twitter, but, you know, a real commitment to apologizing and mending the fence here. I want to start with this. Speaking of the Cleveland Browns, I saw this story. This is a big where Colin was right.

I don't mean to be obnoxious, but I'm going to read this story. This is the headline. I just love this. Big Ben is hosting the Steelers skill players at his lake house this week. Where Colin was very right. Juju Smith-Schuster, James Connor, there's the picture at his lakehouse on the butt. Well, isn't that exactly what we predicted? Isn't that exactly what we predicted?

We said, you watch Big Ben come out so focused and so driven to prove Antonio Brown wrong, Levian Bell wrong, to shut Cleveland up. And I've been saying, I cannot wait for this. year for Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers. You folks have given this division to Baker and Lamar Jackson and Baltimore and Cleveland. I'm riding and I'm rolling with Big Ben and the Steelers and the logo and the front office and that owner and that veteran head coach Mike Tomlin who has driven me crazy before. But Mike Tomlin's also won a lot of divisions and a Super Bowl and a lot of big games. And I'm rolling with Pittsburgh. O'Dell Beckham and Baker yesterday are screaming at our innocent radio host. And here's a guy, camaraderie on a boat with his teammates hanging out, barbecuing. This is exactly what I predicted. And I'll say this, Ben's career is not as linear as Tom Brady's.

It's been interesting. It's had bumps. There's been four stages of Big Ben's career. Number one, talented but he inherited a guy. great roster. He won a Super Bowl, and he didn't have a huge part in it. The second stage was, you know, like year three through year like nine. He has absolutely arrived. He's an all-time talent, and he's carrying even average defenses. Then there was stage three. He's getting hurt. Maybe he got a little loose, little sloppy, little rich, had kids, maybe the focus is off,

kind of the roller coaster. Can't beat the Patriots. I believe he's entered stage four, which is Resurrection and resolve. Better shape. Guys that drove him nuts out of the building. No more talking about retirement. Have you noticed that? Talking about extending his career, inviting people over to his house, off-season resolve, resurrection, focus.

Yeah, his career, Tom Brady's career has been, you know, a little like, you know, a little like Tom Hanks. You know, it's just win after win after win. and maybe not every year. Tom Hanks has had an occasional bad movie, follows it with a home run. You know, and Ben's career has been hit with, hit, with, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit.

It's been a little bumpy. But this story is something I absolutely love. I've said it for years. Give me the owner, the GM, the coach, and the quarterback. And if they're all near an A, a B plus or an A, I am rolling with it. I don't know what Freddie Kitchens is. is Freddie

Do I think the Browns have an A owner? Do I think the Browns have an A coach? I think they have a B quarterback who could move into a different area. I think their GM is super, super good at finding talent but not building chemistry. That's why Kansas City moved him. But, God, I love this story on Pittsburgh. I love it on Big Ben. It's falling right into what we thought would happen.

I'm going to prove Antonio Brown wrong. I'm going to prove we don't need Levium Bell. I'm going to prove I wasn't. The problem. You watch him now. He's hanging out. Watch him coming to the best shape he's ever been in camp. You're going to hear that story in the next three months.

Best shape he's ever been in. Mark my words. Let's shift to this. Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey. Smart guy, like him a lot, really thoughtful, loves analytics. He's kind of, you know, there was money ball. Now they have Mori ball. Threes, threes, threes, threes, mid-range jumper, bad.

Should be noted, Chris Paul was the best player on the floor in their last game of the year and Chris Paul's a mid-range jumper guy. I know all you analytic mavens want to, you know, you want to put the pocket protector in and tell us you have to shoot threes or you're evil. Houston's number one in the analytics. Golden State this year dropped the 17th in Mori ball, so slow down. But he said this yesterday. He said, anytime you've got the best player in the world, said Darrell Mori, meaning

James Harden, you got a chance. If you look at the history of NBA championships, you know, the teams were the best player and we feel James Harden gives us a shot every year. Yes, analytically, analytically, I'm not going to deny that James Harden is a top three player in the NBA. But let's look at reality and not math. The reality is that NBA legacies and reputations

are built on playoff success. I didn't make that rule up. I didn't make that rule up. Those are the rules. I don't think speed limit should be 55, but those are the rules. drive around 55. If you don't win in the postseason, Dan Marino, you don't get to be in the greatest

conversation. And those are the rules in the NBA. Secondly, the mid-range jumper, by the way, is having a playoff renaissance. And Joel M. Bid and Janice are two superstars, and they're never going to be great at shooting the three. I doubt it seriously. And Kevin Durant's still the best two shooter in the league. And Kauai shoots a great, too.

and Portland's been living off mid-range jumpers, and last night Golden State lived off the two, not the three, late. And also with James Harden, and this is just a reality, not analytically. I don't know if analytics picks this up, but because of his body and because of his style, he wears down late in seasons. He just looked tired. He's just not as good when you get past the first round,

sometimes late in the first round. Maybe it's his body type. Maybe it's his style, which is ball-centric, dominating the ball. but his style does not lend itself to be in great in June and late May. And folks, it doesn't matter what the analytics say. As a boxer, if you're never the champ, you're not in the conversation of greatest or second greatest. It doesn't matter if you have the most knockouts. You have the best punch ratio.

You land the most punches. You've got to hold the belt or you're not in the conversation. Dan Marino's arguably the greatest pure passer in football history. It's not in the conversation of greatest. And right now, there are four words that sum up James Hardin's career. Based on the data, those are not best ever words. That's how you sum up James Hardin's career. Based on the data, nobody wants to hear that.

We're going to pass the greatest player on the torch from LeBron. It may have just been passed to KD. and then if Janus wins a couple, maybe it'll be Janus. But we're not talking Janus great until he wins a title. And by the way, Katie wasn't even in the conversation until he won a couple. And LeBron's leaving that conversation because he can now can't make the playoffs. So I don't need data to describe Durant. I don't need data to describe Michael Jordan or LeBron or Kobe or Shaq.

I don't need data for any of those guys. Okay, if you start talking about your OPB, yes, you know me, and you go baseball stats, Mickey Mantle could play. I don't need data. I don't need any data. Mike Trout can play. I don't need his batting average. I don't care what Derek Jeter's batting average was.

I don't care about Rod Carus, Tony Gwynn, he could hit. Wade Boggs, they could hit. You start moving into the data stuff. You're out in the conversation, at least for greatest player ever. Ah, okay. Stephen Jackson, Marcus Thompson, Albert Breer, Jason McIntyre, these Friday shows. Do we have time out? Is Baker and OBJ apologize yet?

Could you check Twitter real quick? Not seen anything yet. Our social team is on it. Do you double check? They're anxiously awaiting the apology. I go out every day, just grind out a show. It's all I do. All right.

I'm going to have to get over. I don't have a choice. Another restless night of sleep. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness.

So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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. 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 Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them?

On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you,

but don't ever feel like you don't feel like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world.

Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you here on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Last night, wildly, wildly entertaining game.

Portland had it and lost it. And Stephen Jackson is, of course, joining me, 14 NBA seasons, 4 Warriors, 3 spurs, 4 spurs, Some Pacers, some bobcats, some, yeah, who cares, rest. Now, let's get into this. You got a big ring there. I was talking about this. I'm not anti-3 ball.

