May 17, 2024 • 45 mins
Colin can't believe Scottie Scheffler, the number 1 golfer in the world and reigning Masters Champion, was somehow arrested in an odd traffic stop on his way to compete in the PGA Championship. He explains why the WNBA needs to step in and do more in order for Caitlin Clark to succeed. Plus, Nick Wright joins the show in studio to give a shocking pick to contend for the NFC crown this season
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for the Herd at
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All Right, here we go. It is a Friday, so
many weird topics today to talk about, strange, tragic, chaotic,
live in LA. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be,
however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part
of your day. JAMAC. One of the strangest stories I
(00:48):
ever recall, Scotty Scheffler, the number one golf in the world,
got cuffed this morning by police, and it was after
a tragedy and there was chaos and there was a confusion,
and so he's now back on the course. But a
big picture, Remember when I supported Golfer's bailing on the
(01:09):
tour to go to the LIB Tour, and I got
a lot of pushback on that, and I said, golf
s always been every man for himself, So is a
prime example of what happened this morning. So Scotty Scheffler
is the best golfer in the world. He may not
be Tiger Woods dominant, he do just won the Masters.
He's great, he's your number one asset. He's gonna make
people tens and hundreds of millions of dollars on the tour.
(01:31):
So this morning in Louisville, Kentucky, and everybody's picking on Louisville.
But it's a major, right, the PGA Championship. A man,
you know, entering the golf course is struck a spectator
by a shuttle boss. Just a tragedy. But it's five
in the morning, it's dark out, nobody can see, so
somebody gives. So what happens is before this golf tournament, right,
(01:55):
is that as the golfers are coming in, there's a long,
long delay and it's very hard to get an exception
to move at TEA time. This is a major, Remember golfers,
this is not a league, right, Like golfers have to
make their own way. They pay for their travel, they
pay for everything. So Tea time, what's happening. Well, it's
five thirty in the morning. There's flashing lights, there's cops,
(02:16):
there's security. Scotty Scheffler drives up early tea time and
he doesn't know the difference between cops and security, and
he's just trying to get around the accident and get
into the tournament. So he drives up on the median
for about ten yards and some local I guess cop
not a security guard, races over, attaches himself to the car,
(02:37):
makes it a wildly serious incident for driving over a median,
handcuffs him. He gets stuck in the back of a
police car, and you're sitting there thinking that this is
how you Yeah, we know it's a tragedy. By the
way Scotty Scheffer said this morning, he goes, there was chaos,
We're all confused. He goes, I feel terrible for the family.
It's an absolute tragedy. So Scotty Scheffer wasn't disregarding any
(03:00):
there was just massive confusion. But this is what I've
said about golf. So the PGA Championship, this tournament is
run by the PGA of America. The last major, the Masters,
is run by Augusta National. The US Open is run
by the USGA, and the British Open, called the Open,
is run by the Royal Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews.
(03:21):
I wonder why there's a little chaos at the PGA Championship.
Do you realize that Aaron Andrews, Tom Ronaldi, Kevin Burkhart,
and Tom Brady will have better security getting in and
out of football games than the number one golfer in
the world has getting into a major. They'll have security
(03:42):
from the airport, They'll have somebody pick them up at
Fox that takes them to the hotel, then hotel to
the stadium, then stadium to the airport back hoped security.
The NFL security and Fox security protecting our broadcast teams.
Not even in playoff games, preseason games, reg inter season games.
Carolina could be playing Tampa. The security is better protecting
(04:05):
the announcers than golf does. Here's the number one golfer
in the world driving his rental car by himself. No
idea pitch black, five point thirty in the morning. Cop security,
he can't tell. Yes, it's a tragedy. Maybe he should
have been patient. But this is why I supported golfers
(04:26):
when they bailed on the PGA and went to the
live tour. Golf has always been every man for itself.
Even the PGA was a sanctioned charity, so they were
taking care of themselves. Kind of an interesting charity, right,
So when everybody was outraged by it, I'm like, this
is a sport that wouldn't give their golfers who were stars,
like international stars. They couldn't own their own YouTube page,
(04:49):
they couldn't profit monetize their social media. They don't. They
don't have like escorts to majors. And yes it's a tragedy,
and yes there was chaos, and and that is obviously
very important. But other golfers were a mile and a
half away in the pitch black were getting out of
their cars walking to the golf course. Again, these are
(05:14):
the most important people in this entire sport. Can you
imagine Patrick Mahomes being cuffed and arrested traffic. That's a
picture of him on our TV screen, Patrick Mahomes, justin
Herbert Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson being cuffed and arrested in
traffic getting to the AFC Championship. Come on, man, take
care of your prized assets here rental cars figuring out
(05:38):
five in the morning, pitch black lights. They don't know
what happened they don't know of the tragedy, and of
course the tragedy is number one. We're acknowledging that. But
it just sometimes golf feels like a circus. And it's
why I always defend the golfers over the event. It's
every man for himself. They're all independent contractors. It's also
(05:59):
why you'll find broadcast employees and NFL employees often very
loyal to the NFL or a Fox or a CBS
or an ABC, because they're treated well, they're protected, they're promoted,
they're marketed, they can own their own YouTube page. Just
a thought. Scheffler, by the way, on the course, obviously
(06:21):
a tough day for him and everybody involved in this.
A lot of good people in this sport, in this event.
It's not pick on Louisville. It's not about Louisville. It's
just about a circus and golfers out of their car
walking up there by themselves. Pitch Black, the number one
guy in the world getting cuffed. We've got to do better,
(06:41):
speaking of got to do better, so Caitlin Clark, twenty
eighth year of the WNBA. They have never had a
player either good enough or interesting enough to drive marketing
revenue and TV ratings so that the entire league can
flow private. They fly commercial like the rest of us.
(07:03):
That doesn't mean they have him been good players, very
good players, But Caitlin Clark, who's never played until a
week ago in a WNBA game, is the first player
that appears they're banking on her. And I say banking literally.
They're literally going now to private flights for two years.
The money they're going to spend on that's more than
(07:24):
the WNBA payroll. So they finally have this moment. Don't
put Caitlin Clark up in the first four games against
New York twice, in Connecticut twice, the best defensive teams.
The NFL gets Jim Harbaugh in the league. What does
the NFL do. They give the Chargers the two potentially
(07:44):
easiest games on their schedule, Caleb Williams to Chicago. So
whereas the NFL has the Chargers facing the Raiders at home,
the NFL with Kayleb Williams in Chicago won't have them
playing the very good Packers until week eleven. Why they
(08:04):
want Caleb Williams to get his Sea legs open up
with Tennessee. Give him a fighting chance not a lot
of TV exposure until weeks fifteen seventeen. They figured it out. Connecticut,
the New York Liberty twice, Connecticut twice. Caitlin Clark struggling.
She struggled last night. You've got to take advantage of
(08:28):
these opportunities. You know, a great example the MLS, and
it's closer to the WNBA than it is the NFL.
They made sure Beckham got to Los Angeles. They weren't
gonna put in the middle of the country. They made sure
he got to Los Angeles. Have you noticed with Messi
(08:49):
the MLS has a salary cap. I was told this morning.
Messi makes more than all but four teams. What about
the salary cap? Whatever, Sometimes you gotta make stuff work.
David Beckham got to La Messi got to Miami. I'm
not sure if it was the Illuminati, secret handshakes, smoke
(09:12):
filled rooms, make it work, Caitlin Clark, this may be.
I mean, when Tiger Woods came on to the tour,
it was still it was the tour, but Jack Nicholas
getting older. They needed a driving star. They just made
(09:32):
stuff work for Tiger. Well, I should say this the networks.
Did the NFL remember that year when Goodell was having
to defend the catch rule in the NFL. It got
real murky for two or three years. And then in
the Super Bowl Philadelphia, New England, huge numbers, great game.
They changed the catch rule in the Super Bowl. Sometimes
(09:56):
with Super Bowl halftime shows, you lip sync. Make it work.
Just figure it out and make it work. Caitlin Clark's
opening with the Liberty twice the Connecticut Sun. I don't
know what they have to do. I don't know if
they have to change the trade rules, if they have
to get her better players, lighten up the schedule. But
(10:18):
this is the twenty eighth year. This is the first
player that is driving revenue and interest so that the
draft for the WNBA tripled, the WNBA Finals tripled.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
It.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
That's insane.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I watched it wa I could barely tolerate the NBA.
I don't even know if I watch it this year.
I don't know who the players are. Sometimes you just
have to get stuff done. You just have to figure
it out. Get Messy paid, get Beck into LA, get
Caitlin Clark an easy schedule. The NFL Acknowledges Chicago New
(10:53):
York Jets, Aaron Rodgers. We don't know what the Jets
are going to do by week twelve, but we're gonna
get them on TV as much as we can early.
The NFL is totally authentic about that. They were quoted
yesterday a guy in the NFL is like, well, yeah,
the Jets always won, so we're gonna squeeze every bit
of juice out of the orange we can with Aaron Rodgers,
can get him on TV a bunch early, light easy
(11:15):
schedule early, but television early to let Aaron shine WNBA.
You gotta do better. You gotta help Caitlin Clark. Because,
for the record, when Tiger came to the tour, everybody won.
The tournament's won, the other players won, the purses went up,
the networks made at work, I mean networks were changing
(11:36):
programming whatever, whatever you gotta do, change the programming. Got
to do a better job of that, all right. So
two of the strangest opens I've ever had to a show.
