March 27, 2025 • 41 mins
Colin talks to NBA analyst Rachel Nichols about the biggest issue in the NBA that people haven't recognized
Did the NBA overreact to Kevin Durant going to the Warriors?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Ah, here we go. It's our two all fired up,
live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd wherever you may
be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making
us part of your day. Just flying through shows. Rob Manfred,
Baseball Commissioner, on yesterday, baseball season weirdly, you know, kind
of starts tonight and then with the tournament, so it's weird.
I don't remember that being the case where usually you
(00:47):
would start baseball yesterday. So I don't love like opening
night and that's sarty being on March Madness night because
I want to watch John Calipari and Duke in Arizona
and whatever. I will say this, there's a story this
morning that the Cleveland Browns, with a number two pick,
will not take Shadour Sanders. Adam Schefter says they're probably
gonna get Abdul Carter, who's a super good player, excellent
(01:09):
kid at Penn State, probably the second most gifted player
in the draft to Travis Hunter. And this is not
a shot at schefter. I think it could be a
smoke screen you get lied to a lot in the
last three or four weeks before the draft. I've been
told that for years. But what is interesting is if
Kevin Stefanski did pass on Shadeur Sanders. Now Aaron Rodgers
(01:34):
dropped in the draft, and so did Dan Marino. It
can happen to anybody, Lamar Jackson, it can happen to anybody, right, So,
but he is a pocket quarterback who's accurate and won't
be very expensive. That is what Stefanski wants. So if
it's right in his lap and he doesn't take him,
that does make you wonder if if there's a real
(01:56):
and then and then after that the Patriots don't need
the Giants could use a quarterback, and if they passed
on him, like what are we looking at here? Maybe
New Orleans goes and gets him. So I my take
on Shadeur is to be as that accurate with no
running game and a mostly abysmal offensive line for two
(02:18):
years is really hard to pull off. Seventy four percent
accuracy is really hard to pull off. It'd be one
thing if you're Will Howard and Ohio State and you've
got two first round receivers, two running backs who will
get drafted early, and above average old line, that's a
different ballgame. It's different if quinn Ewers did that at Texas.
We're talking battle line, no run game. Seventy four percent
(02:42):
completion percentage, that's damn impressive. So yesterday Julian Edelman talked
about what he worries about was Shadoor Sanders.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
My number one thing with Shadoor is can he break
down the protections. He's not a mobile guy. He's a
pocket passer. We all keep on saying he's a punck passer.
So for me, if I'm a general manager, if I'm
a team, I want to see how good he is
with his protections. It's ultimately going to come down to
the offensive coordinator he gets paired up with and that
(03:11):
relationship and how he handles protections.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Okay, so again, I like him more than I think
draft people do. Jmck and I don't see him plumbing
in the draft. But Marino did and he's an All timer.
And so's Aaron Rodgers. He's an All timer. So, and
I've said this, there's only two guys in this draft
who I think are would be great in any draft,
(03:36):
Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. I do think there's only
one player in this draft that will turn around a franchise,
and that is the kid cam Ward, who would go
to Tennessee. I think he would start and be a
dynamic player. I don't know if Shidor is that. Could
Shadur be more Geno Smith. He's accurate, he sits in
the pocket, good guy. When he gets a decent coach,
(03:59):
he can win games, maybe get you to the playoffs.
That could be his comp I mean, he's not Joe Burrow.
He's not running around like Lamar Josh Allen. He's not that.
But he is a pocket guy. But pocket guys golf
succeeds Burrows mostly that Gino got to the playoffs. He's
mostly that. Okay, So we said they call it the
dog Days this summer in baseball, which starts tonight, take
out the Tokyo Series Cubs Dodgers. But it's a little
(04:22):
dog days in the NBA, where teams like Boston and
Denver and Cleveland that have roster rhythm for several years
and kind of reducing minutes. The Lakers are a different ballgame.
Austin Rivers, Lebron and Luca played twelve games, got a
Brooklyn feel a few years ago. They just played basketball
together and they're very clearly not the same team when
Lebron's not on the floor. And with that we bring
(04:42):
in Rachel Nichols, Fox Sports NBA analysts doing that since
the early nineties, and she is now joining us. How
can you be covering the NBA that long years old?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Exactly? I started as a child.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
No, I started in college because what I got to
do when was I went to Northwestern and I was
a stringer for the Washington Post and I got to
cover the nineties Bowls as a nineteen and twenty year
old and just kept going since.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
So it was a pretty great ride.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
You and Mike Greenberg, I think, yeah, exactly covered exactly.
So he said this about the Lakers you watched it
last night. Is that Lebron's first half.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Was by Lebron's three quarters rough.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Maybe in his worst half ever as a pro offensively, Yes,
but I do think they're in a weird spot. They
could get to a two seed. They could also fall
to a playing game. They play the Rockets, Thunder Warriors
at Chicago's tricky. That team can shoot.
Speaker 6 (05:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
I look at him and I think to myself, they
have to play hard the rest of the way.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Yeah for sorry, absolutely, Look, the offense is still working
itself out. They completely changed the way they've played once
Lukadancic came into town, which is exactly what they should
have done, but it takes a while.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
I am not worried about the offense.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Lebron is still working his way back from injury. They're
all still learning how to play together. They are going
to be fine. Teams pick their poison with Luca. They
have to decide what to do, and usually teams end
up blitzing him, which leaves someone else open. And he's
a great passer, so they will figure it out offensively.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
The issue is the defense.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
And frankly, we had Rob Polinka sit up on the
stage when Lukadancic was introduced and tell us this, Not
that we didn't know, but I'm saying even the Lakers
understood that once you trade away Ad, you have a
front court defensive problem, right, and they were not able
to fix it before the trade deadline, and they are
going to try to fix it this summer. But there
is a limitation of how far you can go if
(06:27):
you have that kind of hole. And it's great that
they played so well defensively in the weeks after the
Lukadanci trade, but that required one hundred and fifty percent
effort from every guy every minute on the floor.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
That is not sustainable.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
And it was also more of a swarming sort of
switchy defense.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Guys figure that out. The more tape they.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Have on you, it's leaving a lot of guys open
and leaving themselves open to exploitive matchups. And by the way,
they're letting guys shoot threes right and left, that's going
to bite you in the playoffs till.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, it is. For the record, Jared Vanderbilt didn't have
to score last night. He's still a wild valuable teach.