I'm not. But these are athletes, not slide rulers. And last night, late in the game, Golden State didn't shoot a ton of threes. They went and got buckets. Portland with a lead just kept firing up threes. And slowly, the champions just got a bucket. And it's fascinating. I call them man-alytics.

Men, latent games, get buckets. I don't care about the math. I think math works over an 82-game season. But I'm watching that game at the end. And I love watching Golden State. They're so smart. When you were playing for the Warriors, take me inside the way the mind works of this.

Because everybody thinks there's just a bunch of three-ball shooters. They were eighth in the league. And that's with Steph Clay and Durant. They were eighth. analytically, they were 17th compared to Houston one. Take me inside the brain power of that. Well, the good thing is easy for me because you have to have that dominant player that it even kill all time at all times.

Duncan. That doesn't get rattled. That's Steph Curry. And you played with Duncan and Steph. Yes. And that's what the similarities that have. When you see K.D. and Jemond arguing or when you see Jemond mad because he didn't get to pass something. You never see Clay in that mix. He's always, I mean, you never see stuff in

that mix. He's always the one on the side at an even kill, focused on the game, ready to make the next play, trying to keep everybody else focused and not really getting involved into the nonsense is on the court. You need a guy like that. Now, it's very few teams that have a player and an MVP when you lose a guy like KD that he can fulfill, he can feel KD's role and still play his own role. Without Katie in the game, Steph has become the closer. So he's closing now. He's not only making big shots, but he's closing the game. And he's also making plays as we look at now. He's made plays to win games. No team has a player that can be that guy when Katie's off the court or be that guy when Katie's on the court. Now, let me say this too. Steph has more in his game

than James Harden. James is a great score. He can't shoot mid-range. Steph can shoot mid-range. He can shoot threes. He can make plays. He can do it all. And people don't give Steph as props like he's not top four, top five player in the league. After these last two games, I think people should start switching to see why people praise him like they do. So Darrell Mori was talking about James Hardin, calling him the best player in the game when you have one of the top two players. And my takeaway is you can be, you can knock a lot of guys out in the boxing game. Got to have a belt at least once. Right. Or you're not in the conversation. You're just one of those guys that want an MVP. one of those guys that knock people out.

Right. You can have the biggest, I mean, pay-per-view numbers can be through. If you don't hold the belt at some point, you're not in the conversation with Muhammad Ali. Right. You're just not. Not at all. And to me, I look at James Hardin and I'm like, talented but. Right.

And that's how a lot of players, this is one thing about players, okay? And I'm going to make a lot of people understand this. Everybody in the NBA makes money. everybody has the same cars, same jewelry, same clothes, same everything, same house, is just in a different state, it's just built by a different guy. Everybody has the same jewelry, it's just from a different jeweler, right? What separates you is being the best in the world because everybody can't say that. So for James, you're going to be a great score.

You're going to be somebody that's dominated regular season, but you're not going to be one of the best players because you're not winning. The best players to me in this league, Steph Curry, KD, LeBron, Kauai. These guys are champions. LeBron went to the finals nine straight times, eight straight times. That's been great. That's been one of the best. So players, the best reward is to be able to say at the end of the season that I was the best in the world.

And until you do that, then the players don't look at you the same. If Charles Barkley wasn't so funny on television, because Charles Barkley, to me is one of the greatest players I've ever seen. He could score low. He could score outside. He could score in transition. There's about seven guys in league history that could do that. He's what Zion should look to be.

Yeah. No, I mean, Charles was amazing. But if he wasn't great on TV and just golf now, he'd be, we would never talk about Charles Barkley. I agree. And by the way, that's the Hardin. And Hardin's not going to be as great on TV as Barclay. Barclay's made himself relevant,

but he would be much less relevant if it wasn't for the fact he has a huge, funny, giving, loving personality. And Carl Malone. Where's Carl Malone now? Right. And he was the second leading score of all time. And we don't talk about Carmel. We don't talk about him at all because he didn't win.

John Stockton, assist leader. We don't talk about him because he's never won. What do you play the game for? Are you playing for money? Of course, he's going to take care of your family. But you play to win. You play to be a champion. The narrative has changed of why people play basketball and is not the same.

And I think more players these days are interested in what the game can do for them than actually love the game and care about being a champion. I feel Steph Curry does. He wants to be the best ever. You know, it's interesting. If you think about, let's think about right now the dynasties in our life. New England led by Brady, Spurs led by Duncan, Warriors led by Steph, at least emotionally.

Brady Duncan, Steph. Yes. No nonsense. Not big emotion. All coachable. All coachable. And this is what I tell the Baker-Mayfields of the world. Dude, all this grabbing your stuff, that's not what endures.

Right. If, if, like, Stephen, you just said this. When the fit hits the sham, when everything's going sideways, when Draymond's fighting, Duncan, Brady, Steph, they're like, Russell Wilson's got this in Seattle. Yes. The cooler. Yes. They just bring the temperature in the room down. Like, I don't think players get.

Because by the way, I want Draymond on my team. I need a fighter. But see, guys like me and Draymond, we know we're not Tim Duncan and Steph Curry. We're not even trying to be that. But we need a Steph Curry and Tim Duncan on the side of us to make us have the best careers because they know how to pull us back

and let us be us when it need to be. So you knew when you were playing for Golden State of the Spurs that you had the kind of personality that you could be lit. You could get, you had a fuse and you were aware of that. And I used it to my advantage a lot. Because, to be honest, I started a lot of stuff. I never been in any fights in games besides the bra, of course,

but in the game, I've never been in the fight. Two reasons. One, they knew I was going to fight, but they didn't want to lose no money. But two, I knew that if I pushed that line, that nine out of ten of the guys in NBA were back down. And they did. And I used that to my advantage.

So I came into a lot of games with that edge of the attitude where either I'm going to win the game or I'm going to win the fight. And that's the attitude I had every night. And guys weren't willing to go to every night. By the way, there's a lot of rumors. KD. and Kyrie and Kauai. And it's just ridiculous, right?

I mean, I love it. It's a soap opera. If I said to you, take all these free agent guys, Jimmy Butler, this, this, this, this. There's a million rumors. Right. I just want one. Which one do you feel safest about will happen?

Of all the rumors guys moving. If I said, Steve, one. Katie, I think Katie's staying. That's your strongest. Even after what you're watching right now? I think Katie's staying. Katie's not bothered that they're winning. You don't think so.

The game six, you see he posted the pitch of celebrating at home. He didn't have to post that. If he was bitter, he wouldn't have post that. Game two against Portland. Whitlock said something. Why he didn't post him at the game one? Well, Whitlock, I hope you're looking. He was at the game.