The golf thing is just a tragedy and chaos. I
just feel bad for everybody. Also, we said this yesterday
(11:58):
in our show. We said this yesterday that bet the
Minnesota Timberwolves. Now we didn't say they went by forty
five I think it was I gave it up middle
of the third they emptied the bench, But it is,
it is. I'll tell you what it does show you
about the NBA, the Tea Wolves beating the Nuggets by
forty five, and it's not necessarily showing you something that's
(12:21):
a bad thing. And I'll talk about that coming up.
Nick right by the way in studio. He's out near
in LA this weekend. He's gonna sit down and join us.
Can't wait for that.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
We are joined Nick Wright. Yeah, and it's almost Nick
dresses more uniquely than any friend. I have. Nick dresses
like he's at the Borgata and he's entering a poker.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
You know what's so funny? So world series of poker
circuit events being held at Commerce Casino this weekend. The
amazing coincidence and luck that the weekend that I was
able to come do radio and television with you. There's
also a major poker event going on fifteen miles from here.
Are going to be at it well as soon as
I leave you. That's where I go. Yeah, of course, yeah,
(13:13):
that's there's an esthetic that I'm going for. When I'm
on television, I wear beautiful three piece suits on first
things first, this is more.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Casual and well, it's making a statement.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Well, I mean it's it looks nice. I mean my
shoes and my jacket match like it's it wasn't, you know,
frivolously put together. There was thought put into it. Maybe
it's not what you would wear. But you also your
closet's like Homer Simpson, it's eight of the same shirt,
just in different patterns. They're like, oh, it's Tuesday, this
(13:48):
is my Tuesday shirt.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
So yeah, that's true.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yeah, of course it's true. But good to see you.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
You shouldn't dress like your friends if you have a
wide swath of personalities. Yeah, you should not all look
like you golf at the same country club.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
You dress the opposite of I do.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Well, I mean that would imply one of us dresses poorly,
because obviously I'm dressing immaculately, so I wouldn't say opposite.
It's just different. But we're all, you know, we're very
you and I One of the reasons we're such close friends.
Is there are we have certain personality quirks that are
like one in a million, but you and I share
them exactly. And there are certain things where we could
(14:28):
not be more different human beings. And that's why we
get along.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
About once a year. I enter your arena. Oh yeah,
it's smoky.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah, Oh it's great.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
There's rum involved.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
There's a whiff, just a whiff of danger. It makes
you feel alive. It's great. It's just great. Yeah, good
to see it, Colin.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Good to see you before we you know, I led
last hour with it. We don't talk a ton of
golf in our space, sure, but you made a point
as we talked about this that Scotty Scheffler the number
one golfer in the world. And this is why I
supported golfers going to the Live Tour. I said they
can't on their YouTube page. The sport doesn't market him.
The sport kind of shady is a charity. The Masters
(15:10):
is run by a different group that runs the PGA Championship,
the US Open, the Open over you know, Scotland, England,
Wareovves And my take is it's every man for themselves.
They fly themselves there. The number one golfer in the
world is driving himself in a rental car to a
tournament Pitch Black, five point thirty in the morning. There's
a wreck. He has no idea what's going on, and
(15:34):
he gets cuffed.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Cuffed, thrown a police car, printed mugshotted. He was wearing
the orange thing.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
The whole thing is you and you made a great
point when he drove over the median at you know,
four miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
This was not I mean, it was Listen what I'm
going I don't mean to be controversial, but it's obvious.
There are the police report read you know, unnamed assailant
dragged an officer however many yards injured the officer. And
that's why we're arresting and booking him and charging with
(16:09):
all these things. Because it's Scotty Scheffler and it's actually
going to be looked at. It's like, well, does this
make even a lick of sense? Do you think, Scotty Scheffler.
It's like, I'm the best golfer in the world. I'm
probably gonna win this tournament. Let's just commit a random
felony this morning, Seve. I can get away with it,
of course not. He wasn't a banker, right, He wasn't
fleeing anyone. He was slowly trying to drive around a
(16:31):
traffic obstruction, and and an officer got a little over zealous.
And then I think I'm guessing. Just my gut instinct says, well,
all right, this in the report, who's gonna look into it.
This guy's a clown. And then he finds out, Oh,
this is literally, right now the most important person in
the state of Kentucky. I might have screwed up, and
now he's out here golfing. I find the whole thing irritating,
(16:54):
to be honest. Also, there are a lot of folks
right now that are really conflicted. They're like, man, my
gut instinct tells me to always back people like Scotti Scheffler,
and also always back any cop in any situation. And
I am conflicted right now. I do not, and I
have really split loyalties at the moment.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
All right, let's shift to something. A city I love
is Chicago, and a person we both love, Danny Parkins
on your show this week. Great you guys, And maybe
it's him, and maybe it's my love of Chicago. But
I've been into the Bears for a couple of years
because my entire life, they literally have never had a
four thousand yard passer at quarterback. The Packers have done
(17:35):
it like thirteen or eighteen times.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
They've never had a quarterback throw for thirty touchdowns in
the season, not once, and never had a quarterback throw
for four thousand yards. You would think it would have
happened by accident. I mean, they're one of the original franchises,
like they and so they've never I mean, honestly, you
do a post sid luckman, they have never had good
quarterback play in that city for more than a season.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
And a lot of it is because Chicago is your
kind of classic tough, cold northern city. You gotta wear
a jacket, a heavy jacket to work in May and
there is something about the Steel City, the toughness. Whereas
the Steelers landed a couple of great quarterbacks, there's always
been a toughness about both of them.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
They also landed, if I may, the Steelers landed a
couple of great quarterbacks, But to your point about fitting
the city, were rugged, tough quarterbacks, big guys. You know
Terry Bradshaw famously to this day, people I understand we've
met Terry, but the audience probably hasn't it. You will,
your hand will be enveloped in his, like you're shocked
(18:41):
at how giant of a man he is. Big Ben,
same thing. Guys who are big, tough, strong guys. The
fit Pittsburgh exactly right.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
So Chicago is just it's their very being. They like
tough and physical and that's Dick but cause and so
you know, they've just always leaned defense. They still celebrate
the eighty five team at halftime three times a year. Yeah,
So I find it fascinating is the league is now
pivoted to even more offense that here's the moment for
(19:09):
the first time ever. And I think Caleb's gonna work,
and I think the Bears are gonna be good.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
So I think they're I think the Bears are potentially
gonna be excellent. And I don't know if we can
show the schedule or not. But my only concern for
the Bears and for Caleb was okay, so this is
perfect wash before the schedule came out. What if they
get off to a rough start because Caleb's last season
at USC ended poorly. There are still some Bears folks
(19:37):
that and I think some people in the locker room.
That really like justin if he gets off. If the
first game of the season, Green Bay cracks you like
they do every year, and then you have the Niners
in week two and you're zero and two and Caleb's
looking flustered, could a snowball instead. It's the opposite of
the seven teams with the lowest projected win total in football.
(19:59):
They play f of them in their first nine games,
so they have an excellent opportunity to start six and
three or seven and two, Caleb feeling confident, momentum growing,
Adonsa getting better, Caleb getting better, and him being not
even really a rookie anymore by the time they play
all their divisional games, all their divisional games are in
the final, you know, from week eleven on. So that's
(20:21):
why I do not think it is. This is not
my official prediction, but as I said yesterday, I'm flirting
with the take I'm considering buying the take a drink
and asking how long it's in town for. I don't
know why the Bears can't win the NFC. We saw
Russell Wilson go to the divisional round as a rookie.
We saw last year CJ. Stroud go to the divisional
(20:42):
round as a rookie, Andrew LUCKINRG three made the playoffs
as a rookie. Big Ben made the conference championship game
as a rookie. This team won seven games last year
with bad quarterback bad quarterback play was a top ten
defense once they got Montese Sweat added, Roma dunes A
added and Allen up slightly upgraded the offensive line and went.
(21:03):
I think Caleb will instantly be above average and eventually
be X B to B plus right out of the game.
And there is not unless you think the Niners are
going to do something only Tom Brady has done in
the last thirty years, which is lose a Super Bowl
and then get back to it the next year. Then
who do we got?
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Like?
Speaker 3 (21:23):
There are a lot of the Packers. I like them.
There were also a nine and eight team last year
that looked amazing in one playoff game against the Cowboy
team that fell apart. The Lions. To me, there is
a little bit I don't want to say regression possibility,
but the Lions what they did was kept the same
team and just paid the guys more like there's that
the Eagles over the last two months of football were
(21:46):
the worst team in the NFL. There. I like the
Rams a lot, I will admit, but there's you're worried
about Stafford.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
They're a very young on defense, correct.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
And so my point is it's not the AFC where
you have a fought, you go four wide on legitimate
Super Bowl contenders. It's the Niners with a question in
my opinion at quarterbacks. Saw Super Bowl and then a
lot of good teams. So could the Bears get off
to a hot start? Could Caleb be feeling himself? Could Caleb,
for the first time in his football life, be like, Oh,
(22:18):
I don't have to score every possession for us to
win a game, right? So I like the Bears a
lot this year.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Yeah, I want to go to the NBA. So I
you and I love the NBA. You go historic on it. Sure,
But I've always had this thing, and I've been pretty
darn accurate where people associate me with quarterbacks. But what
I do is usually the NBA at any one time
(22:44):
has ten to twelve stars, and there's one I don't like.
Not that I don't like him, but Blake Griffin. I
was like, take the dunks away. What do I get?