Like Jared Vanderbilt is like wildly important for this basketball team.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Jax and Hayes, I mean, yes, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
It's interesting. I got an NBA guy who I have
deep respect for. Tom Tolbert texted me yesterday. He said, Hey,
be careful about your cynicism of OKC. He said, here's
stats that are really important. They lead the league in
creating turnovers and are last in committing them huge, which,
(07:28):
by the way, shows you a maturity which is beyond
the years of a team. They're a smart basketball team.
When you talk to people in the league, because I
have questions about their young players in road playoff environments,
what are the people around the league think?
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Oh, they think they're for real for sure. And look,
there is the fact that this group of guys has
not gotten past the second round. And therefore, when the
bright lights come on of the conference finals and the
NBA Finals, are they going to be able to match
up against the teams that have so much experience?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
I mean the Boston Celtics. I mean they've been in
the finals what three of the last four years. I mean,
it's just against teams in some cases.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
That have a lot more of know how of how
to do those situations. That being said, number one overall offensively,
Number four defensively, this is a team that knows how
to play together. They've been playing together a long time.
They have an excellent Coach of the year coach, and
they are ready.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
They have the MVP candidate.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I mean, they really feel like they are ready to
make a move, and people around the league have an
enormous amount of respect for them, especially since the rest
of the West, as you just pointed out with the Lakers,
it's a crapshoot.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
I mean in the East, you can say, hey, the
Celtics and the Cavaliers, they've really separated themselves, and the
next one else.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Upset nick and they don't match.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Up with them anyone else. If they made it to
the conference finals, it would be an upset. You can't
say that in the West. I would, you know, right
in the Thunder, just because they deserve that respect after
what they've.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Done this season.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
It could be one of what six teams opposite them.
A lot is going to depend on the bracket and
who they face in the conference finals.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
The Thunder if they do.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Make it there, as we expect, that's going to determine
if they get to the final and can really make
it on that stage.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So when Adam Silver showed up on the show and
I really like I can do Adam once a week,
I think you're so smart, I did push back. I said,
you guys get so paralyzed by trades. Memo, everybody loves trades.
By the way their foot show, Hey Angels, Dodgers, Yes,
it feels lobsided. Look at your numbers.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
So my take is I'm watching KD last night. He's auditioning.
He's unbelievable. And by the way, he wanted to make
sure Boston New Yeah, I can score on your defense,
and your defense is unbelievable. He's averaged thirty seven a game,
shooting sixty percent from the floor in the last three games. So,
and it's interesting about the playoffs. Not only do I
(09:42):
love the playoffs for their intensity, but they do show
you very clear weaknesses of the Knicks, yes, or the
Bucks or the Lakers. I think KD Now, Jay Mack disagrees.
I think he's going to have a huge mark of
really good teams. What do you hear?
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I completely agree with you.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
Sorry, j Max, But you know, look, you and I
were two of the people who ten years ago were saying, man,
Katie's game, it's going to age well in this league.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
And guess what I mean.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
It's stunning insight, but we were right. Kevin Durant is
still extremely valuable to have and There are, of course
a lot of people back analyzing the trade with Brooklyn
and saying that Phoenix gave up too much for him,
and they did give up a lot for him, But
the fact that it hasn't been a more successful run
there for Kevin Durant has really largely been.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
About the Bradley Beal trade.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
It is about how handcuffed the team has been in
his time there because Bradley bial was acquired and his
salary and his no trade clause and the lack of
flexibility to build the roster around Kat and Book the
way they need to be built. And Bradley Beal is
a great guy, and he is a good basketball player.
I think his skill has been sort of shaded by
all the contract stuff around him.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
He is a good basketball player.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
He does not fit with Kevin Durant and Devin Book
doesn't work and in fact, not only just moving him
to the bench, which they have done when he doesn't
play and he's out hurt right now, this team is
thirteen and three when he doesn't play and the other
two do. Prior to losing to the Celtics the other night,
which of course most people lose to the.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
Celtics, these days.
Speaker 5 (11:13):
They were four and oh, including beating the Cavaliers without
Bradley Beal. So to me, one of the big questions
of where does kad go this summer. It could be
the Miami who wants him. It could be the Rockets
who want him. However, maybe there's a voice of he
could stay in Phoenix if they can get Bradley Beal
to accept and want a trade and another team to
(11:35):
want him with that deal. But brad said some interesting
things recently. He said, look, in the middle of the season,
there's too much going on. I didn't want to do
a trade at the deadline. He said, this summer you
can lay everything out and get a better sense of
what you want and where you want to go. And
if Phoenix is messaging him right now, we are not
playing you. At some point, Bradley Beal wants to play basketball,
(11:57):
and so he is going to look around little more
than he has the past couple of years and say, Okay,
maybe this team wants me and I want to go
play for them. If they get that flexibility and freedom,
I'd be curious at least what the possibilities are, and
they're few because they've traded away all of their draft picks,
but they are few. If you could keep Kevin Durant
and Booker together, because I do think they played great together.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah, the you know, I was watching Cooper Flag plays
tonight and I was telling people, you're much younger, so
you remember some of this, and being on the East
Coast you remember a lot of it because I was
a West Coast kid and loved the Big East Pack
ten basketball didn't care. I was a Big East but.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
It is Georgetown DC girl.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Basically, if you're twenty, you're under thirty five years old,
you don't remember what college basketball in the NBA used
to have this symbiotic relationship. You had about nine Cooper
Flags a year that you loved in college went to
the NBA and were really good immediately. Well, now Cooper
Flag is an outlier where like could he be a
side team All Stars and he may be in the East.
(13:02):
To be landed somewhere is that last year's draft was
wildly international and nobody can name the first eight players
drafted the I mean the NBA. Do you think the NBA?
And it's kind of a theoretical question, but I think
it's so fascinating because he is so good. Do you
think the NBA realizes deep down that they thought they
(13:25):
could do it with themselves with the G League and
part of this ratings regression, it's not politics. We need
college basketball as our feeder system. Look at the ratings
for women's and men's March Madness. It's crazy.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
No, it was great in those days for the NBA.