Congratulations the team running down, coming back to the locker room after a big win. He's not worried about that. And this is the main reason why. When he comes back, he has an opportunity to be a three-time champion with three MVP's. The only person done that is Jordan three times in a row. He has, at the end of the season, you know the bag he's getting? He's going to get a big bag with a lot of blue strips in it, okay? He's not worrying about nothing. And at the same time, while I'm not playing, while I'm thinking about this big contract and this championship that I'm about the playing, y'all talking about me and I'm not even playing.

not worried about nothing. He's still in everybody in the mouth, he's on the sideline. That's how I want to be. I don't have to be around for you to talk about me. But one thing about it, they're not a championship team today without KD. Yeah, five years ago they were. But this was the same team that was up 3-1 and lost to LeBron. Well, this team also didn't have the bench. I think short term, I said this earlier, you could argue they're more fun and they

cut and pass better. Yes. But over time, when you have the world's best chef, need that big dog. for long term. You know, I always said this, I always had this theory. I'm not smart, but I'm smart enough. You could put me, I could run Apple to company. Your first team, common sense. We both on first team all common sense.

We are. Yes. Okay, I am the shooting guard. You're the power. No, you're the three guard. Yeah, I'm three. You get fights, I just get around. I got your vet.

Okay, so I'm smart enough. You could put me into a company, and I could run it for six weeks. Just common sense stuff. Right. But over six months, I'd ruin Apple. and over six years I devastated is that you can win six games without KD. Yes.

And for six weeks, you can bail water but over the course of six months he is a finisher. The most efficient. And you're going to, Steph's going to miss three games and Clay gets sick and Draymond goes into a three-week slump. Steph has an ankle problem. And Katie's there and he's the finish.

So you can, you can, there's a lot of times, Nick Folles short-term on a Super Bowl of Philadelphia. Over the course of 10 years, Carson Wentz is going to win more games. Nick is Katie. Nick Fos is K.D. in Philadelphia, though. Well, no, because Katie's an all-time player. Nick Foles is so-so. Katie's all-time stuff.

Nick Foles is okay. Well, he played like KD in those Super Bowls. He played big. Yeah. But historically, you know, we all know that over the course of time, you just want more good players in the locker. Right, right. But you can do a lot of things in life.

short term without a superstar. You can do a lot of stuff. Stephen Jackson. A veteran newsman, John Goulet. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Heard Line News. So, Colin, it's pretty clear that Pelicans would prefer not to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers

because, you know, they believe the Lakers kind of manipulated the situation, got him to force to trade, didn't want to deal with them. However, the Pelicans' hatred of the Lakers may actually be stronger than we thought. What? This is according to ESPN's Jackie McMullen, so a very reliable source. Apparently, Gail Benson may have put her foot down about this, the owner of the Pelicans.

Jackie McGillan said this. We've been told, I think, through channels, most of us have heard the same scuttlebut that Gail Benson has basically told him, David Griffin, to the Lakers over my dead body. Now, this is what we said three days ago, and there was a lot of pushback from NBA sources that David Griffin has a free reign. Gail Benson, just think about this. Think about the city she runs. So she owns the Pelicans and the Saints. Right. Let me ask you, who did the Saints lose to? The L.A. Rams. I hadn't thought of that.

Okay. So they're a little sensitive in New Orleans about L.A. The Chris Paul situation. Who's been bashing them for years on that? The L.A. Lakers. What team ripped the Pelicans and their competency during the trade deadline? L.A. It's not a Lakers thing. It's an L.A. thing. New Orleans is got a, they got a chip a mile long on the vibe out here, on LeBron, on magic, on Chris Paul, on, and Gail Benson is, best to be honest. Her income is derived from the Saints and the Pelicans. Those fans do not want to see Anthony Davis traded to Los Angeles.

And especially the Knicks are going to offer a better pick anyway. I think so. Unless they come in with a horrible offer, you're basically going to take the better deal. regardless and you get to not trade him to the Lakers which is what the fans really want. Listen, Lonzo Ball was having a very interesting season. If he doesn't get hurt and Lonzo Ball, because he was playing well with LeBron, if Lonzo ball doesn't get hurt and I say Coosma, Lonzo and a bunch of pick, that's interesting. When Lonzo Ball got hurt, I had an executive tell me he's got to have an 80 game season

or like he's off the block. People aren't interested in the dad and he can't. stay healthy. Like, Lonzo needs an 81 game season. He has spent the last two years hobbled. And when he got hurt, his, his value in the market, Lonzo Ball, deteriorated significantly. So there's no doubt that the Celtics had a very disappointing season, especially for certain radio hosts that may have picked them to beat the Warriors in the finals. That was kind of a miss. Uh-huh. Now, one of their owners, Whit Grossbeck, talked about this year's struggles. We're all annoyed and upset and disappointed.

I feel like there was a mismatch between the talent that we had on paper and the way that it was expressed on the court. The actual and the potential, there was a gap. Pretty frustrating for everybody concerned, not least of all the players. It was one of the hardest teams to love from my standpoint. That's definitely, they were not a fun team to watch. Despite the talent, they were not fun. where do they go from here? I'll go back to this.

Kyrie leaves and you get nothing. Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, Jason Tatum will revert back to his rookie year when Kyrie. Hopefully, yeah. Yeah, Jason Tatum was fine. Kyrie didn't help his game. He hurt his game. Terry Rosier, Marcus Smart,

Brad Stevens, they'll draft somebody. Boston's going to be fine. They'll be a top three team. People are forgetting this. So Jason Tatum had a great rookie. year. And then this year, he had moments, but he deteriorated in the playoffs. Do you don't think Kyrie was part of that? Kyrie leaves. He gets more looks. People just live in the moment. They're like, oh, Jason Tatum's no good. So you want me to believe he was great as a rookie,

and now he's bad. No, Kyrie didn't work with Jason Tatum. He shrinks around Kyrie. So Tatum will go back up. Gordon Haymer was getting better. Al Horford, Terry Rozier, Jalen Brown, draft another guy. It's a top six team in the league. They're fine. And finally, last night the Phillies were blown out by the Brewers 11 to 3. How'd Bryce Harper do? So just a quick update on the 13-year $330 million guy. Yeah.

He is hitting 221 this season. Oh, how is he doing in May? 180 in May. Oh. And leads the NL in strikeouts. Oh, but Philadelphia was when I came out and said this is going to be a disaster. He's a home run hitter with a massive contract. So he's not a contact guy.

He strikes out a lot. When you give these home run hitters, these massive deals, it gets into their head and they deteriorate. Sure. And what do you know? Now, Mike Trout's different. Mike just hits the ball, gets on base, great glove, can run. His game. There's a lot of components to his game.

So you can give Mike Trout a lot of money. Robinson Cano, same. But when you give a power hitter, that kind of money, and they're expected to hit 47 Jackson, Philadelphia. This stuff is in Bryce Harper's head. Well, here's what's interesting, though, too. So he's playing poorly. They're in first place. Yeah.

So how important was it to sign him? By the way, the Astros and the Dodgers have the money and said, nah, push back. Two best teams in baseball arguably right now. Well, don't worry. There's only 2,063 games left on Bryce Harbour's contract. So, almost done. Yeah. Philadelphia, this is just 12 and a half more years of this stuff.