He's funny? And he can jump over a Kia. He
can't hit a twelve footer mellow low since he jump shooter,
won't take two steps back. Not gonna defend. Not sure
he's in great shape. Derek Rose not sustainable, paper thin,
(23:09):
can't shoot, weird spin scoring at the basket, Westbrook famously obviously,
and the two that I pushed back on a little Tatum.
He disappears on my TV screen the great ones don't.
There are times he has a role player mentality in
big spots. Marcus Martin, Jalen Brown would fight for the
ball and he'd watch. I know he's good. The other
(23:32):
is Luca. First of all, when I first saw him,
I thought he sussists, sustains his cardiovascular shape on cheese
its and peanut. He looks like he doesn't work out
yea well.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
And I'm pretty sure I think when people are like
he came into this season in better shape, I think
it meant he just quit smoking. I think Luca. I
think Luca's and by the way, the Eastern European guys,
I'm okay with it. I know that's not fair, but
Vladi devots. Once upon a time, people didn't know you,
said I when historics all do it again. I'll lot
to finish. People didn't know why Vlatte fell in the draft,
(24:04):
and it was because a scout went to see him
play and during a time out he smoked a cigarette
and we were like, I don't know that's gonna work. Now,
vlade to being an excellent player. So the the guys
who have the accent mark or whatever over the sea
in their name, historically, I think they're just allowed to
have a different offseason regiment. Jokic is racing horses and
(24:27):
drinking luke, I think, smoking hookah. And then they come
in and they're they're great, but go ahead, I'll let
you finish.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
I'm not sure. He's got a little mellow where I'm
not sure he's in the greatest shape. And then there's
some harden where his ball usage is so high by
the time he gets to the second round, this guy
may he may be out of gas. So and this
year he added defense where he was a more committed player.
So the Tatum, I think I've been right. He's a
(24:52):
very good player, but he's not top five. He's not
a face of the league. And I think I've been right.
He it's being acknowledged. Now he's got a little bit
of a number two mentality.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
With a number one body and a massive playoff experience
for his age. And there's I don't think, tell me
if I'm wrong about your You don't think, you don't think.
There is nothing there's anything inherently wrong with Tatum's game
the way you thought Westbrook, It's just that his ceiling
is low. Is to be the sixth or seventh best
player in the league. Yes, that's Tatum.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Luca I think is difficult to play with because Luca,
very early in his life could score against older players,
building his confidence. He's a prodigy, offensive prodigy. He is
a prodigy. It's like a musical prodigy. So he has
been grooved of Europe. On he has been grouped. He
gets here and immediately Lebron eight games in is like
(25:45):
that is unbelievable, unbelievable. So that's like going as an
American soccer player overseas and Ronaldo goes, I want to
play with that game. That's right, Okay, So he comes
over really not in shape, doesn't play defense. Why would
he He's totally the greatest score Now he's committing to defense.
But my take is Jalen Brunson's emergence is like, he's
(26:09):
gonna be hard to play with.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Well, the Brunton thing is tough, and it's tough for
the MAVs, and it's a little tough for Luca. It
also is on the board that Jalen Brunson has just
is not was not anywhere close to this level of
player his time in Dallas. That he has gotten better
and to his credit that he has worked on his
game and all of that. But I do understand people like, well,
(26:32):
here was Brunson when he was with Luca, and now
he's gonna be the best player on the conference finalists.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I get by the way Porzingis went to Washington.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Oh don't no, I won't agree with you on Porzingis.
Give me a break on Porzingis. Porzingis did it to
himself in Dallas, and Borzingis also got hurt during one
of those playoff runs. The Luca thing, I think you're
going to end up being wrong about this is I
think one of the only Jaymack and I don't agree
on a ton of takes, mostly because he's always trolling
the Chiefs. I think it's intentional at this point.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
J Mack.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think you're doing it for engagement. You know that
those Chiefs fans, they come after you. But your Luca
take is correct. You have been saying, if I don't
want to miss two years, that he is either the
best or will in short or to be the best
player in the league.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Yeah, yeah, that I think JMA is correct on that.
I don't think it's fair to right now say he's
better than Jokichen right now he isn't, but I do
think he is. It is on the board that in
a month he's holding the title. I do think that
the hardened comp is where the hardened comp is to
(27:34):
me misguided is the usage is the same, the helio
centricity is the same. But the reason Harden is considered
the way he is is because in the playoffs his
numbers go down across the board, and the bigger the spot,
the worse he is Luca. From day one of his
playoff career, I think the first playoff game of his life,
he had forty two, nine and seven. In the first
(27:57):
playoff series, he had a game winning three to off
a forty point triple double. He is the second highest
point per game guy in the NBA. Playoff history to Jordan,
and he has been an underdog or the road team
in every series of his career, and yet here is
where he finds himself on the brink of another conference finals.
(28:20):
The criticism of Luca that I think is fair is
he is so obsessed with the officiating when he's rolling
and yelling at the refs, it's like an anger that
fuels him. When he's not playing well, it's less yelling
and more like woe is me whining? Yes, and he
(28:43):
can unravel a bit, but I think he is a
brilliant player, and I think the MAVs are absolutely live
to be in the finals. And oh man, I didn't
even think of it, soil right now, what is Colin
gonna do? If it's a Tatum Luca NBA finals talk?
This was like when it was a couple of years
ago when I it was gonna be this Stefan Jokic,
(29:06):
one of the two I thought was gonna win the
champions and like, what am I gonna do? Like I'm
in a torture chamber here, But yeah, I mean, I
think I think the MAVs could be really good. And
I'll give you another MAVs take. Real quick. I think Kyrie.
Kyrie deserves credit for being a total professional and leader
this year in a way we've never seen it, no question.
(29:28):
He also this round has not been good. He has
two nine point games, a twelve point game. I think
Kyrie he understands his body is not built for two
months of playoff basketball and is trying to moderate his
energy and effort.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
To try to get to the finish line. That's a
different sport.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
It's a different sport, and we saw him. You know,
he has only been on three long playoff runs ever
two with Lebron or all three with Lebron. So the
first one he didn't make it through is when he
broke his knee gap in twenty fifteen or hurt his knee.
And then the next two Obviously he was amazing in
twenty sixteen and in twenty seventeen he was amazing, but
(30:11):
those Cavs teams rolled through the East with such little resistance.
He had a lot left in the tank come to finals.
Then when he was with Brooklyn, he got hurt in
the playoffs. He was bad in the playoffs in Boston
twice or in Boston the series against Milwaukee. I think
Kyrie is trying to modulate, so he has a lot
left over these next couple rounds. And I think the
(30:33):
MAVs are really dangerous. I think they're really dangerous.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
One of the things when you have kids, you try
to give them an occasional I don't do advice much,
but I try to impart wisdom or experience or an
opinion if they ask. And when the MJ documentary came on,
I told my kids, I said he was the best
looking player, the most stylish, the best the best clutch,
(30:57):
the best marketed, the best campaign. And it was ten
years of a lot of hell. Rodman was a mess,
the owner was cheap, the GM resented him. It took
him three coaches, I think to get to Phil And
that was Michael, that was Nike behind him, David Stern
behind him. A great American city and it was cocaine
(31:20):
cowboys early. Remember they had all these the traveling cocaine circus,
as Michael laughed in the documentary. And I tell my kids,
nothing great's ever been accomplished without pain. Never take a
job that you're ready for. Ever you have to bail
water for six weeks, or you took too easy of
a job. So when people push back on JJ Reddick.
(31:42):
I'm like, yeah, he's going to be over his head.
That's how everything is achieved. Everything nothing great's been achieved.
I walked in open the doors like Mahomes. I had
to sit, Andy Reid, Barks, Alex Smith. I joined the AFC.
It Brady's here, and it's like, it's hard. Those first
(32:05):
couple of years are hard. And so my thing on
JJ Reddick is, yeah, he's gonna be over skis. That's
why I like it.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
So here's the thing I don't. I don't necessarily dislike
it in a vacuum, and there there are some obvious
concerns where it. First time head coach is one thing.
First time coach outside of peewee basketball is something entirely different.
That is a legitimate concern. The point I made to
(32:36):
you that I think got misconstrued a bit on your
podcast was I the JJ is a guy that responds
to criticism online, even if it's not from you know,
someone a prominent or a colleague, just random people. And
I think that reveals a level of immaturity is too strong.
(33:00):
But I think that can get away from you. The
bigger the job you probably need to be more emotionally remote. Yes,
the bigger, the bigger the job that and so that
was the point I was trying to make. My real
issue with the Lakers if they hire JJ Reddick, is
I do I think so many of I think the
Lakers have an objectively poorly run front office. I think
(33:22):
it is a family business that is run like a
family business. I think Kurt and Linda Rambis have outsized influence,
and Rob Polinka, because he was Kobe's agent, has it
basically has a lifetime job. I think the Lakers operate
a lot of moves as it might work out and
if it doesn't, can we blame it on Lebron? And
(33:46):
if you hire the guy he does the podcast with
fair or not? And I know unequivocally Lebron was involved
in one Lakers coaching hire. He vouched for Tylu. They
lowballed ty Lou, they didn't give him real offer. And
since then I know this for a fact, Lebron has
stayed out of the coaching hires. So he is not
out there saying hire JJ, but everyone will if JJ
(34:09):
doesn't work out, lay it at Lebron's feet, just like
now did Lebron James want Russell Westbrook, Yes, definitively, just
like he wanted Kyrie Irving. They said no to that one.
They said yes to Russ just like he wanted Anthony Davis.