The problem is they don't control it. You know, they
could possibly they're talking about lowering the age limit again
back to eighteen.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
They could possibly decide.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
I've always said, why not make it twenty as long
as there is a feasible route in the G League
for guys who are turning eighteen to make money, Because
you don't want to impact these guys' ability to be professionals.
The rest of the world gets to work as late
teenagers in eighteen nineteen twenty year olds. You don't want
to limit these guys' ability to earn a living.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
But if there is a.
Speaker 5 (14:07):
Route for that, it doesn't have to be the NBA
where they earn a living. If there is a route
for them to play professional basketball both internationally and here
in the US, and you raise the age limit to twenty,
you would get more developed players entering the NBA. You'd
be able to scout them better because you can see
guys like Cooper Flag coming a mile away. But there's
(14:28):
a ton of guys who maybe were scouted one way
and they turned into another way. Yanna sent it Tokoupo,
nobody thought he was going to be him. No one
thought that Nikola Yokich was going to be who he's
turned out to be. So there are still guys who
if they had another year or two to develop, especially
in college American players, you'd be able to know who
they were more and they would be delivered to the
NBA as more developed products.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I am in the minority.
Speaker 5 (14:50):
I am the only one I hear saying raise the
age limit, don't lower it. But that is how I
feel in terms of that question you just asked.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So I proposed it this week that there are solvable
and unsolvable problems. The NFL had the concussion issue, it
was solvable, pay attention to it, don't roll your eyes
at it and change the rules. Steroids solvable, more testing,
and then there are unsolvable issues. Football is a violent game.
(15:20):
Guys get hurt, seriously, that's just the way it works.
I think load management is a bit more solvable because
the young players like playing, and also we're not going
to give you awards unless you play them in the
mount games. I think tanking's unsolvable. I think it is
the unsolvable issue because in March, if I can get
(15:41):
Cooper Flag, huh, nine of my guys have a chest cold. Interesting,
you can't. I'm sorry. But the league, if you look
at the greatest players ever, they've often ended up on teams.
San Antonio was planning on Wemby three years ago.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
So I mean, look, tanking is not solvable. You are
one hundred percent correct. Look the Spurs, how they ended
up getting Tim Duncan was that David Robinson had an
injury and then he just seemed to have an injury
the entire year, and then they got Tim Duncan, and
the next year Tim Duncan and David Robinson played together. Man,
that's amazing. So it's not solvable in terms of we're
done with it. But I will say the league has
(16:16):
gotten itself into more trouble because of the way the
contract situations have worked out, and they've made efforts on
the other end.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
They've tried to flatten lottery odds.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
But the truth is that in twenty sixteen, because ownership
around the league didn't like that, Kevin Durant went to
the Golden State Warriors. They invented the Supermax, and the
Supermax was supposed to get guys to stay with the
teams that drafted them more. The problem with that, though,
was that you had uneven situations around the league because
you had teams that just weren't in the right draft
(16:45):
at the right time, and guys your team and owners
felt bad about that. So then they created all these aprons.
There's the first apron, there's the second apron. Guy Fieri
is apparently managing the NBA. I mean, there's all of
this stuff that restricts teams and movement and trades and
all of the other things that the only really viable
way to start from scratch and rethink.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Your team is to tank.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
And in fact, Matt Ishbia, the owner of the Phoenix Suns,
just gave a really good interview and he talked about, hey,
we are never going to do that here. We are
never going to clear the decks and tank. We want
to win every year. Where you're going to try to
win every year, and that's great and fans applauded it.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Everyone around the league, in every.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
Front office you talk to, guys were sort of sending
me quotes, sending me quotes from that article.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Hahaha. New owner syndrome.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
He doesn't get it yet, doesn't he.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Know it's literally the only way to do it.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
We saw it with the Houston Rockets a few years
ago and now they're number two in the West.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
I mean we've seen it over and over.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
So the league has contributed to creating this problem because
owners want to stop themselves from overspending. And then it's
not fair over there. It's not fair that way. It's
not fair that way. Fat the league office his fault.
I think the ownership has to take a look at
itself in the mirror, at the situation that they have
put themselves in, and why so many of them have
to tank and then have terrible ticket sales for a
(18:03):
couple of years in a row.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
I mean, it's just cyclical.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah. By the way, the last three minutes of Rachel Nichols,
it should be played over and over and over because
that is the truth in all of this. And I
said to Adam when he was on their show. I said,
Adam you're paralyzed by trades. Kevin Durant and Warriors were
the highest rated team. Of course, you couldn't turn them off. Yes,
it made people briefly uncomfortable. So did Shaq and Kobe.
(18:28):
Shaq and Kobe made people uncomfortable. For the record, Michael
won six MVPs and went six and six in the finals.
Bill Russell, as the league was being formed, and popularized
one eleven titles, Dynasties yukon women's and men's basketball. They're
not the worst thing.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
No, they're popular.
Speaker 5 (18:45):
Dynasties sell casual fans get invested in them.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
But it's not a front office issue.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
Adam Silver can't solve that when he has owners around
the league.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
No, the owners meetings saying.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
That's not fair, that's not fair, let's make a new rule.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
The other thing that made Katie work in Golden State
was Steph was on a cheap deal because of his injuries.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
It was such a crazy confluence.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
It was.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
It was a complete confluence of events. He shouldn't have
been under that contract.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
The salary cap blew up in a big bubble. The
way it's not going to this time around. They're going
to distribute the TV money more evenly, over the years,
there were so many things about Katie going to the
Warriors that were not replicatable, and yet they made all
these rules, and then all those rules created new problems,
and then that's now created this problem. So again, I
don't think you're ever going to solve tanking Spurs David Robinson,
(19:35):
Tim Duncan, but I do think that they have gotten
themselves into this pickle more where it is the only
route now, and that is creating an issue for fans
who want to watch good basketball games. I mean, you
watch some of these games right now and it's like
you can't even pick out there's so many two way
guys on the floor, you can't even pick out who's playing.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
That's why I watched the Celtic Suns last night. Tatum's
actually hurt, which is never hurt, but it was fun
because it was like KD was playing, like he was
showing off to the lead.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
Well, the Sons have none of their own first round
draft picks till twenty you know, through twenty thirty one,
so they don't have to tank.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
They can't tank.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
It doesn't help them at all helps the Houston Rockets,
so they're gonna put it all out there in Boston's
getting ready for a championship run. But there aren't that
many of those games right now, Colin. There are the
games the other way around a lot of the time.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
All right, almost professorial. Just just you should have grabbed
a dais, sat up there and told the league how
it works. All getting smarter, Rachel Nichols.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Thank you so much, Colin.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Live in La. It's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Again, people, what's really interesting about the world. I talk
to this about my wife all the time. People overreact
to everything, and I don't even know if I'm built
for media anymore. Remember when David Letterman left The Late
Show because you had Jimmy Fallon doing musical bits and
Colbert was talking politics, and like, Letterman's like, you know,
I don't think I'm built for this generation. Is that
(21:00):
the media now is like headlines this week, the madness
is out of March. I'm the wet blanket. I'm the
guy in the country that goes no actually the ratings
are up. We never watched for the Madness. We watched
for Duke and Big Brands in Carolina and you know,
Michigan State and syracusean Yukon.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
It's like everything now is so overheated. And I think
your job as a commissioner or a general manager is
not overreact, right, And so I think the NBA a
little bit overreacted to Kevin Durant to the Warriors because
it felt unfair and all the owners were upset. They
(21:43):
were getting huge ratings. It wasn't gonna last forever. Kevin Durant,
you could feel, you know, by year two they were
getting a little prickly and Draymon and it was a
little explosive. So now you're kind of trapped as a league.