As I predicted, it's never going to last 12 years. No way. He'll be out of there in four. veteran newsman John Goulet Well, that's the news And thanks for stopping by The Hurd lie news

This is kind of predictable But I think it's interesting Every time the Patriots win a Super Bowl Oh, nobody will ever beat them And every time they lose a Super Bowl Oh, the dynasty is over So they just won a Super Bowl And so this is interesting

NFL odds came out CG technology Odds Makers Here's the Patriots schedule against the spread. And we were able to confirm the first number. Patriots minus six and a half against the Steelers. We got a second source that had New England as a six-point favorite at home against the

Steelers. Look at these numbers. New England's a 10 point favorite over the jets, an 11 point favorite over the Giants, an 8.5 point favorite over the Super Bowl-bound Browns, a six-point favorite. over the Cowboys and a field goal favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, they do face the Browns, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh in New England. But 15 of the 16 weeks, they're favored.

The only time they're not, the Patriots are a slight underdog getting one at Philadelphia, which is what it should be. It's interesting. There was six and a half point favored over Pittsburgh and an eight and a half point favored over Super Bowl-bound Cleveland. How's that possible? Cleveland's going to the Super Bowl. How is that possible? how about that though

for the record I do not think they're going 50 and 1 I'll predict 11 and 5 I do think they're more athletic than last year I was surprised they won the Super Bowl last year I didn't think they had the roster of the Chargers the Chiefs

I didn't think they had the roster of the Rams or Philadelphia or Dallas by the way but how's that possible they're favored by 8 and a half over the Browns because the Browns are going to the Super Bowl So update. Baker and OBJ apologize yet? Not yet. I haven't received anything. Terribly disappointing.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud.

But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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.

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 Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them

and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout, Kate Martin, and rising hockey star, Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel on. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeke. The ability to show gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile,

that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world, like, I can do anything. I can, like, I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be

a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Tomorrow on Fox, it's a great

night of baseball. Most of the country will see two of the most powerful lineups in baseball is Carlos Carras and the Astros, take on Mukyu Betts and the Red Sox. Others will see the Cubs battle the nationals, or Brewers and Braves. It all starts at 7 Eastern on Fox. Check local listings for the game in your area. Yeah, Astro's playing

great right now. MDrive's a supplement I've used, you should too, stronger, more energy drive. Go to MDrive for men.com refine your prime with MDrive. You know, I'm going to dinner tomorrow night with Doug Gottlieb and his beautiful wife tomorrow. I'm really going out big this weekend, just all weekend crazy stuff.

Let me just say this. New Orleans thinks I hate them. This happens all the time. The small towns Green Bay thinks I hate him, Cleveland. No, I don't. Let me support Gail Benson here. She owns the Saints and the Pelicans. Okay.

I get her not wanting to trade Anthony Davis to Los Angeles after what happened to the Saints in Los Angeles. Now you say to yourself, one's football, one's basketball. Fans are fanatics. They can't see straight. Gail Benson sells tickets. Her livelihood, her legacy, her culture is based on selling things to regular people in New Orleans. regular citizens. They don't like L.A.

They don't like the NFL. They don't like the Rams. They don't like what the Lakers said about them. I get it. I get the story out. Gail Benson today is like, over my dead body, are we trading Anthony Davis to the Lakers?

I get it. That's her business. That's where her money comes from. She's like, look, you can trade them to anywhere. You're not trading them to the Lakers. So I'll just throw that out at there. I will support Gail on that. Does it seem to me, you know, a little parochial?

Yeah, but sometimes parochial, I get it. Well, he's a lead columnist for the athletic in the Bay Area. He wrote the book on Steph Golden. He has now just come out with his new book on Kevin Durant. It has been released. Go to Amazon.com. Mine's on the way. It's called K.D. Kevin Durant's relentless pursuit to be the greatest.

It is out. Go to Amazon. Order it, and Marcus Thompson is joining us. Let me start with this, Marcus. Situationally last night, they were so good. They are so smart. They are so patient. I'll just throw this out.

Everybody thinks all they do is Chuck threes. That was Portland last night with a lead. They trailed in the last six minutes. They just went and got the best shots. Talk a little bit about we think all they do is shoot threes. They were only eighth in the NBA this year in shooting. threes. Have they transformed a little offensively? No question. Remember, remember their advantage used to be that they shot threes where everybody shot twos. Right. And now everybody's just

chucking all these threes and the Warriors are like working to get backdoor layups and mid-range jumpers. Right. So it's kind of weird, which is one of the reasons why they've, they've lost like at home more because another team just gets hot and they don't answer with 53s. But in the playoff setting, this is why they do it because you need to be able to get a good shot. And you can't just get a shot and they show that like they work and to get the shot that they need and also they play

incredible defense I mean they just they turned off to spiggin on Portland last night a team that was hot too like it wasn't like they were they were cool they were feeling it and then suddenly it was nothing you know Steve Kerr it reminds me a little of Joe Torrey back in the late 90 Yankees

you knew he had the best roster but the key for Joe Torrey was he A-Rod could get a long with Jeter when he later came to New York, that it was more than just the X's and O's. It was the development of relationships and the trust with star players. Listen, Steve Kerr's winning games and KD's not playing.

Do you think Kerr right now is massage in KD a little bit? Because we all know Golden State's got the best roster, but when you're winning without KD and we know KD can be sensitive, is Kerr doing something behind the scenes to make sure this thing, you know, isn't landing wrong for KD? I actually think they all are. And I don't know if the purpose is to like smooth over KD, but the last like month,

they've been in this real like kind of kumbaya spirit, right? Like they're all lovey-dovey. They're loving each other. You see last night at halftime they're down 15 and Katie's in the hall greeting them, like picking up their spirits. But we've heard over the last month since Katie dropped 50 after saying, you know who I am, we've heard Steve Kerr calling him the best player in the game. We've heard Steph Curry call him the best player in the game.

We've heard Draymond Green say he's our leader. We've heard Clay say it's not even the same without them. Like they're all in this space of a team. Like it's really kind of like sappy basketball, right? It's very spirited with them. So our natural like result of a tumultuous season and them saying let's get it together for this last run. Marcus Thompson's got a new book out. Go to Amazon.com and buy it.

It's called KD. Kevin Durant's Relentless Pursuit. be the greatest. He wrote Golden, the Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry. I will say this, Draymond can wear me out, but God, do I love him in the playoffs. He is the one guy, Marcus, that it feels like he is more important without KD. It does feel like that to me. I don't know what the stats say, but talk a little bit about the Draymond we see when KD doesn't play. I think it's like a lot of them, but I think when Draymond is playing center and he's knows, like it's all on him.

It just brings out, like, that Saginaw comes out of him. That dude is a, like, he's a monster, man. It's unbelievable. I really think people miss what is happening. And I know he doesn't get, like, the crazy blocks, right? And his numbers are so mild. But to watch one dude guard two people regularly and efficiently, it's just nuts. It's crazy the way he can shut down the paint.

And he's six foot seven. Like he's a monster. And, you know, when Durant's there, he's the backup, rim protector. He's coming out of nowhere. But when Draymond Green knows, it's all on him and he's locked in, I mean, you've got to go back way back to the old school to find a better defender than him. Now, we're talking about Katie's injury.

Is there an update on Boogie Cousins? Because I don't think they can go win. I'm very interested to see how they do without size KD and Boogie in Portland. That place is a tough place to win. what do we know about Boogie's injury? Boogie's actually closer than KD. Like he's returned to on-court work. We can see him in practice getting shots up, working on post moves.