They said yes to that, just like he wanted a
move at the deadline like the MAVs made which remade
their team. They said no to that. They have no
(34:31):
problem saying no to Lebron James, but any major move
they make, they want to make sure if it doesn't
work out, we can make it clear. Well, what do
you want from us? The King made us do it,
and so I don't know that JJ is a good
or a bad hire. I do know if it doesn't
work out, it will be laid at Lebron's feet, And
(34:52):
I think that's a lack of accountability for your own
decision making.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Do you have to get to the poker tournament now? No?
Speaker 3 (34:58):
I you know what I can I do. I'll reveal
something here. I you know, Fox was kind enough to
fly me out here in order to talk to you.
I didn't mention the poker piece of it, really, So
I think I can find time for a second segment.
I think I can do that.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Well, you know, I've been very supportive of your poker.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Yes, you offered, you know, back in the day America
doesn't know this. When I was playing, I played Phil
Helm youth heads up for fifty thousand dollars at a
time when I didn't have fifty thousand dollars cash to
just put up in a poker tournament, and you kindly.
I didn't take you up on it because I didn't
want to money the fringe of waters. But you offered to,
you know, back me a bit in that You've always
(35:39):
been very supportive in poker. And so yeah, no, I
know that if I told you the tournament starts in
forty minutes, i'd leave. But I've got it starts at noon,
so I've got time.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Okay, quick break back with Nick on a topic that
I just started talking about. But I like it a lot.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Next one More Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours
a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app app.
Search her to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 4 (36:06):
Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball.
We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's
more about the stories about what made these people love
their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.
We talked to coaches, we talked to players, We tell
you stories. You download it, you listen to it.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
I think you like it.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
So Nick's wife, okay, very much a fashion bird.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Fashion bird, Yes, that is correct. That is right own
owns a store in Harlem. If we want to give
it a little prob with Bob Trentage, little trendy, a
little vintage, people can come by and check it out.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
So Nick, if you've not watched him before, is very
very stylish. I, of course am not. So I bought
shoes yesterday.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
I think the shoes you're wearing are what they give
elderly folks to prevent falls. I honestly think that's what
you're wearing. You just showed them to me. I couldn't believe.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
I was so proud of them.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Why did you buy them?
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Like?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Were you in line at the grocery store and they
were next to the candy It's like eight dollars? Like,
what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (37:17):
I was, do you have an image to uphold? I
am so proud of my shoes. Okay, fashion Bird, we'll
talk after this.
Speaker 3 (37:24):
Okay, Now let me get first of all, Yeah, is
the same brand as the jacket. That's why I said
the shoes in the jacket match. It's a whole ensemble.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
So this sounds what I'm gonna propose. Sounds a little sketchy, Okay,
but I'm a believer that sometimes in every business, you
gotta make stuff work.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Could be Illuminati, a handshake, a meeting over cigars, cognac.
Somebody says, let's just make it work. Yeah. Caitlin Clark
is the Tiger Woods of the sport. Yes, the finals
got seven hundred thousand people watching, significantly less than you
have games, which has been around about forty minutes. Yeah,
here comes Caitlin Clark. The schedule is New York twice,
(38:07):
Connecticut twice. That's like the SEC opening with Georgia and
LSU's around the corner.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
So if people don't follow the WNBA, the Las Vegas
Aces are the best team, yes, and New York Liberty
is clearly second best team in Connecticut's right there behind them.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
So it is a brutal open, unlike what the NFL
did with Harbaugh or the Bears. They stacked her and
she has struggled. And this is my I said this earlier.
I'm not sure of the answer. Move up the trade deadline,
get them better assets. I don't know what it is,
(38:40):
but it looks like to me, they didn't plan this
very well with the schedule.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Well, the schedule piece of it, I agree. I don't
think it is.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
They knew a year ago. Well, they knew six months
ago she was going to Indiana.
Speaker 3 (38:54):
On you once the draft lobby get adopted the schedule, Well,
there's just certain things you could do that are fair error.
But till the scales like so that you in the NFL, Uh,
basically we know years out who people are playing and
where the games are going to be played, because it's
by a formula, right, the NFL does not decide who
(39:16):
anyone is playing. It is your strength of scheduled opponents.
There's three of those. Your division, there's six of those.
A division in your conference there's four of those. Division
in the other conference there's four of those. And what
division you get is set years out of time. What
they can schedule is the order and as long as
everyone knows who they're playing is done fairly then, keeping
(39:41):
in mind that this is an entertainment product, yes, and
keeping in mind that storylines matter, and keeping in mind
like I have no problem with what they did with
the Jets. Now I think it's too optimistic, But what
they did with the Jets was say, this is an
old team that is more likely to deal with some
type of injuries at the quarterback position or elsewhere the
(40:03):
deeper into the season we go, but we want to
get them on TV, so put it all in the
first three months of the season. I have no problem
with them with the Chiefs have three games and ten
days in December and an early buy. It's a little
unfortunate for the Chiefs from a health perspective, but that
is the cost of being the biggest draw there is.
(40:27):
So the NFL understands that we are an entertainment business
and our entertainment product is football, not a football business
that entertainment is a side piece of. And so yeah,
I do think that would it have been ideal for
Caitlin to have in her first game one of the
worst teams in the WNBA, right.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
K three home games dregs of the WNB.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
Do I think that would have been smarter.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Do I think she's going to end up being fine?
I do, But there is a little bit of the
not a ton, but a little bit of the sizzle removed. Yes,
because ten turnovers in her first game and then their
game last night she struggled somewhat.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Yeah. So am I supposed to think less of the
Nuggets for being blown out and taken to seven? Or
I can simply validate my opinion on the West Whiz
is it's the adult table. Home court means almost nothing
for Dallas, OKC, Denver, Minnesota, Nor did it mean anything
(41:29):
for the Warriors, who won three of their four championships
on the road three of six. Jordan's on the road.
Great teams, Knicks, Pacers need home Yep, they're not great teams.
I would argue Boston is closer to great than average
because they can actually go on the road and win
big games.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
And they're weird because they lose a ton of home games.
They're like five hundred at home in the plus. Last,
what am I.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
To make of Denver seven games with Minnesota?
Speaker 3 (41:56):
Well, listen, no one should be feel badly except for
of course, and this is one of the reasons I
want to make sure I was on TV today, Kevin Wilds,
who has been banging the table. No one's in the
same stratosphere as the Denver Nuggets for four months because
calls for gentlemen sweeps mocks me and Brew and now
Wilds And you're not on TV today, Buddyes, so now
you really can't defend yourselfs nothing to do about it. Sorry,
(42:16):
should have come to LA as well. Now, all of
a sudden, there's a Game seven, Denver's whole championship hopes
on the line here. And if you I know that
we fast forward dynasties because we want them. A couple
of years ago, there was a team in the NBA
who had an international player who had a couple MVPs
under his belt, who won the championship in dominating fashion,
(42:39):
who the next year looked like they're going to win
the championship again and then lost a surprising Game six,
and then lost Game seven, be honest and bucks, and
they have not been out a round one since. And
so it's now. Do I think Denver is a rightful
favorite in Game seven? I do? But do I think
(42:59):
that Jamal Murray, if we're being honest, turning Jamal Murray
has been for years in the postseason playing over his
skis more than a bit.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
But we know he's better than Josh Hart, who's doing
the same. He's a better player, no question about it.
But Jamal Murray was due for a regression a bit,
even if he's still a great playoff player, and the
regressions hitting him hard this postseason. It's weird because he
has the two game winners, which were unbelievable plays, but
(43:31):
his numbers over the course of the postseason are not
only by his standards bad from a true shooting percentage,
it's one of the worst high volume ten game postseason
stretches in the last twenty years.
Speaker 3 (43:43):
If the Nuggets don't get an a level game from
Jamal Murray in Game seven, the Timberwolves will win, Like
I know what I'm getting from Jokic, and Jokic played
perfect offensive basketball in Games four and five, and that
matters that he held them off. It matters that he
(44:03):
kept the team alive in it, and it might that
might be the reason they win the championship. But Anthony
Edwards is not gonna be afraid of the moment, and
Game sevens are weird. The Game seven against Giannis. If
you remember it, Grant Williams hit seven threes and it's like,
well we lose, Like you know, is nas Red gonna
(44:23):
catch fire? And all of a sudden Denver is up
against it. And I know what I'm gonna get from Jokic.
I know he's gonna be great. If Jamal Murray's not
great and he's had a really rough postseason, the Timberwolves
are gonna win.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Remember that Lakers. Celtic goes seven, Kobe and Paul Pierce
can't get looks.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
Meta wins that Kobe six of twenty four in that game.
In that game, seven Metaworld piece hits the no, no,
yes three. They win the championship.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
This was great.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
It was great to see you.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Now, I don't play poker, uh huh. When you play poker,
it always looks the crowd is I'll say this, when
I watch poker, is there is something about there's an
image to it. You all look a little bit like outlaws.
There is a sense that you're living on the fringes
(45:12):
of society.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
Yeah, it's the way it's supposed to be. The late
Great Doyle Brunts and my friend of course, you know,
dealt with you know it was the illegal and he's
the greatest poker player of all time kind of took
it into the mainstream. There is a new, you know
brand of poker player, the young solver type, do a
lot of studying. You know, they're wearing backpacks, the very
buttoned down, and then there's the group of guys that
(45:33):
you're like, I think your entire net worth is in
your right front pocket right now, and I like it.
Speaker 2 (45:39):
I like it.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
Those are the rooms. I want to be able to
be in a room with you like this, and then
be in that room and feel comfortable in all those worlds.