You know, by March, you know, seven or eight teams
are like just not playing anybody. And the Lakers can't
do that, by the way, as we talked about earlier,
(22:04):
because they could fall into a playing spot because the
West is deep, there is a lot of talent. Just
wait till next year when Dallas is healthy and they're
gonna be The West is only getting better. Utah is
going nowhere but up Oklahoma City's going nowhere but up Dallas.
When these guys are healthy, is gonna be a team
full of dogs. That's gonna be a really good team.
Jay mcklanews, turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
This is the herd Line news.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
Right, Carlon, Let's start with the Lakers game winner last
night from Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
Here it is Luca with the drive.
Speaker 7 (22:38):
Bounces off the rim in an incredible putback by Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
His eighth game winner.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
Colin in his career, tied for second with Joe Johnson
Iso Joe huh. Interesting gotta be tied with Michael Jordan's
number one with nine buzzer beaters, Kobe also at eight,
and you see Paul Pierce FS One's own Paul Pierre
at seven. I don't know did you see this live
because Lebron had had a rough game, as you mentioned earlier.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
No, I saw it on YouTube. I watched the first half.
I thought it was awful, and then I went out
and then I watched later. I watched Boston and Phoenix,
which which was a blowout, but it was a fun
first half.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
Yeah, Lakers needed this one badly, Yes, and I would
expect him to rest guys tonight against Chicago, a back
to back. By the way, I know people are like
a Lakers defense six. This was their eighth game in
twelve days. It has been a brutal stretch because of
the canceled games due to the fires. They backloaded it.
They're gonna load up on that Memphis game Saturday night.
Speaker 6 (23:36):
That's a huge swing game in the West.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
And then they got the Rockets here Monday night out
in La So whatach Chicago?
Speaker 1 (23:41):
What are the Bulls getting in this game at home
against the Lakers.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
I haven't seen the line yet. By the way, I'm
all first quarters for the Lakers. The last two have
not cast. I think teams have caught up, the markets
caught up with the Lakers, So no need to better
those first quarters anymore. Guys. Let's move to the next
next story, and that is the richest man in baseball
makes his met debut today. That's Juan Soto, signed fifteen years,
seven hundred and sixty five million dollars contract.
Speaker 6 (24:06):
He's a two to eighty five career ait A college.
Did you know that.
Speaker 7 (24:10):
Two hundred and one career home runs, five hundred ninety
two RBI fourteen As.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Start perfect swing, he has a perfect swing.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
Yeah, but seven hundred and sixty five million dollars.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
There will be a billion dollar contract.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
He's worth more than Patrick Mahomes. No, of course, not because.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
He worth more than well, they also have two kids. No,
but they have one hundred and sixty two games. So
the merchandising the seats, that's why baseball can do this.
You have so many games. Only have eight home games
in the NFL. Yeah, yeah, what'd you say, Ryan, Yeah, yeah,
Mahomes get another one.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
I don't think it'll be.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
But the other thing is because there's no salary cap,
Mahomes is going to try to sign team friendly deals
because he wants to win. Because remember, Mahomes has only
been humiliated twice, both times in Super Bowls, both times
because they were bad at left tackle. So Mahomes, there's
no value for Mahomes in takeing every penny. It's like
I don't want to get you can also get hurt. Yeah,
if you don't share the money and baseball take whatever
(25:06):
they give you.
Speaker 7 (25:07):
So it's to the point where the baseball contracts are
so ridiculously large that if your kid is a major
superstar athlete basketball, football, baseball, which sport.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
Are you telling him to go into column tennis?
Speaker 7 (25:20):
What are you not following the tennis lawsuit right now?
Like tennis players are woefully underpaid. I think you got
to steal your kid toward baseball.
Speaker 6 (25:28):
Now. I don't know about you.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
I've never signed my kids up for baseball because I
personally don't want to sit in the spring. My weather's
great for like ninety.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
I said that one time, and people say you're selfish.
I said, I'm not a taxi driver. I told my
kids I'll take you to games as long as you care.
And then my daughter said, I don't want to be
in a van all summer playing volleyball. I said, okay, great,
let's go to the lake. I had way more fun
going skiing with my kids and go to the lake
than you did it sitting in a gym in Youngstown, Ohio.
Am I a bad dad if I think you could
(26:00):
do both?
Speaker 7 (26:01):
But obviously one has an expiration date. But yeah, we
never signed our kids up for baseball or softball. And
I love hitting the baseball in the yard. It's fun
playing some cats with your kids.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
That's listen. When my daughter played volleyball, I loved going
to the match. Volleyball's quick, it's fun. It's fat volleyball.
Speaker 7 (26:17):
When you get bay, I'll be spending seven hours in
a volleyball gym this weekend.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
No no, I did that for two years. Thank god.
My daughter got tired of it.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
This is year three.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
It was the greatest moment in my life.