I mean, he's running pretty gingerly, right? He doesn't look like he's ready to go out and play a full-court game, but he's actually doing things. I don't think KD has done anything yet. I think he's still just getting treatment and trying to get the pain out the way. I'm with you, though. I feel like they need something, like especially when you go into Milwaukee, you go into Toronto, I don't think you just be down two starters and it's all good.

So they need somebody back. I'm imagining that I couldn't even see Cousins coming back if this series is extended. If it goes like 6-7, that Couss might come back for that. I think KD, I think he's done to the finals. Finally, I'm not asking you to be a psychologist, but you probably back. But I'm good at it, though. I stayed at the Holiday Express and everything. But KD, you're bumping into him.

He's not playing Warriors or winning. What does he look like? What's he feel like last couple of days here? I think he's feeling good. I mean, the dude has all the options in the world. And he's got a team that's out there like trying to win for him so he can get back on the court. Look, here's what we know. He loves basketball and he loves being on the court.

So I know he's kind of like probably exhausted with this not playing business, right? I know he's frustrated from not playing because no matter what has happened in his life, he's always found the basketball court to be his sanctuary. But I do feel like it's very noticeable, and they talk about it all the time, how he's kind of taking that leadership role, cheerleading role, while he's out, like doing stuff like waiting for them outside of the locker room and speaking up in team meetings.

I'm telling you, I think he's in the best place, and they're all in the best place that they've been all year. Wow. How about that? Okay, here's the book. I'll show you the cover. Kevin Durant's relentless pursuit to be the greatest, There's the book, Marcus Thompson.

We put him on recently. Lead columnist, the athletic. Go buy it. I don't ask you very often to go buy a book. But I got mine ordered and ready to go. Marcus, absolute pleasure, my man. Anytime. Anytime.

You're my homie. All right. Good stuff. He is a little psychologist. He's pretty good. He got a little Sigmund Freud there working there. He knows it. Let me go back to...

I don't have much time on this, this Gail Benson thing. So we're seeing stories now where Gail Benson, and there's conflicting reports. She's like, we're not trading with Lakers. I'm going to support her on this. I get it. Saints Pelicans, two teams in that market. Okay, she's not, she don't want to have Anthony Davis playing in the West.

She'd rather move to New York. She doesn't have any problem with New York. In fact, Gail Benson probably has a place in New York. She probably goes to New York all time. You know, rich people, billionaires do. Go shopping, go hang. Christmas, it's fun. she may just not

I get the L.A. New Orleans thing here and the Pelicans have Zion. They make a deal with the Knicks and they get R.J. Barrett. You got two dukies. You get draft picks. I got to tell you. That's pretty good. Like I totally, and we know this,

that Anthony Davis, we know he'll play in L.A. or New York. York. I think the Lakers not only have to beat the Knicks, they'd have to blow the Knicks away with an offer. And when Lonzo Ball got hurt and his value decreased, I don't think they have the pieces. Hour three next. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. All right. Welcome back. Albert Breers around the corner. Jason McIntyre. You know I love him. There's a couple of massive, a couple of massive stories. You know, the NFL this week, the Jets fired their GM,

and that, it looks like utter chaos for Sam Darnold. Then you got the OBJ situation. Like he's been there three days out of 65, and Cleveland's so delusional. You know, move along, nothing to see here. 65 days, the coach is like he needs to get his mind right. There's nothing to see here. God, you finished in third place.

You got yourself in the Super Bowl. Get a grip. Like everybody at the league is like, what is going on with OBJ? I can like a guy, but know that there's a lot of drama here. This is why the New York Giants moved off the most popular player in the last 10 years in the franchise. This is why, this stuff. So it doesn't mean he's not talented, but between the injuries and the drama, Giants are like, we're getting out.

And for the record, I thought it was a break for him. Get him with a quarterback going into his prime or in his prime, get the numbers up. And I think it will eventually it will work well. I do believe that. There's also, I got to tell you, the NBA story that's heating up, the one that's coming down, and I've got two texts now on this, two from NBA people I trust, this Anthony Davis going to the Lakers thing,

I don't think Gail Benson, the owner of the Pelicans, is into that at all. She wants Anthony Davis to stay or move him, to the east with New York. Now, again, it depends. Does David Griffin, the general manager now, the guy running the Pelicans, does he like, we know he's got Zion and he loves him. Does he like R.J. Barrett, which I do.

I think he's a really nice. He'll come into the league and he'll score. He's a better version of Rodney Hood. That's what I see. Little left-hander, get to the basket, average about 18 to 20 points, maybe more. Some think he's got a James Harden quality. But that's the stories that are now percolating. Anthony Davis, Gail Benson, not trading him to the Lakers.

And with that, senior NFL reporter, lead content strategist, Monday morning quarterback, and our friend Albert Breer. Albert, let's start with this. The jet situation, you've got a column this week on the whole New York situation. You know, you look at it from the outside and you think, good Lord, you had the draft and free agency. Why didn't you just fire the general manager before that? What did you make of the whole mess?

I just think it's an owner who is a little in over his skis right now, Colin. I mean, you know, look, Christopher Johnson's been there for about two years now. And, you know, I think that, you know, initially he didn't want to go into this with the idea that he was going to be solely responsible for remaking the entire operation. They didn't want to fire everybody. And so, you know, he winds up keeping the general manager. and then, you know, over time, I think it became kind of clear that the general manager and the coach weren't a good match. I think on both ends, there were issues with people taking charge.

The head coach had acted, you know, a little passive aggressively in the past in Miami. That reputation followed him. And, you know, it's sort of what a lot of the people in the building observed from Adam Gase over the last four months. And then he had a general manager who just wasn't decisive enough. And so there wasn't a strong decision maker in the room. That became apparent the way that the plan unfolded over the last four months. I think really where the problem is in ownership here isn't so much that they didn't fire Mike McCagnan in January. It's that they didn't identify this problem early in the partnership.

Make sure that it was at least taped together, you know, scotch taped together over the last three months. you know, instead now, what they have is, you know, the DM who had full control of free agency, a DM who had full control of the draft, and who's now gone, and they've got a head coach who has very little investment on any player in the building, including the ones who are just brought in.

And so it's a mess. I think there are absolutely some DM candidates out there who've told me that they would be very, very cautious about even considering taking that job. And, you know, again, this points back to the one, thing that any coach or any PM can't change, and that's ownership. Yeah. Let's shift to a story that developed yesterday.

I know that O'Dell Beckham, Cleveland was not his first choice. I mean, he's got a messy Ronaldo international iconic field to him. I mean, he is really, he is global, and not many NFL guys are. And I know he didn't want to go to Cleveland, and everybody knows that, right? We can confirm that, but he ends up in Cleveland. The coach said yesterday, after he showed up for an OTA. and then left, he's basically been in Cleveland three out of 65 days, and he doesn't have his mind right yet. How am I not concerned with that?

It's 65 days since the trade. Isn't that kind of, you know, I said this yesterday, isn't that kind of why the Giants let him go? The above the shoulders stuff and the drama? Yeah. I mean, it was drama in the last two of spring, too. I mean, remember, you know, two years ago, you know, there was, you know, the whole basically quiet boycott of the Giants off-season program. And then last year to try to make amends for everything and get a contract, he did show up. And now he's got the contract and the next spring he's not showing up.