So yeah, if anyone's going to be out at the
Commerce casino, I'll see you there in a few hours.
It'll be great.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Lovely family. See you Colin, see you, buddy.
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for the Herd at
Fox Sportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day
on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All Right, here we go. It is a Friday, so
many weird topics today to talk about, strange, tragic, chaotic,
live in LA. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be,
however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part
of your day. JAMAC. One of the strangest stories I
(00:48):
ever recall, Scotty Scheffler, the number one golf in the world,
got cuffed this morning by police, and it was after
a tragedy and there was chaos and there was a confusion,
and so he's now back on the course. But a
big picture, Remember when I supported Golfer's bailing on the
(01:09):
tour to go to the LIB Tour, and I got
a lot of pushback on that, and I said, golf
s always been every man for himself, So is a
prime example of what happened this morning. So Scotty Scheffler
is the best golfer in the world. He may not
be Tiger Woods dominant, he do just won the Masters.
He's great, he's your number one asset. He's gonna make
people tens and hundreds of millions of dollars on the tour.
(01:31):
So this morning in Louisville, Kentucky, and everybody's picking on Louisville.
But it's a major, right, the PGA Championship. A man,
you know, entering the golf course is struck a spectator
by a shuttle boss. Just a tragedy. But it's five
in the morning, it's dark out, nobody can see, so
somebody gives. So what happens is before this golf tournament, right,
(01:55):
is that as the golfers are coming in, there's a long,
long delay and it's very hard to get an exception
to move at TEA time. This is a major, Remember golfers,
this is not a league, right, Like golfers have to
make their own way. They pay for their travel, they
pay for everything. So Tea time, what's happening. Well, it's
five thirty in the morning. There's flashing lights, there's cops,
(02:16):
there's security. Scotty Scheffler drives up early tea time and
he doesn't know the difference between cops and security, and
he's just trying to get around the accident and get
into the tournament. So he drives up on the median
for about ten yards and some local I guess cop
not a security guard, races over, attaches himself to the car,
(02:37):
makes it a wildly serious incident for driving over a median,
handcuffs him. He gets stuck in the back of a
police car, and you're sitting there thinking that this is
how you Yeah, we know it's a tragedy. By the
way Scotty Scheffer said this morning, he goes, there was chaos,
We're all confused. He goes, I feel terrible for the family.
It's an absolute tragedy. So Scotty Scheffer wasn't disregarding any
(03:00):
there was just massive confusion. But this is what I've
said about golf. So the PGA Championship, this tournament is
run by the PGA of America. The last major, the Masters,
is run by Augusta National. The US Open is run
by the USGA, and the British Open, called the Open,
is run by the Royal Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews.
(03:21):
I wonder why there's a little chaos at the PGA Championship.
Do you realize that Aaron Andrews, Tom Ronaldi, Kevin Burkhart,
and Tom Brady will have better security getting in and
out of football games than the number one golfer in
the world has getting into a major. They'll have security
(03:42):
from the airport, They'll have somebody pick them up at
Fox that takes them to the hotel, then hotel to
the stadium, then stadium to the airport back hoped security.
The NFL security and Fox security protecting our broadcast teams.
Not even in playoff games, preseason games, reg inter season games.
Carolina could be playing Tampa. The security is better protecting
(04:05):
the announcers than golf does. Here's the number one golfer
in the world driving his rental car by himself. No
idea pitch black, five point thirty in the morning. Cop security,
he can't tell. Yes, it's a tragedy. Maybe he should
have been patient. But this is why I supported golfers
(04:26):
when they bailed on the PGA and went to the
live tour. Golf has always been every man for itself.
Even the PGA was a sanctioned charity, so they were
taking care of themselves. Kind of an interesting charity, right,
So when everybody was outraged by it, I'm like, this
is a sport that wouldn't give their golfers who were stars,
like international stars. They couldn't own their own YouTube page,
(04:49):
they couldn't profit monetize their social media. They don't. They
don't have like escorts to majors. And yes it's a tragedy,
and yes there was chaos, and and that is obviously
very important. But other golfers were a mile and a
half away in the pitch black were getting out of
their cars walking to the golf course. Again, these are
(05:14):
the most important people in this entire sport. Can you
imagine Patrick Mahomes being cuffed and arrested traffic. That's a
picture of him on our TV screen, Patrick Mahomes, justin
Herbert Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson being cuffed and arrested in
traffic getting to the AFC Championship. Come on, man, take
care of your prized assets here rental cars figuring out
(05:38):
five in the morning, pitch black lights. They don't know
what happened they don't know of the tragedy, and of
course the tragedy is number one. We're acknowledging that. But
it just sometimes golf feels like a circus. And it's
why I always defend the golfers over the event. It's
every man for himself. They're all independent contractors. It's also
(05:59):
why you'll find broadcast employees and NFL employees often very
loyal to the NFL or a Fox or a CBS
or an ABC, because they're treated well, they're protected, they're promoted,
they're marketed, they can own their own YouTube page. Just
a thought. Scheffler, by the way, on the course, obviously
(06:21):
a tough day for him and everybody involved in this.
A lot of good people in this sport, in this event.
It's not pick on Louisville. It's not about Louisville. It's
just about a circus and golfers out of their car
walking up there by themselves. Pitch Black, the number one
guy in the world getting cuffed. We've got to do better,
(06:41):
speaking of got to do better, so Caitlin Clark, twenty
eighth year of the WNBA. They have never had a
player either good enough or interesting enough to drive marketing
revenue and TV ratings so that the entire league can
flow private. They fly commercial like the rest of us.
(07:03):
That doesn't mean they have him been good players, very
good players, But Caitlin Clark, who's never played until a
week ago in a WNBA game, is the first player
that appears they're banking on her. And I say banking literally.
They're literally going now to private flights for two years.
The money they're going to spend on that's more than
(07:24):
the WNBA payroll. So they finally have this moment. Don't
put Caitlin Clark up in the first four games against
New York twice, in Connecticut twice, the best defensive teams.
The NFL gets Jim Harbaugh in the league. What does
the NFL do. They give the Chargers the two potentially
(07:44):
easiest games on their schedule, Caleb Williams to Chicago. So
whereas the NFL has the Chargers facing the Raiders at home,
the NFL with Kayleb Williams in Chicago won't have them
playing the very good Packers until week eleven. Why they
(08:04):
want Caleb Williams to get his Sea legs open up
with Tennessee. Give him a fighting chance not a lot
of TV exposure until weeks fifteen seventeen. They figured it out. Connecticut,
the New York Liberty twice, Connecticut twice. Caitlin Clark struggling.
She struggled last night. You've got to take advantage of
(08:28):
these opportunities. You know, a great example the MLS, and
it's closer to the WNBA than it is the NFL.
They made sure Beckham got to Los Angeles. They weren't
gonna put in the middle of the country. They made sure
he got to Los Angeles. Have you noticed with Messi
(08:49):
the MLS has a salary cap. I was told this morning.
Messi makes more than all but four teams. What about
the salary cap? Whatever, Sometimes you gotta make stuff work.
David Beckham got to La Messi got to Miami. I'm
not sure if it was the Illuminati, secret handshakes, smoke
(09:12):
filled rooms, make it work, Caitlin Clark, this may be.
I mean, when Tiger Woods came on to the tour,
it was still it was the tour, but Jack Nicholas
getting older. They needed a driving star. They just made
(09:32):
stuff work for Tiger. Well, I should say this the networks.
Did the NFL remember that year when Goodell was having
to defend the catch rule in the NFL. It got
real murky for two or three years. And then in
the Super Bowl Philadelphia, New England, huge numbers, great game.
They changed the catch rule in the Super Bowl. Sometimes
(09:56):
with Super Bowl halftime shows, you lip sync. Make it work.
Just figure it out and make it work. Caitlin Clark's
opening with the Liberty twice the Connecticut Sun. I don't
know what they have to do. I don't know if
they have to change the trade rules, if they have
to get her better players, lighten up the schedule. But
(10:18):
this is the twenty eighth year. This is the first
player that is driving revenue and interest so that the
draft for the WNBA tripled, the WNBA Finals tripled.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
It.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
That's insane.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I watched it wa I could barely tolerate the NBA.
I don't even know if I watch it this year.
I don't know who the players are. Sometimes you just
have to get stuff done. You just have to figure
it out. Get Messy paid, get Beck into LA, get
Caitlin Clark an easy schedule. The NFL Acknowledges Chicago New
(10:53):
York Jets, Aaron Rodgers. We don't know what the Jets
are going to do by week twelve, but we're gonna
get them on TV as much as we can early.
The NFL is totally authentic about that. They were quoted
yesterday a guy in the NFL is like, well, yeah,
the Jets always won, so we're gonna squeeze every bit
of juice out of the orange we can with Aaron Rodgers,
can get him on TV a bunch early, light easy
(11:15):
schedule early, but television early to let Aaron shine WNBA.
You gotta do better. You gotta help Caitlin Clark. Because,
for the record, when Tiger came to the tour, everybody won.
The tournament's won, the other players won, the purses went up,
the networks made at work, I mean networks were changing
(11:36):
programming whatever, whatever you gotta do, change the programming. Got
to do a better job of that, all right. So
two of the strangest opens I've ever had to a show.
The golf thing is just a tragedy and chaos. I
just feel bad for everybody. Also, we said this yesterday
(11:58):
in our show. We said this yesterday that bet the
Minnesota Timberwolves. Now we didn't say they went by forty
five I think it was I gave it up middle
of the third they emptied the bench, But it is,
it is. I'll tell you what it does show you
about the NBA, the Tea Wolves beating the Nuggets by
forty five, and it's not necessarily showing you something that's
(12:21):
a bad thing. And I'll talk about that coming up.