Speaker 6 (26:27):
It's fat.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
I'm tired of being in a van all summer going
to San Bernardino. I'm like, right, let's go to the
Lake Fornino.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Final story.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
Colin is Jokic the second best player in the NBA
after luc I guess. Anyways, he missed five straight games
with an ankle injury, and he came back and had
that unbelievable assistant and then he just kept going. Thirty
nine point triple double in a ten point went over
the Bucks.
Speaker 6 (26:50):
Jokic scorer assisted.
Speaker 7 (26:51):
On sixty one of the one twenty seven points, his
thirtieth triple double of this season.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
I just beat down. It's a good Jokic healthy.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Look at him. I mean, I'll tell you something now.
Speaker 7 (27:04):
Yannis did not play last night. I don't know if
he was upset with the dame situation and.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Maybe he didn't want to get roasted. Hey, let me
ask you this. Do we need to start having conversations?
And I'm serious on this, greatest centers of all time.
So Russell's got all the rings, Kareem's got all the points.
I'm just telling you, if you're asking me, jokicch Shakakeem,
(27:30):
those guys didn't do this. No, I mean this. This
is the most well rounded player. First of all, here's yoke.
Jokic is the most skilled big by a mile over
any big of all to number two year, and he's
a mile from it. He didn't play his best years
here in the States, But I think we have to
have it. We have to have a real discussion about this.
(27:51):
Shaq was more dynamic. Shaq couldn't shoot. Shaq didn't ball
handle like that late in his career. Shack couldn't pass
like that. Shaq, you had semi commitment. Shack wasn't in
great shape.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
Sha donnas Okay, look at those Doughey.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
This guy is the most skilled big easily in Leak history.
Speaker 7 (28:12):
You know, I thought it was probably Elijah one because
his footwork and offensive I mean, he was.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
By the way a Keem gave Shack fits. Shaq would
tell I watched a keem in Shaq go Toe to
Tona a series once? I mean I saw them, maybe
it was a series. I remember watching them play.
Speaker 6 (28:29):
It was the NBA Finals. I think Shaq got swept. Yeah,
they got.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
A keem is they put him in a blunder.
Speaker 6 (28:35):
I know you mentioned Russell and a lot. I listen,
your boy Simmons was on the show. I'm not besmirching
his name. Bill Russell was six', Nine. Yo kich would
absolutely eviscerate. Him i'm.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
SORRY i Mean Bill russell was like compare, Somebody, okay,
good so, Well so.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Let's not mention those guys. Anymore. Now wilt is an interesting. One,
obviously never saw him. Live you probably saw him, live, RIGHT.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I saw old Headband.
Speaker 6 (28:55):
Wiled how dominant are we talking?
Speaker 7 (28:57):
Like?
Speaker 6 (28:57):
Yo WHEN i.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Watched, him he didn't exactly get back on. Defense wilt
at that point had he'd stayed up really, late didn't.
COMMIT i, mean it was it was just not it was.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
Nothing he had some fun with the. Ladies IF i, recall,
right you.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Know who was good in the seventies that nobody talks
about and was, Unbelievable Bill. Walton oh, well, yeah, dude
let me tell you. SOMETHING i college to his first
FIVE nba, Seasons walton Was jokic all time. Great, NO
i Mean walton Was. Jokic he was the best passing
big ever. Seen he could hit a mid, ranger he
(29:35):
was dominant. Inside Bill walton is the only Player i've
ever seen play center that looks Like. JOKIC i, Mean
Bill walton was doing forty years ahead of his, time.
FIFTY i just if.
Speaker 7 (29:47):
You're having a draft and you had you could take
any center you, won AND i got second, pick who
are you going?
Speaker 6 (29:52):
First playing the modern? GAME i think you gotta go With?
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Yoki, yes who? WOULD i, Mean wemby's.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Not quite a. Sentence he could.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
Be i'm not JUST i mean, people, listen it was
took a while for me to come on. BOARD i,
mean he's unstoppable right. NOW i don't want to see
him in from The. Lakers i'd much rather take on your.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Boy all all you need to know is This draymon
can shut Down. Yannis draymond laughs at the suggestion he
can do anything With Jokis draymon Faced. Giannis was it
like ten days ago held him to five field? Goals Jo,
KISCH i Mean draymond's like, that we're not even let's do.
It we're not nobody stopping. Him it's Like Michael jordan
(30:33):
in his, prime there was No michael stop well who
there was A michael.
Speaker 7 (30:37):
Stopper Dyson daniels right now is really one of the
best defensive.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
Players no, Laugh do you even know who that?
Speaker 1 (30:45):
IS i, Know Jared jackson's pretty. Good is he a good?
Speaker 7 (30:48):
Defender, Yeah, memphis he's a Big you're, Right Jordan. Torch
you know The expansion era in the, Nineties magic And
berg were gone. Whatever yokisch is doing it in an
era With Lebron curry is the.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Best Phil jackson one time was at a doctor's office
and my wife was. There and my wife doesn't know,
sports and she said she told. Me she, GOES i
KNEW i had seen him, before And i'm, LIKE i
laughed because my wife spent so many years In chicago
and went To bulls. Games she, GOES i knew this
guy was a famous guy with, sports BUT i don't know.
Sports and it was true, story and, uh and then,
(31:21):
Uh phil's a very gregarious, guy start talking or, whatever
and my wife's. Cute and then so at one, point,
uh my wife, says, yeah my husband does, this and
my wife, said, yeah my husband's calling. Character phil's like
telling me's wrong About lebron because you know he coached. Them.
Jay So phil doesn't like me, apparently which IS i don't.
Speaker 6 (31:42):
CARE i, mean some people have you said today don't like?
Speaker 1 (31:44):
You, OH i have a Lot Aaron rodgers number. One,
YEAH i GUESS i don't know Why phil. Wouldn't i've
been nothing but a GREAT i, MEAN i think he's
the best basketball Coach I've i've ever.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
Seen he's he's up there with, me up, there he's
up there near the. TOP i need to give it more.
Speaker 7 (31:57):
THOUGHT i, mean you sprung this on me at the last,
second AND i wasn't prepared to go through the.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Greatest that's Why Phil.