And so, you know, I certainly think that it just takes on, look, all this stuff's voluntary, but it certainly takes on a different context and feel when you're new in a place and you're one of the highest paid players in a place. Odell Beckham is both right now, similar to Levyon Bell with the jets. And so, you know, I think in those sorts of situations, every other player in a locker room is watching how the team handles you. If you're allowed certain things, other people in the building are going to expect to be allowed certain things, too, and it can create some issues in that way.

I will say this. I think the bet for the ground isn't even so much on Freddie Kitchens or Baker-Mayfield working with Odell Beckham. It's the relationship with Jarvis Landry. And if you talk to people who've known Beckham since here's at LSU, what they'll tell you is back then in college, those two guys kept each other that walked in, mainly because when they walked into that receiver group, when they walked into that receiver room in Baton Rouge,

you didn't know who the best receiver was on any given day. And so they were competitive with one another. They pushed one another. They kept one another locked in. So I think that's a big part of the bet against the Brown. You know, there's a lot of pressure on Friday to get this right. There's obviously a lot of pressure on Baker to play really, really well considering the circumstances.

I think what the Browns are really hoping is that a big piece of this is going to be Jarvis Landry helping keep his buddy locked in. All right, Albert Breer, MMQB. On a Friday, stops by for a couple of minutes on the Jets mess and the situation developing in Cleveland. Albert, great talking to you. Thank you. Thanks, Colin.

By the way, I want to address this story, and it's a real story. This is really interesting. So NBA executives are worried, according to a report, that Anthony Davis and Kyrie could end up with the Lakers. I don't think it's going to happen, but this is a report that's out today from Ian Begley of SNY. LeBron, Anthony Davis, Kyrie. We've talked about KD to the Knicks is good for the NBA.

Here's a nightmare scenario. The Eastern Conference finals Toronto, Milwaukee, are down 25%. And one of the reasons isn't just the lack of LeBron, although that's the primary reason, it's that the Eastern Conference doesn't have as many stars as the West. Western Conference and stars drive the NBA. It's very much like international soccer. Stars drive it. And I was writing down this morning, here's the nightmare scenario for the NBA. The best 14 players in the NBA, in my opinion. KD. Steff, Kauai LeBron, Janice M. Bede, Hardin Westbrook, Kyrie

Irving, the Joker in Denver, Damian Lillard, Clay Thompson, Anthony Davis, and Paul George. Only four of those currently play in the East. Yonis M. Beed, Kyrie Eirving. serving in Kauai. It should also be noted that Zion and Jah Morant, the most interesting rookies, also just got drafted into the Western Conference. So 10

of the 14 best players are in the West. Zion and John Morant end up in the West. There's a story today that Anthony Davis is Laker-bound or they'll try to keep him. Kauai appears to be leaning

L.A. Clippers and rumors now Kyrie would consider West. That would be 12 of the 14 best players in the West, plus Zion and John Morant, if KD doesn't leave the Warriors. The nightmare scenario is KD either stays West or joins Kauai Leonard with the Clippers, which people say would be his number two destination after the Knicks. So it's getting lobsided.

This is what's happened to college football. where all the best college football is played in the South. Clemson, Bama, Georgia, Bama, Georgia, Clemson, Bama, George Bama, Clemson, the sports numbers are going down. Like, you do need some geographical balance. And if KD. stays west and Anthony Davis, the Pelicans talk him into staying, and Kyrie bolts, I didn't even mention Jimmy Butler. There's a lot of rumors.

Jimmy Butler, I know loves L.A., because every time I've ever. out at a restaurant. I see Jimmy Butler in the NBA off-season in L.A. He's out here all the time in Hollywood and hanging out. So that, symmetry matters. Also, the two best young teams in the NBA look to be Dallas and Denver. They're both West. Dallas got it cooking now

with Luca and Borzingas, and Denver's all sorts of good. And Zion now is out west. If Toronto loses Kauai and Boston loses Kyrie and the Knicks, they already didn't get Zion, I'm just saying, you have a problem.

It's not just about parity. Dynasties don't kill ratings. You got to have some college football is going through this. All the best players, they are Chicago, East and South. Pack 12 feels like the Mountain West Conference. Not even competitive nationally. Veteran newsman, John Goulet. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. So, Colin, the Lakers may have a contingency plan if that doesn't happen and they strike out with everybody. What time out? Where'd you hear this? This is according to NBC Sports Washington. Washington, D.C. You're going to like this. What, what?

Wizard shooting guard Bradley Beal could be a trade target if they cannot lure any big free agents. Okay, that's my guy. I knew you'd like this one. I love Bradley Beal. Most underrated guy. He had to play with a, you know, goofy John Wall. So he's averaged in 22 a game. he'd be 26 if you put him with LeBron.

Guy can shoot. Okay. Good character, smart dude. So basically, if Gail Benson, that report is true that she is not going to allow a trade of Anthony Davis to the Lakers. They could instead trade that pick for Bradley Biel. Wizards need to rebuild. They're trapped under the John Wall contract for a long time.

He might not even play next year. So you're the biggest fan of Bradley Biel in the national media, probably the only one. No, no, no. And so the Lakers could say, listen, we'll give you Kyle Kuzma. We'll give you Lanzo ball, so you've got a guard and Kyle

will give you the four pick and then Texas Tech's got a kit. But I'll tell you, it hurts, but that's a rebuild. I mean, they're not even getting, they're not even selling tickets and getting local TV ratings in D.C. People are over this team. Well, I think the problem would be

that you would ideally like to sign someone and then use the pick to trade for a third piece, not for a second piece. You know what I mean? So I don't know that that's the, I think in the end, if it's just LeBron and Bradley Beal, I don't know that Lakers fans would be happy other than you who would be ecstatic

because you could go watch your favorite player Bradley Beal play. LeBron, give me 28, 8, and 8. Bradley Beals 24 points a game with LeBron, and I can keep Brandon Ingram. Okay, those are players. That's a real team. I have three guys that can shoot. If I can keep Josh Hard off the game.

It's really just a shooter, right? That's what they need. Like, LeBron desperately needs a shooter. Bradley Beal is a shooter. And he's also in great shape. The guy is smart. He works hard. He's a character guy.

I think his career has been somewhat suppressed by a wall who's tough to play with. Sure. So you're just talking about Jimmy Butler. He's been rumored to go a lot of places, right? They've talked about him going to the Knicks, going to the Nets, maybe coming to the Lakers, and of course, the possibility of staying with the 76ers. However, he posted something on Instagram yesterday that maybe could signal the end of his time in Philly. posted a photo of himself in a 76ers jersey

the caption said to Philly and my teammates thank you now he could be thanking them for a good season that ended abruptly in a very horrifying way or he could be saying it's been great Philly I'm out am I reading too much into it to think he's saying he's kind of telling people he's not going to stay

oh my God if I went on the air tomorrow and said tonight after the show and I just said to Fox Sports Thank you. Am I coming back Monday or am I going to Hawaii? You're not coming back. Okay, there you go. Fox executives, if I ever say thank you on a Friday show, you better start sending out resumes because you know what that means. That's a thank you I'm leaving the city.