Nick right by the way in studio. He's out near
in LA this weekend. He's gonna sit down and join us.
Can't wait for that.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
We are joined Nick Wright. Yeah, and it's almost Nick
dresses more uniquely than any friend. I have. Nick dresses
like he's at the Borgata and he's entering a poker.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
You know what's so funny? So world series of poker
circuit events being held at Commerce Casino this weekend. The
amazing coincidence and luck that the weekend that I was
able to come do radio and television with you. There's
also a major poker event going on fifteen miles from here.
Are going to be at it well as soon as
I leave you. That's where I go. Yeah, of course, yeah,
(13:13):
that's there's an esthetic that I'm going for. When I'm
on television, I wear beautiful three piece suits on first
things first, this is more.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Casual and well, it's making a statement.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Well, I mean it's it looks nice. I mean my
shoes and my jacket match like it's it wasn't, you know,
frivolously put together. There was thought put into it. Maybe
it's not what you would wear. But you also your
closet's like Homer Simpson, it's eight of the same shirt,
just in different patterns. They're like, oh, it's Tuesday, this
(13:48):
is my Tuesday shirt.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
So yeah, that's true.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yeah, of course it's true. But good to see you.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
You shouldn't dress like your friends if you have a
wide swath of personalities. Yeah, you should not all look
like you golf at the same country club.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
You dress the opposite of I do.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Well, I mean that would imply one of us dresses poorly,
because obviously I'm dressing immaculately, so I wouldn't say opposite.
It's just different. But we're all, you know, we're very
you and I One of the reasons we're such close friends.
Is there are we have certain personality quirks that are
like one in a million, but you and I share
them exactly. And there are certain things where we could
(14:28):
not be more different human beings. And that's why we
get along.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
About once a year. I enter your arena. Oh yeah,
it's smoky.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yeah, Oh it's great.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
There's rum involved.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
There's a whiff, just a whiff of danger. It makes
you feel alive. It's great. It's just great. Yeah, good
to see it, Colin.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Good to see you before we you know, I led
last hour with it. We don't talk a ton of
golf in our space, sure, but you made a point
as we talked about this that Scotty Scheffler the number
one golfer in the world. And this is why I
supported golfers going to the Live Tour. I said they
can't on their YouTube page. The sport doesn't market him.
The sport kind of shady is a charity. The Masters
(15:10):
is run by a different group that runs the PGA Championship,
the US Open, the Open over you know, Scotland, England,
Wareovves And my take is it's every man for themselves.
They fly themselves there. The number one golfer in the
world is driving himself in a rental car to a
tournament Pitch Black, five point thirty in the morning. There's
a wreck. He has no idea what's going on, and
(15:34):
he gets cuffed.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Cuffed, thrown a police car, printed mugshotted. He was wearing
the orange thing.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
The whole thing is you and you made a great
point when he drove over the median at you know,
four miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
This was not I mean, it was Listen what I'm
going I don't mean to be controversial, but it's obvious.
There are the police report read you know, unnamed assailant
dragged an officer however many yards injured the officer. And
that's why we're arresting and booking him and charging with
(16:09):
all these things. Because it's Scotty Scheffler and it's actually
going to be looked at. It's like, well, does this
make even a lick of sense? Do you think, Scotty Scheffler.
It's like, I'm the best golfer in the world. I'm
probably gonna win this tournament. Let's just commit a random
felony this morning, Seve. I can get away with it,
of course not. He wasn't a banker, right, He wasn't
fleeing anyone. He was slowly trying to drive around a
(16:31):
traffic obstruction, and and an officer got a little over zealous.
And then I think I'm guessing. Just my gut instinct says, well,
all right, this in the report, who's gonna look into it.
This guy's a clown. And then he finds out, Oh,
this is literally, right now the most important person in
the state of Kentucky. I might have screwed up, and
now he's out here golfing. I find the whole thing irritating,
(16:54):
to be honest. Also, there are a lot of folks
right now that are really conflicted. They're like, man, my
gut instinct tells me to always back people like Scotti Scheffler,
and also always back any cop in any situation. And
I am conflicted right now. I do not, and I
have really split loyalties at the moment.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
All right, let's shift to something. A city I love
is Chicago, and a person we both love, Danny Parkins
on your show this week. Great you guys, And maybe
it's him, and maybe it's my love of Chicago. But
I've been into the Bears for a couple of years
because my entire life, they literally have never had a
four thousand yard passer at quarterback. The Packers have done
(17:35):
it like thirteen or eighteen times.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
They've never had a quarterback throw for thirty touchdowns in
the season, not once, and never had a quarterback throw
for four thousand yards. You would think it would have
happened by accident. I mean, they're one of the original franchises,
like they and so they've never I mean, honestly, you
do a post sid luckman, they have never had good
quarterback play in that city for more than a season.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
And a lot of it is because Chicago is your
kind of classic tough, cold northern city. You gotta wear
a jacket, a heavy jacket to work in May and
there is something about the Steel City, the toughness. Whereas
the Steelers landed a couple of great quarterbacks, there's always
been a toughness about both of them.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
They also landed, if I may, the Steelers landed a
couple of great quarterbacks, But to your point about fitting
the city, were rugged, tough quarterbacks, big guys. You know
Terry Bradshaw famously to this day, people I understand we've
met Terry, but the audience probably hasn't it. You will,
your hand will be enveloped in his, like you're shocked
(18:41):
at how giant of a man he is. Big Ben,
same thing. Guys who are big, tough, strong guys. The
fit Pittsburgh exactly right.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
So Chicago is just it's their very being. They like
tough and physical and that's Dick but cause and so
you know, they've just always leaned defense. They still celebrate
the eighty five team at halftime three times a year. Yeah,
So I find it fascinating is the league is now
pivoted to even more offense that here's the moment for
(19:09):
the first time ever. And I think Caleb's gonna work,
and I think the Bears are gonna be good.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
So I think they're I think the Bears are potentially
gonna be excellent. And I don't know if we can
show the schedule or not. But my only concern for
the Bears and for Caleb was okay, so this is
perfect wash before the schedule came out. What if they
get off to a rough start because Caleb's last season
at USC ended poorly. There are still some Bears folks
(19:37):
that and I think some people in the locker room.
That really like justin if he gets off. If the
first game of the season, Green Bay cracks you like
they do every year, and then you have the Niners
in week two and you're zero and two and Caleb's
looking flustered, could a snowball instead. It's the opposite of
the seven teams with the lowest projected win total in football.
(19:59):
They play f of them in their first nine games,
so they have an excellent opportunity to start six and
three or seven and two, Caleb feeling confident, momentum growing,
Adonsa getting better, Caleb getting better, and him being not
even really a rookie anymore by the time they play
all their divisional games, all their divisional games are in
the final, you know, from week eleven on. So that's
(20:21):
why I do not think it is. This is not
my official prediction, but as I said yesterday, I'm flirting
with the take I'm considering buying the take a drink
and asking how long it's in town for. I don't
know why the Bears can't win the NFC. We saw
Russell Wilson go to the divisional round as a rookie.
We saw last year CJ. Stroud go to the divisional
(20:42):
round as a rookie, Andrew LUCKINRG three made the playoffs
as a rookie. Big Ben made the conference championship game
as a rookie. This team won seven games last year
with bad quarterback bad quarterback play was a top ten
defense once they got Montese Sweat added, Roma dunes A
added and Allen up slightly upgraded the offensive line and went.
(21:03):
I think Caleb will instantly be above average and eventually
be X B to B plus right out of the game.
And there is not unless you think the Niners are
going to do something only Tom Brady has done in
the last thirty years, which is lose a Super Bowl
and then get back to it the next year. Then
who do we got?
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Like?
Speaker 3 (21:23):
There are a lot of the Packers. I like them.
There were also a nine and eight team last year
that looked amazing in one playoff game against the Cowboy
team that fell apart. The Lions. To me, there is
a little bit I don't want to say regression possibility,
but the Lions what they did was kept the same
team and just paid the guys more like there's that
the Eagles over the last two months of football were
(21:46):
the worst team in the NFL. There. I like the
Rams a lot, I will admit, but there's you're worried
about Stafford.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
They're a very young on defense, correct.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
And so my point is it's not the AFC where
you have a fought, you go four wide on legitimate
Super Bowl contenders. It's the Niners with a question in
my opinion at quarterbacks. Saw Super Bowl and then a
lot of good teams. So could the Bears get off
to a hot start? Could Caleb be feeling himself? Could Caleb,
for the first time in his football life, be like, Oh,
(22:18):
I don't have to score every possession for us to
win a game, right? So I like the Bears a
lot this year.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Yeah, I want to go to the NBA. So I
you and I love the NBA. You go historic on it. Sure,
But I've always had this thing, and I've been pretty
darn accurate where people associate me with quarterbacks. But what
I do is usually the NBA at any one time
(22:44):
has ten to twelve stars, and there's one I don't like.
Not that I don't like him, but Blake Griffin. I
was like, take the dunks away. What do I get?
He's funny? And he can jump over a Kia. He
can't hit a twelve footer mellow low since he jump shooter,
won't take two steps back. Not gonna defend. Not sure
he's in great shape. Derek Rose not sustainable, paper thin,
(23:09):
can't shoot, weird spin scoring at the basket, Westbrook famously obviously,
and the two that I pushed back on a little Tatum.