Speaker 6 (32:03):
Jackson Steve currs up.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
There steve's very. Good he Told, phil, no thank. YOU
i don't want to be the next. Coach that was
his best move. Ever part of the NIXT J mack
with a.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
News, well that's the news and thanks for stopping. By
The Herd Line news one more. Heard The herd streams
twenty four hours a, day seven days a week within
The iHeartRadio App Search herd to listen live or on
demand whenever you.
Speaker 8 (32:29):
Like, Hey Steve covino And I'm Rich david and together
We're covino And rich On Fox Sports.
Speaker 9 (32:34):
Radio you could catch us weekdays from five to seven
Pm eastern two to Four pacific On Fox Sports radio
and of course The iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
App why should you listen To covino And.
Speaker 9 (32:43):
Rich we talk about everything, life, sports, relationships what's.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Going on in the.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
World we have a lot of fun talking about the
stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop,
culture stories that, well other shows don't seem to have
the time to.
Speaker 9 (32:55):
Discuss and the fact that we've been friends for the
last twenty years and still work together that says, something, Right.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
So check us.
Speaker 8 (33:01):
Out we like to get you, involved to take your phone,
calls chop it.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Up as they, Say.
Speaker 9 (33:06):
I'd, say the most interactive show On Fox Sports, radio maybe.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
The most interactive show on.
Speaker 8 (33:11):
Planetar be sure to check Out cavino And rich live
On Fox Sports radio and The iHeartRadio app from five
to seven Pm eastern two to Four, Pacific and if
you miss any of the live, show just Search covin
On rich wherever you get your, podcasts and of course
on social, media That's covino And.
Speaker 6 (33:24):
Rich saturday, night It's Baseball.
Speaker 7 (33:27):
Night Catch New york's newly minted Superstar One soto as
he leads The mets Against Jose althuve and The, astros
or The braves take on The. Padres Baseball night In
america Return saturday at sevent eastern On.
Speaker 6 (33:41):
Fox check local listings for the game in your.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Area SO i went to a movie theater recently to
Watch Black. Bag Steven, soderberg WHO i watch all this.
MOVIES i talked about this. Yesterday i'm generally gonna go
to movies to watch Directors, Spielberg Christopher, Nolan Martin. Scorsese
there's a handful of. Them Even soderberg Did traffic sexalized,
videotape so he has Got Black. BAG i thought it
(34:04):
was very, good very, quick excellent. Movie he does kind
of quirky. Movies David lynch for a while and went
to his. Movies i'm more director and writer over movie.
Star but. Whatever but WHENEVER i go to a, MOVIE
i notice. THIS i see a lot of, seniors AND
i tend to go to movie theaters not when they're.
CROWDED i go in the. AFTERNOON i went eleven forty
in the. AFTERNOON a couple of weeks ago or a week.
(34:26):
AGO i go. EARLY i never go at. Night AND
i always noticed. Seniors there's a lot of seniors to
go to, movies and especially these uh you, know these
these movies got food and. Alcohol they're having the time
of their. Life AND i always think, like like, that
the industry of, movies it's not really built for. Me
when you get me to a. Theater i'm a busy.
(34:47):
GUY i got, KIDS i got. Businesses seniors there are
a lot of. Movies they're, retired they got nothing to,
do they're hanging. Out they love. MOVIES i every TIME
i go to a movie, THEATER i see seniors, everywhere
AND i think that's a cool. Life go and watch
a movie times a. WEEK i don't have. Time so
a movie's a true hit when you could get me
a casual into. IT i went and Watched. Oppenheimer that's
(35:09):
a big. Hit, OKAY i didn't go To. Barbie all
my kids did loved, it and, again my kid's pretty.
Busy only one of them is a movie Zealot. Josh
so my point is you need, casuals not the die
hards to really make it. Work movie theaters have always
had seniors and diehards going nobody's in a. Theater it's
(35:32):
when you get a big you, Know, avengers all go to,
That all go To Tom, Cruise Mission, Impossible all go
to A Christopher nolan. Movie that's when you have a. Hit.
Right you can't do it off indie, films, sorry, actors you.
Can't you, know you got your passion. Projects everybody used
to get, Those not as much. Anymore you gotta fund them.
Yourself so my take is The yankees And dodgers are
(35:55):
favored to get in The World. Series and you know,
what that's great because the heads hate it. Baseball the
last fifteen, years baseball purists didn't go. Anywhere the casuals
left the Casual my staff is full of. Casuals you
know who watched the playoffs last, Year all the casuals
and the. Diehards so when people there's this thing about
(36:18):
guys that like it's kind of, braggy, like hey, MAN
i got The Major League baseball. PACKAGE i watch one
hundred and forty two. Games oh so you don't have a. Girlfriend,
okay it's not that. Cool it's most, people even. Sportscasters you,
know you get, kids you have a, life you're doing,
stuff you have. Friends you don't want to surrender your
life to sitting around Watching Missouri Valley conference basketball all.
(36:41):
Day so you, KNOW i Had rob manfred on and
we were talking about this yesterday about The dodgers and
Show hayes. INFLUENCE i think it's greater than baseball.
Speaker 10 (36:49):
Understood he's been a great player since he entered the,
league but the shift from The angels to The dodgers
has really been. EXPLOSIVE i, mean he had a, great
great year last. Year they had added to, it AND
i think the fact that The dodgers won was really,
important but it has. EXPLODED i was just In japan
(37:14):
for the. Opener the level of interest and excitement There
colin just absolutely.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Unbelievable, yeah, NO i mean it's, just Oh tani felt
wasted with The. Angels you, Know i've said this. BEFORE
i wonder If Joe burrow is wasted with The bengals
and their cheap. Ownership now they went and spent some
money on, guys so that's a very encouraging. Sign BUT i,
mean Like Cooper, Flagg i'm being honest with, you would
be wasted In New orleans Or. Charlotte he would be
(37:41):
better going to play With. Wemby he would be better
going To philadelphia Or. CHICAGO i don't Think utah's bad at.
ALL i actually think With Danny, ains they're gonna build
a powerhouse Like Sam Presty okse. Have but to, ME
i think sports is so much better today than it's ever.
Been are you going to tell me That Mike trout
(38:02):
wouldn't have been better for, everybody Including Mike, trout had
he not had he been A. Yankee doesn't it feel
Like Mike trout's career has mostly been. Unseen i'm not
saying he's an anonymous phone, call but we watched highlights of.