So now are you going to speculate Jimmy and Bradley Beale now? Oh, my God. So you trade all these people. I get Bradley Beal and Jimmy Butler, this feels almost certain. Well, he didn't say goodbye, Philly, hello, L.A. He just said thank you. Let me tell you something. If that's the backup plan,

I get Bradley Beal and Jimmy Butler. That's the backup plan. That's better than getting Anthony Davis as the primary plan. Those guys can both hit a jumper. Yeah, that's true. Bradley Beal, LeBron and Jimmy Butler. Those are the guys that can hit a jumper. Well, and Jimmy, we can make up for some of LeBron's lack of interest defensively.

And then you give Kyle Kuzma, Lanzo Ball. I'd give Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram if I could get, I'm bad as very, if they wouldn't have given away Zubots, like a bunch of dopes. You're very excited for these potential Lakers for agents. So pop, I love it. And finally, before game two last night, the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors said Kevin Durant not even traveling to Portland for games three and four.

And Steve Kerr did not sound too optimistic about Durant. Hopefully, he continues to progress. And he has made progress, but, you know, it's a little more serious than than we thought at the very beginning. And so we'll see where it all goes. But he's in there all day long getting treatment. He's done a great job of committing himself to that process. Rick and his staff are in there all day.

And hopefully he'll be back at some point, but we'll just wait and see. I thought it was interesting last hour when Marcus Thompson from the Bay Area told us that Boogie Cousins might actually be closer to coming back than Kevin Durant. Yeah, we've seen video of Boogie Cousins practicing. Right, he's actually, you know,

Durant really is just standing there. I kind of thought this series was over when we talked about this before. You seem to think that the Warriors still have to beat the Blazers in Portland. I think Portland's one of the three or four, you know, Denver because of the altitude. Sure. I think Portland's one of the tougher places in the league to play. So you think this could actually be a long series. It's not just going to be sweet.

No, I think Portland's going to go win game three. Okay. At least five. If I could get two good tickets, I think I'd have. fly up for that. You'd fly up to Portland. What times game? You know, first of all, you know people. You used to work in Portland. Second of all, you could buy tickets.

You can't get a ticket to that game. That game sold out. I can't get a ticket to that game. You could get a ticket to that game. You're a beloved Portland personality. I'm sure someone will give you tickets. The problem is I got kids. You've got to be a parent. Parenting sometimes is a real buzzkill. Well, you got to tell tomorrow to figure out what to do with your kids. You know, parenting is a buzzkill sometimes.

What a terrible thing to say. What a terrible guy. Veteran newsman, John Goulet. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. John, for years, worked in France, Paris on the Eiffel Tower beat, and we're glad to have John Goulet at Fox Sports.

Okay, you know, I love Jason McIntyre, who founded the big lead. It's a website, so it's probably going to be up for about three more weeks before it dies. but those things are all evaporating. But he's great. We bring him on. We call it tomorrow's headlines today. And he gives you the four or five big stories. And what will be the headline tomorrow?

He is bizarrely accurate. He is a soothsayer. He sees the future. Even though some of his takes sound absurd, he lands a lot of them. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

All right. Here we go. Chris Brousard, Stephen Jackson, Marcus Thompson at the athletic Albert Breer stopped by. It's my friend Jason McIntyre at the big lead.com. You founded that thing and then you sold it and made a bunch of money and now you kind of work on it or don't.

What's the story with that? I'm done with it. I do a lot of FS1 Fox Sports Radio. Well, I know that? So you're off that thing. Yeah, yeah. You know what? You're one of those media guys. You're one of the smart ones. You get off stuff once you see the world. You always say nice things about me. I know. Is that standard operating procedure? No. Most media people I can't stand. Remember when I

we were texting earlier this week and I mentioned to you, we got an NBA player in our neighborhood who just moved in. Yeah. Are we allowed to say that on air or no? I mean, literally, go ahead. Three or four blocks away. Lonzo Ball. He wants to be closer to the Lakers facility. So you could be walking your dog, right? You walk your dog.

Still, are you too big for that? No, I walk my dog all the time. And you might just say, hey, Lonzo, how are you? Working on the jumper. Yeah, he's in our neighborhood now. We'll see. He could be trade bait. We might get to that short. By the way, as much as I've criticized, because I like Lonzo's game, but dude can't stay healthy. He's 21.

But LeVar, by the way, LeVar Ball does not dislike me. I have no problem. I mean, LeVar wears me out, and I don't think he's made the smartest moves. And I think he a little comeuppance with that last scandal. But in the end, there are things about him that I'm okay with. So Baker Mayfield doesn't like you. LeVar Ball likes you. No, no.

I'm kidding. Baker doesn't have the problem with me. He projects. Right. Baker's just trying to, you know, sell. It's a stick. Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming here authentically.

Baker's throwing a little. stick out there to sell tickets. Listen, if they go six and ten this year. Baker's trying to get clicks. I'm doing a real show over here. Yes, well said. Okay, it's called tomorrow's headlines today. Any chance the Blazers come back from their O2 deficit?

Yeah, certainly. They almost won that game last night. Yeah, I'll play them for most of the game. Sunday, the headline will be, it's about dame time. Listen, you're Mr. Portland, Cowherd. Yeah. I got to just stress this. They are in this series.

Just because it's 2-0, it's not over. They led by 16 last night in the third quarter. I believe they gave up a 14-3 run at the end and kind of choked it away. Damian Lillard has struggled in the series. You know, is it possible he's hurt? I think he's tired. He put a lot of energy into a seven-game series and then versus Russell Westbrook, too. No, I love him.

But these guards, Dame Harden Westbrook, this whole, it exhausts these guys. These guys are not like, they're not six, five, three, three, third. defensive lineman. They're, they're thin, they're 4% body fat. This is a long season. You got to play on both ends. I think he's you say he's tired. I thought he was hurt. I think it's just fatigue because down the stretch he was deferring to C.J. McCollum. Listen, you can

do that against Denver, all right? This is Clay and Igudala. Dane's got to take over at some point here. I do believe they can make this a series. And I think, Colin, and again, this is, you know, counterintuitive to what everybody's saying out there, I still think the Warriors need Kevin Durant to win a title. this year. I don't think they're winning the title with that.

No, I agree. To beat Milwaukee, their size down low, they need at least boogie. You can't go into a series against Yonis and not have a big. Again, we just have these narratives so quickly, Colin, right? So three games into the Rocket series, well, Steph Curry's not built for the playoffs.

Remember he was struggling, shooting like 25%. And now it's like, well, they don't need Kevin Durant. That's stat. And everybody keeps saying it. People at this network, everywhere else, 29 and one when Curry plays and Durant doesn't. You know how misleading that is? Well, it's five playoff games and then a bunch of regular season games from two years ago.

Like, who cares what they did in the regular season two years ago? Yeah. They're not winning this without Duran. That's a fact. And they've also played games at home. They would not have won that game on the road last night. Yeah, it's just three games. I like Portland.

Portland's got Steph who can hit a three, Seth, excuse me. They've got CJ. They've got Damian Lillard, Rodney Hood. I'm going to say this about the Blazers. The front office guy, I hated that contract they gave to Evan Turner. Oh, yeah. Okay, hated it. but they got trapped.