He disappears on my TV screen the great ones don't.
There are times he has a role player mentality in
big spots. Marcus Martin, Jalen Brown would fight for the
ball and he'd watch. I know he's good. The other
(23:32):
is Luca. First of all, when I first saw him,
I thought he sussists, sustains his cardiovascular shape on cheese
its and peanut. He looks like he doesn't work out
yea well.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
And I'm pretty sure I think when people are like
he came into this season in better shape, I think
it meant he just quit smoking. I think Luca. I
think Luca's and by the way, the Eastern European guys,
I'm okay with it. I know that's not fair, but
Vladi devots. Once upon a time, people didn't know you,
said I when historics all do it again. I'll lot
to finish. People didn't know why Vlatte fell in the draft,
(24:04):
and it was because a scout went to see him
play and during a time out he smoked a cigarette
and we were like, I don't know that's gonna work. Now,
vlade to being an excellent player. So the the guys
who have the accent mark or whatever over the sea
in their name, historically, I think they're just allowed to
have a different offseason regiment. Jokic is racing horses and
(24:27):
drinking luke, I think, smoking hookah. And then they come
in and they're they're great, but go ahead, I'll let
you finish.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
I'm not sure. He's got a little mellow where I'm
not sure he's in the greatest shape. And then there's
some harden where his ball usage is so high by
the time he gets to the second round, this guy
may he may be out of gas. So and this
year he added defense where he was a more committed player.
So the Tatum, I think I've been right. He's a
(24:52):
very good player, but he's not top five. He's not
a face of the league. And I think I've been right.
He it's being acknowledged. Now he's got a little bit
of a number two mentality.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
With a number one body and a massive playoff experience
for his age. And there's I don't think, tell me
if I'm wrong about your You don't think, you don't think.
There is nothing there's anything inherently wrong with Tatum's game
the way you thought Westbrook, It's just that his ceiling
is low. Is to be the sixth or seventh best
player in the league. Yes, that's Tatum.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Luca I think is difficult to play with because Luca,
very early in his life could score against older players,
building his confidence. He's a prodigy, offensive prodigy. He is
a prodigy. It's like a musical prodigy. So he has
been grooved of Europe. On he has been grouped. He
gets here and immediately Lebron eight games in is like
(25:45):
that is unbelievable, unbelievable. So that's like going as an
American soccer player overseas and Ronaldo goes, I want to
play with that game. That's right, Okay, So he comes
over really not in shape, doesn't play defense. Why would
he He's totally the greatest score Now he's committing to defense.
But my take is Jalen Brunson's emergence is like, he's
(26:09):
gonna be hard to play with.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Well, the Brunton thing is tough, and it's tough for
the MAVs, and it's a little tough for Luca. It
also is on the board that Jalen Brunson has just
is not was not anywhere close to this level of
player his time in Dallas. That he has gotten better
and to his credit that he has worked on his
game and all of that. But I do understand people like, well,
(26:32):
here was Brunson when he was with Luca, and now
he's gonna be the best player on the conference finalists.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I get by the way Porzingis went to Washington.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Oh don't no, I won't agree with you on Porzingis.
Give me a break on Porzingis. Porzingis did it to
himself in Dallas, and Borzingis also got hurt during one
of those playoff runs. The Luca thing, I think you're
going to end up being wrong about this is I
think one of the only Jaymack and I don't agree
on a ton of takes, mostly because he's always trolling
the Chiefs. I think it's intentional at this point.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
J Mack.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think you're doing it for engagement. You know that
those Chiefs fans, they come after you. But your Luca
take is correct. You have been saying, if I don't
want to miss two years, that he is either the
best or will in short or to be the best
player in the league.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Yeah, yeah, that I think JMA is correct on that.
I don't think it's fair to right now say he's
better than Jokichen right now he isn't, but I do
think he is. It is on the board that in
a month he's holding the title. I do think that
the hardened comp is where the hardened comp is to
(27:34):
me misguided is the usage is the same, the helio
centricity is the same. But the reason Harden is considered
the way he is is because in the playoffs his
numbers go down across the board, and the bigger the spot,
the worse he is Luca. From day one of his
playoff career, I think the first playoff game of his life,
he had forty two, nine and seven. In the first
(27:57):
playoff series, he had a game winning three to off
a forty point triple double. He is the second highest
point per game guy in the NBA. Playoff history to Jordan,
and he has been an underdog or the road team
in every series of his career, and yet here is
where he finds himself on the brink of another conference finals.
(28:20):
The criticism of Luca that I think is fair is
he is so obsessed with the officiating when he's rolling
and yelling at the refs, it's like an anger that
fuels him. When he's not playing well, it's less yelling
and more like woe is me whining? Yes, and he
(28:43):
can unravel a bit, but I think he is a
brilliant player, and I think the MAVs are absolutely live
to be in the finals. And oh man, I didn't
even think of it, soil right now, what is Colin
gonna do? If it's a Tatum Luca NBA finals talk?
This was like when it was a couple of years
ago when I it was gonna be this Stefan Jokic,
(29:06):
one of the two I thought was gonna win the
champions and like, what am I gonna do? Like I'm
in a torture chamber here, But yeah, I mean, I
think I think the MAVs could be really good. And
I'll give you another MAVs take. Real quick. I think Kyrie.
Kyrie deserves credit for being a total professional and leader
this year in a way we've never seen it, no question.
(29:28):
He also this round has not been good. He has
two nine point games, a twelve point game. I think
Kyrie he understands his body is not built for two
months of playoff basketball and is trying to moderate his
energy and effort.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
To try to get to the finish line. That's a
different sport.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
It's a different sport, and we saw him. You know,
he has only been on three long playoff runs ever
two with Lebron or all three with Lebron. So the
first one he didn't make it through is when he
broke his knee gap in twenty fifteen or hurt his knee.
And then the next two Obviously he was amazing in
twenty sixteen and in twenty seventeen he was amazing, but
(30:11):
those Cavs teams rolled through the East with such little resistance.
He had a lot left in the tank come to finals.
Then when he was with Brooklyn, he got hurt in
the playoffs. He was bad in the playoffs in Boston
twice or in Boston the series against Milwaukee. I think
Kyrie is trying to modulate, so he has a lot
left over these next couple rounds. And I think the
(30:33):
MAVs are really dangerous. I think they're really dangerous.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
One of the things when you have kids, you try
to give them an occasional I don't do advice much,
but I try to impart wisdom or experience or an
opinion if they ask. And when the MJ documentary came on,
I told my kids, I said he was the best
looking player, the most stylish, the best the best clutch,
(30:57):
the best marketed, the best campaign. And it was ten
years of a lot of hell. Rodman was a mess,
the owner was cheap, the GM resented him. It took
him three coaches, I think to get to Phil And
that was Michael, that was Nike behind him, David Stern
behind him. A great American city and it was cocaine
(31:20):
cowboys early. Remember they had all these the traveling cocaine circus,
as Michael laughed in the documentary. And I tell my kids,
nothing great's ever been accomplished without pain. Never take a
job that you're ready for. Ever you have to bail
water for six weeks, or you took too easy of
a job. So when people push back on JJ Reddick.
(31:42):
I'm like, yeah, he's going to be over his head.
That's how everything is achieved. Everything nothing great's been achieved.
I walked in open the doors like Mahomes. I had
to sit, Andy Reid, Barks, Alex Smith. I joined the AFC.
It Brady's here, and it's like, it's hard. Those first
(32:05):
couple of years are hard. And so my thing on
JJ Reddick is, yeah, he's gonna be over skis. That's
why I like it.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
So here's the thing I don't. I don't necessarily dislike
it in a vacuum, and there there are some obvious
concerns where it. First time head coach is one thing.
First time coach outside of peewee basketball is something entirely different.
That is a legitimate concern. The point I made to
(32:36):
you that I think got misconstrued a bit on your
podcast was I the JJ is a guy that responds
to criticism online, even if it's not from you know,
someone a prominent or a colleague, just random people. And
I think that reveals a level of immaturity is too strong.
(33:00):
But I think that can get away from you. The
bigger the job you probably need to be more emotionally remote. Yes,
the bigger, the bigger the job that and so that
was the point I was trying to make. My real
issue with the Lakers if they hire JJ Reddick, is
I do I think so many of I think the
Lakers have an objectively poorly run front office. I think
(33:22):
it is a family business that is run like a
family business. I think Kurt and Linda Rambis have outsized influence,
and Rob Polinka, because he was Kobe's agent, has it
basically has a lifetime job. I think the Lakers operate
a lot of moves as it might work out and
if it doesn't, can we blame it on Lebron? And
(33:46):
if you hire the guy he does the podcast with
fair or not? And I know unequivocally Lebron was involved
in one Lakers coaching hire. He vouched for Tylu. They
lowballed ty Lou, they didn't give him real offer. And
since then I know this for a fact, Lebron has
stayed out of the coaching hires. So he is not
out there saying hire JJ, but everyone will if JJ
(34:09):
doesn't work out, lay it at Lebron's feet, just like
now did Lebron James want Russell Westbrook, Yes, definitively, just
like he wanted Kyrie Irving. They said no to that one.
They said yes to Russ just like he wanted Anthony Davis.
They said yes to that, just like he wanted a
move at the deadline like the MAVs made which remade
their team. They said no to that. They have no
(34:31):
problem saying no to Lebron James, but any major move
they make, they want to make sure if it doesn't
work out, we can make it clear. Well, what do
you want from us? The King made us do it,
and so I don't know that JJ is a good
or a bad hire. I do know if it doesn't
work out, it will be laid at Lebron's feet, And
(34:52):
I think that's a lack of accountability for your own
decision making.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Do you have to get to the poker tournament now? No?