Him baseball would have been better, Off Mike trout would
have been better. Off everybody would have. Won The, angels
(38:25):
by the, way have had to pay him so, much
and he's been. Injured i'm not sure it's helped them win.
Enough And Mike trout's. Unbelievable so that this this this purity.
Argument you see this all the time on the. Internet
that was a real trend for years and, years the purity.
Argument and we're all we're not that pure sports is
not that. Pure you, know THE nfl in the sixties
and seventies there was a concussion. Issue people look the
(38:46):
other way, sports you, know until they got called on
it and had to write a billion dollar. Check you.
Know you, Know Barry sanders would have been better playing
probably for The Philadelphia eagles or The Dallas, boys Or
Bill walsh and The San francisco forty nine. Ers and
it wouldn't have been just better for the. League it
would have been better for the. Networks it would have
(39:08):
been better For Barry. Sanders this is better not just
for baseball and The. Dodgers it's better For. Otawni they
can surround him with great. Players he can lead, off
he can hit. Third remember When Joe mauer The twins
signed that massive deal at the, time a great, player.
CATCHER i think he's from that. Area they couldn't afford anybody.
Else Or Joey vodo signs with The reds and they
(39:29):
can't afford anybody. Else Joey, vado a great, player would
have been better In New. York you could. Have, so you,
know it's like When Barry jeff kent't had his best.
Years When Barry bonds was hitting behind, him he got better.
PITCHES i, mean that's the reality Of. Otani you can't
pitch around. Him mookie's up, next Then Max, Munsey Freddie,
freeman Ta Oscar. HERNANDEZ i, mean you can't pitch around.
(39:52):
Him so it's everybody Hated katie going to The. WARRIORS i.
Didn't it's like. History we argued he was the best
basketball team of all. TIME i, mean you AND i
watched The. Globetrotters why not want watch one that. COUNTS
i was, like this is the best basketball and NOW
i do think The bulls all time are. Better if
you could use you, know the rules would have. Changed,
Obviously Golden state was smoother or, Offensively bulls were, better
(40:15):
in my, opinion much better, defensively, length, toughness blah blah.
Blah BUT i gotta watch. HISTORY i gotta watch history
like all the. LIKE i gotta Watch yukon's dynasty with
with with The Gino. ARIMA i gotta Watch Pat, SUMMITS
i gotta Watch, KD'S i gotta Watch. JORDAN'S i, Mean
i've GOTTEN i think we have a chance at a.
(40:38):
DYNASTY i gotta Watch. ALABAMA'S i want to watch. DYNASTIES
i want to watch the greatest teams of all. Time
you're not getting them In. MINNESOTA i, mean the reality
in baseball Is i'm A marinerd. Fan forget. It we
can't afford. It And seattle is not a poor. City
it's a rich, City microsoft And. Star But minneapolis is
a corporate hub in. Baseball they can't afford. It you're
(40:59):
never gonna get a salary up in baseball because the
player union is way too. STRONG i Think Rob manfred
would like. It it make his job easier and he
get less complaining from poor. Owners but the bottom line
is you're not gonna get it with the Players. Union
so the bottom, line the greatest teams of all time
are not gonna be In Kansas. City doesn't mean The
royals can't win A World. Series they did played in.
Two good to one. Two you'll get, There but what
(41:22):
you'll need is what you're seeing with some of these.
Teams they're bad for, years they get good draft, picks
they hit on. Him all of a sudden you look
up and you're, like, wow The guardians are. Good oh my,
god that team's got a lot of good. Players now
you may not have those players for eight. Years you
may get them for three before The yankees Or dodgers poach,
them but you'll have a. Shot it just won't be
as good a shot as The yankees and The dodgers have.
Repetitively and Now i'm off my. Soapbox
Thanks for listening to 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 Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Ah, here we go. It's our two all fired up,
live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd wherever you may
be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making
us part of your day. Just flying through shows. Rob Manfred,
Baseball Commissioner, on yesterday, baseball season weirdly, you know, kind
of starts tonight and then with the tournament, so it's weird.
I don't remember that being the case where usually you
(00:47):
would start baseball yesterday. So I don't love like opening
night and that's sarty being on March Madness night because
I want to watch John Calipari and Duke in Arizona
and whatever. I will say this, there's a story this
morning that the Cleveland Browns, with a number two pick,
will not take Shadour Sanders. Adam Schefter says they're probably
gonna get Abdul Carter, who's a super good player, excellent
(01:09):
kid at Penn State, probably the second most gifted player
in the draft to Travis Hunter. And this is not
a shot at schefter. I think it could be a
smoke screen you get lied to a lot in the
last three or four weeks before the draft. I've been
told that for years. But what is interesting is if
Kevin Stefanski did pass on Shadeur Sanders. Now Aaron Rodgers
(01:34):
dropped in the draft, and so did Dan Marino. It
can happen to anybody, Lamar Jackson, it can happen to anybody, right, So,
but he is a pocket quarterback who's accurate and won't
be very expensive. That is what Stefanski wants. So if
it's right in his lap and he doesn't take him,
that does make you wonder if if there's a real
(01:56):
and then and then after that the Patriots don't need
the Giants could use a quarterback, and if they passed
on him, like what are we looking at here? Maybe
New Orleans goes and gets him. So I my take
on Shadeur is to be as that accurate with no
running game and a mostly abysmal offensive line for two
(02:18):
years is really hard to pull off. Seventy four percent
accuracy is really hard to pull off. It'd be one
thing if you're Will Howard and Ohio State and you've
got two first round receivers, two running backs who will
get drafted early, and above average old line, that's a
different ballgame. It's different if quinn Ewers did that at Texas.
We're talking battle line, no run game. Seventy four percent
(02:42):
completion percentage, that's damn impressive. So yesterday Julian Edelman talked
about what he worries about was Shadoor Sanders.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
My number one thing with Shadoor is can he break
down the protections. He's not a mobile guy. He's a
pocket passer. We all keep on saying he's a punck passer.
So for me, if I'm a general manager, if I'm
a team, I want to see how good he is
with his protections. It's ultimately going to come down to
the offensive coordinator he gets paired up with and that
(03:11):
relationship and how he handles protections.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Okay, so again, I like him more than I think
draft people do. Jmck and I don't see him plumbing
in the draft. But Marino did and he's an All timer.