There's a ceiling and a floor in the NBA, right, salary. Portland's got shot makers. They're not all A's. They got one A, but they got guys in this league that can hit a three. Portland's a great example. Get a star and a bunch of guys who can occasionally, sporadically, situationally get hot. They've got shot makers.

They've got to figure out the Draymond pick and roll. It's just killing them. It's a three-on-two break every time. I think Portland can win both games at home. Tomorrow's headlines today. Who wins the Bucks Raptor Series? Wow, this is the very exciting series out east, and I believe the headline will be,

is Game of Thrones on? Not to bash this series. I'm sure you saw it. Ratings for Game 1, down 25% year over year. Last year, it was LeBron versus the Celtics. And again, the Toronto fans will say, well, they don't count Toronto in the media ratings numbers. Colin, there's just not a lot of juice here.

You know, I'm not. I don't want to slam the NBA. I love the NBA. I like the playoffs. We both do. But there is just not a lot here. I think the bucks kind of win this series handily. So do I.

Are they getting 30 from Kyle Lowry again? Well, Milwaukee's got a great bench. They have depth. They have size. They got a great coach. Your guy, Brooke Lopez, splashing threes. Is that incredible? I mean, was LeBron just crying watching that?

He was making $3 million with the Lakers. He wanted to be a Laker and they let him go. Three million. Nobody makes $3 million in this league and can hit a lot. three. This is the stat from game one I can't get over. So in the fourth quarter, guys not named Kyle Lowry, we're 0 for 15 shooting. How does that happen in a game? I mean, the Raptors, they blew the cover. I was on Milwaukee, obviously, but this series, I don't know. Is this mandatory viewing for you tonight? Or you're Friday night? You're going out, the little 900 club action.

I don't watch sports on Friday. I made an exception last week for the Rockets Warrior. Friday is family night. It's wife night. It's kids. It's, it's, you know. Family, man. I like that. Right. Tomorrow's headlines today. Will Anthony Davis want to stay with the Pelicans? Now they have Zion. So we disagree heavily on this. This could be a 30-minute debate if you really want to.

The headline will be AD stops browsing for a new team. The brow. We're three-for-three on Cowherd laughs here. I really don't think David Griffin is going to trade Anthony Davis. I know you're saying AD wants out. He does not want to go back. That's fine. I think David Griffin, if he doesn't get to,

Tatum and Jalen Brown from Boston can say, you know what, we're going to roll the dice. We are going to see if Zion Williamson can have the same type impact that Luca Donchich had in Dallas. Luca Donchich was awesome. He was 27 and 6. Zion is going to sell tickets. He's going to sell jerseys. And if AD and Zion play for the first two or three months together, why can't they be a top five seed? Colin, two years ago, they went to the second round.

Now, I'm not saying that they're going to be an awesome team and contend, but I think the Pelican can sell Anthony Davis. Listen, we're not trading you. We're not sending you to the Lakers. I'm not doing that. The ownership doesn't want to. No, no. That, the Gail Benson story, I agree. She doesn't want to do business. Do you want those next players? Kevin Knox? Dennis Smith? Let me ask you this, though. So you could have Drew Holiday, Zion, Anthony Davis. Julius Randall, to me is a lesser version of Zion, trade Zion and get a point guard. Mike Conley, Memphis. Memphis needs scoring.

You're giving up Zion from Mike Conno. No, no, no. I'm giving up Julius Randall. Yeah, yeah. Get him out of here. Then I've got Conley, Drew, Zion, Anthony Davis. That's not bad. I like where you're thinking there.

And again, we know Anthony Davis wants out. He may not get what he wants here. I don't think Griffin's going to trade him this summer. Again, the Knicks package is not attractive. Listen, we talked about the Lakers. Anybody want Brandon Ingram? Coming off the injuries, two straight years, the blood clots. I'm telling you, we saw what happened with Isaiah.

at Thomas when the Celtics shipped him out with that hip issue, he didn't even play for like six months. I don't think there's a huge market right now for Brandon Ingram. The Lakers, I don't think they're going to get them. All right, let's go tomorrow's headlines today. Will LeBron and the Lakers land a big free agent? Colin, I don't

know if you've seen this. It's all over the news. The headline tomorrow will be Staples Center evacuated due to dumpster fire. Jeannie Bus has a big problem on her hands. Now, listen, I was here last week. I made a pitch. Listen, Kauai and the Lakers make sense. That's out there.

That's fine. But in reality, there's a scenario. And I saw you talking about the Kyrie, Anthony Davis, LeBron. I don't buy that at all. There's a scenario where they get nobody. Like Anthony Davis had said, oh, yeah, magic LeBron, I want to go in L.A. When you just look at LeBron not getting his way, getting head coach, Tyloo, how much juice does LeBron have with the Lakers now?

They wouldn't hire his head coach. Tailue, Rich Paul. do they have the juice that they had when Magic was there? You got to cut through Jeannie Bus and Linda Rambus. I do believe if you're a free agent and you look at this year. Okay, so let's look at it. Let's go through the free agent. Okay, so left or right.

So Boogie, they could have him, but I don't think that's the guy. Coming off the injury. All right. Kauai Leonard. We'll see, but just. Doubtful. Okay. Kyrie Irving, I don't buy it at all.

At all. I thought there was a decent chance before, but. He came out, according to one report, has told people, I'm not going to L.A. He doesn't want to play for Brad Stevens in Boston, but he wants to play for Frank Vogel. Am I supposed to believe that? Okay. Jimmy Butler, a shot.

I'll just say a shot. He might be their best opportunity. Okay. Clay, Kevin Durant, Tobias Harris, and Camel Walker, either no or not interested. Again, you're going into uncertainty. Is LeBron going to be happy? What's up with Frank Vogel?

There's just so many unanswered questions. Rob Polinka and Jeannie Bus, they really need to get out in front of this because it's getting ugly for the Lakers. This is DefCon 1, if I'm the Lakers right now. You know, Magic Johnson and the Lakers are very upset with Fox Sports because of my unmitigated power as a broadcaster, I am seen now as poisonous to the toxic to the Lakers brand.

Is that coming from Magic or Maverick Carter? I have been seen as a very negative force in the building because I have had the audacity to say that Lanzo Ball's trade value since the injury is not good. That's a fact. Brandon Ingram blood clot issues, taking him mostly off the market. Another fact.

LeBron will be great, but you can't win in this league without three and four shooters and they don't have one. Colin, you're not out here supposed to be cheerleading for the team with Laker Pompontas. The way they run the franchise is toxic.

I don't think I'm toxic. You call it like you see it. When things are going great and they're in fourth with 20 and 14 record in December, Lakers look great. Why can't they go to the Western Conference finals? Lakers were mad at me because I reported the story that Luke Walton fired them as much as they fired Luke, which was true and later came out three days later that Luke wanted out. It wasn't him being fired.

Jason McIntyre. Thank you. Great seeing you. See you Monday. It's the herd. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that.

keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on, a Mormon polygamous 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 Aihar 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 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 Slicel Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite on humor. me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Thank you.