Speaker 3 (34:58):
I you know what I can I do. I'll reveal
something here. I you know, Fox was kind enough to
fly me out here in order to talk to you.
I didn't mention the poker piece of it, really, So
I think I can find time for a second segment.
I think I can do that.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Well, you know, I've been very supportive of your poker.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Yes, you offered, you know, back in the day America
doesn't know this. When I was playing, I played Phil
Helm youth heads up for fifty thousand dollars at a
time when I didn't have fifty thousand dollars cash to
just put up in a poker tournament, and you kindly.
I didn't take you up on it because I didn't
want to money the fringe of waters. But you offered to,
you know, back me a bit in that You've always
(35:39):
been very supportive in poker. And so yeah, no, I
know that if I told you the tournament starts in
forty minutes, i'd leave. But I've got it starts at noon,
so I've got time.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Okay, quick break back with Nick on a topic that
I just started talking about. But I like it a lot.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Next one More Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours
a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app app.
Search her to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 4 (36:06):
Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb. The podcast is called All Ball.
We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's
more about the stories about what made these people love
their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way.
We talked to coaches, we talked to players, We tell
you stories. You download it, you listen to it.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
I think you like it.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
Listen to All Ball with Doug Gottlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
So Nick's wife, okay, very much a fashion bird.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Fashion bird, Yes, that is correct. That is right own
owns a store in Harlem. If we want to give
it a little prob with Bob Trentage, little trendy, a
little vintage, people can come by and check it out.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
So Nick, if you've not watched him before, is very
very stylish. I, of course am not. So I bought
shoes yesterday.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
I think the shoes you're wearing are what they give
elderly folks to prevent falls. I honestly think that's what
you're wearing. You just showed them to me. I couldn't believe.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
I was so proud of them.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Why did you buy them?
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Like?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Were you in line at the grocery store and they
were next to the candy It's like eight dollars? Like,
what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (37:17):
I was, do you have an image to uphold? I
am so proud of my shoes. Okay, fashion Bird, we'll
talk after this.
Speaker 3 (37:24):
Okay, Now let me get first of all, Yeah, is
the same brand as the jacket. That's why I said
the shoes in the jacket match. It's a whole ensemble.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
So this sounds what I'm gonna propose. Sounds a little sketchy, Okay,
but I'm a believer that sometimes in every business, you
gotta make stuff work.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Could be Illuminati, a handshake, a meeting over cigars, cognac.
Somebody says, let's just make it work. Yeah. Caitlin Clark
is the Tiger Woods of the sport. Yes, the finals
got seven hundred thousand people watching, significantly less than you
have games, which has been around about forty minutes. Yeah,
here comes Caitlin Clark. The schedule is New York twice,
(38:07):
Connecticut twice. That's like the SEC opening with Georgia and
LSU's around the corner.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
So if people don't follow the WNBA, the Las Vegas
Aces are the best team, yes, and New York Liberty
is clearly second best team in Connecticut's right there behind them.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
So it is a brutal open, unlike what the NFL
did with Harbaugh or the Bears. They stacked her and
she has struggled. And this is my I said this earlier.
I'm not sure of the answer. Move up the trade deadline,
get them better assets. I don't know what it is,
(38:40):
but it looks like to me, they didn't plan this
very well with the schedule.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
Well, the schedule piece of it, I agree. I don't
think it is.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
They knew a year ago. Well, they knew six months
ago she was going to Indiana.
Speaker 3 (38:54):
On you once the draft lobby get adopted the schedule, Well,
there's just certain things you could do that are fair error.
But till the scales like so that you in the NFL, Uh,
basically we know years out who people are playing and
where the games are going to be played, because it's
by a formula, right, the NFL does not decide who
(39:16):
anyone is playing. It is your strength of scheduled opponents.
There's three of those. Your division, there's six of those.
A division in your conference there's four of those. Division
in the other conference there's four of those. And what
division you get is set years out of time. What
they can schedule is the order and as long as
everyone knows who they're playing is done fairly then, keeping
(39:41):
in mind that this is an entertainment product, yes, and
keeping in mind that storylines matter, and keeping in mind
like I have no problem with what they did with
the Jets. Now I think it's too optimistic, But what
they did with the Jets was say, this is an
old team that is more likely to deal with some
type of injuries at the quarterback position or elsewhere the
(40:03):
deeper into the season we go, but we want to
get them on TV, so put it all in the
first three months of the season. I have no problem
with them with the Chiefs have three games and ten
days in December and an early buy. It's a little
unfortunate for the Chiefs from a health perspective, but that
is the cost of being the biggest draw there is.
(40:27):
So the NFL understands that we are an entertainment business
and our entertainment product is football, not a football business
that entertainment is a side piece of. And so yeah,
I do think that would it have been ideal for
Caitlin to have in her first game one of the
worst teams in the WNBA, right.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
K three home games dregs of the WNB.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
Do I think that would have been smarter.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Do I think she's going to end up being fine?
I do, But there is a little bit of the
not a ton, but a little bit of the sizzle removed. Yes,
because ten turnovers in her first game and then their
game last night she struggled somewhat.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Yeah. So am I supposed to think less of the
Nuggets for being blown out and taken to seven? Or
I can simply validate my opinion on the West Whiz
is it's the adult table. Home court means almost nothing
for Dallas, OKC, Denver, Minnesota, Nor did it mean anything
(41:29):
for the Warriors, who won three of their four championships
on the road three of six. Jordan's on the road.
Great teams, Knicks, Pacers need home Yep, they're not great teams.
I would argue Boston is closer to great than average
because they can actually go on the road and win
big games.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
And they're weird because they lose a ton of home games.
They're like five hundred at home in the plus. Last,
what am I.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
To make of Denver seven games with Minnesota?
Speaker 3 (41:56):
Well, listen, no one should be feel badly except for
of course, and this is one of the reasons I
want to make sure I was on TV today, Kevin Wilds,
who has been banging the table. No one's in the
same stratosphere as the Denver Nuggets for four months because
calls for gentlemen sweeps mocks me and Brew and now
Wilds And you're not on TV today, Buddyes, so now
you really can't defend yourselfs nothing to do about it. Sorry,
(42:16):
should have come to LA as well. Now, all of
a sudden, there's a Game seven, Denver's whole championship hopes
on the line here. And if you I know that
we fast forward dynasties because we want them. A couple
of years ago, there was a team in the NBA
who had an international player who had a couple MVPs
under his belt, who won the championship in dominating fashion,
(42:39):
who the next year looked like they're going to win
the championship again and then lost a surprising Game six,
and then lost Game seven, be honest and bucks, and
they have not been out a round one since. And
so it's now. Do I think Denver is a rightful
favorite in Game seven? I do? But do I think
(42:59):
that Jamal Murray, if we're being honest, turning Jamal Murray
has been for years in the postseason playing over his
skis more than a bit.
Speaker 1 (43:11):
But we know he's better than Josh Hart, who's doing
the same. He's a better player, no question about it.
But Jamal Murray was due for a regression a bit,
even if he's still a great playoff player, and the
regressions hitting him hard this postseason. It's weird because he
has the two game winners, which were unbelievable plays, but
(43:31):
his numbers over the course of the postseason are not
only by his standards bad from a true shooting percentage,
it's one of the worst high volume ten game postseason
stretches in the last twenty years.
Speaker 3 (43:43):
If the Nuggets don't get an a level game from
Jamal Murray in Game seven, the Timberwolves will win, Like
I know what I'm getting from Jokic, and Jokic played
perfect offensive basketball in Games four and five, and that
matters that he held them off. It matters that he
(44:03):
kept the team alive in it, and it might that
might be the reason they win the championship. But Anthony
Edwards is not gonna be afraid of the moment, and
Game sevens are weird. The Game seven against Giannis. If
you remember it, Grant Williams hit seven threes and it's like,
well we lose, Like you know, is nas Red gonna
(44:23):
catch fire? And all of a sudden Denver is up
against it. And I know what I'm gonna get from Jokic.
I know he's gonna be great. If Jamal Murray's not
great and he's had a really rough postseason, the Timberwolves
are gonna win.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Remember that Lakers. Celtic goes seven, Kobe and Paul Pierce
can't get looks.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
Meta wins that Kobe six of twenty four in that game.
In that game, seven Metaworld piece hits the no, no,
yes three. They win the championship.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
This was great.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
It was great to see you.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Now, I don't play poker, uh huh. When you play poker,
it always looks the crowd is I'll say this, when
I watch poker, is there is something about there's an
image to it. You all look a little bit like outlaws.
There is a sense that you're living on the fringes
(45:12):
of society.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
Yeah, it's the way it's supposed to be. The late
Great Doyle Brunts and my friend of course, you know,
dealt with you know it was the illegal and he's
the greatest poker player of all time kind of took
it into the mainstream. There is a new, you know
brand of poker player, the young solver type, do a
lot of studying. You know, they're wearing backpacks, the very
buttoned down, and then there's the group of guys that
(45:33):
you're like, I think your entire net worth is in
your right front pocket right now, and I like it.
Speaker 2 (45:39):
I like it.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
Those are the rooms. I want to be able to
be in a room with you like this, and then
be in that room and feel comfortable in all those worlds.
So yeah, if anyone's going to be out at the
Commerce casino, I'll see you there in a few hours.
It'll be great.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Lovely family. See you Colin, see you, buddy.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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