And so's Aaron Rodgers. He's an All timer. So, and
I've said this, there's only two guys in this draft
who I think are would be great in any draft,
(03:36):
Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. I do think there's only
one player in this draft that will turn around a franchise,
and that is the kid cam Ward, who would go
to Tennessee. I think he would start and be a
dynamic player. I don't know if Shidor is that. Could
Shadur be more Geno Smith. He's accurate, he sits in
the pocket, good guy. When he gets a decent coach,
(03:59):
he can win games, maybe get you to the playoffs.
That could be his comp I mean, he's not Joe Burrow.
He's not running around like Lamar Josh Allen. He's not that.
But he is a pocket guy. But pocket guys golf
succeeds Burrows mostly that Gino got to the playoffs. He's
mostly that. Okay, So we said they call it the
dog Days this summer in baseball, which starts tonight, take
out the Tokyo Series Cubs Dodgers. But it's a little
(04:22):
dog days in the NBA, where teams like Boston and
Denver and Cleveland that have roster rhythm for several years
and kind of reducing minutes. The Lakers are a different ballgame.
Austin Rivers, Lebron and Luca played twelve games, got a
Brooklyn feel a few years ago. They just played basketball
together and they're very clearly not the same team when
Lebron's not on the floor. And with that we bring
(04:42):
in Rachel Nichols, Fox Sports NBA analysts doing that since
the early nineties, and she is now joining us. How
can you be covering the NBA that long years old?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Exactly? I started as a child.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
No, I started in college because what I got to
do when was I went to Northwestern and I was
a stringer for the Washington Post and I got to
cover the nineties Bowls as a nineteen and twenty year
old and just kept going since.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
So it was a pretty great ride.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
You and Mike Greenberg, I think, yeah, exactly covered exactly.
So he said this about the Lakers you watched it
last night. Is that Lebron's first half.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Was by Lebron's three quarters rough.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Maybe in his worst half ever as a pro offensively, Yes,
but I do think they're in a weird spot. They
could get to a two seed. They could also fall
to a playing game. They play the Rockets, Thunder Warriors
at Chicago's tricky. That team can shoot.
Speaker 6 (05:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
I look at him and I think to myself, they
have to play hard the rest of the way.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
Yeah for sorry, absolutely, Look, the offense is still working
itself out. They completely changed the way they've played once
Lukadancic came into town, which is exactly what they should
have done, but it takes a while.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
I am not worried about the offense.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Lebron is still working his way back from injury. They're
all still learning how to play together. They are going
to be fine. Teams pick their poison with Luca. They
have to decide what to do, and usually teams end
up blitzing him, which leaves someone else open. And he's
a great passer, so they will figure it out offensively.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
The issue is the defense.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
And frankly, we had Rob Polinka sit up on the
stage when Lukadancic was introduced and tell us this, Not
that we didn't know, but I'm saying even the Lakers
understood that once you trade away Ad, you have a
front court defensive problem, right, and they were not able
to fix it before the trade deadline, and they are
going to try to fix it this summer. But there
is a limitation of how far you can go if
(06:27):
you have that kind of hole. And it's great that
they played so well defensively in the weeks after the
Lukadanci trade, but that required one hundred and fifty percent
effort from every guy every minute on the floor.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
That is not sustainable.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
And it was also more of a swarming sort of
switchy defense.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Guys figure that out. The more tape they.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
Have on you, it's leaving a lot of guys open
and leaving themselves open to exploitive matchups. And by the way,
they're letting guys shoot threes right and left, that's going
to bite you in the playoffs till.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, it is. For the record, Jared Vanderbilt didn't have
to score last night. He's still a wild valuable teach.
Like Jared Vanderbilt is like wildly important for this basketball team.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Jax and Hayes, I mean, yes, you know.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
It's interesting. I got an NBA guy who I have
deep respect for. Tom Tolbert texted me yesterday. He said, Hey,
be careful about your cynicism of OKC. He said, here's
stats that are really important. They lead the league in
creating turnovers and are last in committing them huge, which,
(07:28):
by the way, shows you a maturity which is beyond
the years of a team. They're a smart basketball team.
When you talk to people in the league, because I
have questions about their young players in road playoff environments,
what are the people around the league think?
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Oh, they think they're for real for sure. And look,
there is the fact that this group of guys has
not gotten past the second round. And therefore, when the
bright lights come on of the conference finals and the
NBA Finals, are they going to be able to match
up against the teams that have so much experience?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
I mean the Boston Celtics. I mean they've been in
the finals what three of the last four years. I mean,
it's just against teams in some cases.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
That have a lot more of know how of how
to do those situations. That being said, number one overall offensively,
Number four defensively, this is a team that knows how
to play together. They've been playing together a long time.
They have an excellent Coach of the year coach, and
they are ready.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
They have the MVP candidate.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I mean, they really feel like they are ready to
make a move, and people around the league have an
enormous amount of respect for them, especially since the rest
of the West, as you just pointed out with the Lakers,
it's a crapshoot.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
I mean in the East, you can say, hey, the
Celtics and the Cavaliers, they've really separated themselves, and the
next one else.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Upset nick and they don't match.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Up with them anyone else. If they made it to
the conference finals, it would be an upset. You can't
say that in the West. I would, you know, right
in the Thunder, just because they deserve that respect after
what they've.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Done this season.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
It could be one of what six teams opposite them.
A lot is going to depend on the bracket and
who they face in the conference finals.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
The Thunder if they do.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
Make it there, as we expect, that's going to determine
if they get to the final and can really make
it on that stage.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
So when Adam Silver showed up on the show and
I really like I can do Adam once a week,
I think you're so smart, I did push back. I said,
you guys get so paralyzed by trades. Memo, everybody loves trades.
By the way their foot show, Hey Angels, Dodgers, Yes,
it feels lobsided. Look at your numbers.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
So my take is I'm watching KD last night. He's auditioning.
He's unbelievable. And by the way, he wanted to make
sure Boston New Yeah, I can score on your defense,
and your defense is unbelievable. He's averaged thirty seven a game,
shooting sixty percent from the floor in the last three games. So,
and it's interesting about the playoffs. Not only do I
(09:42):
love the playoffs for their intensity, but they do show
you very clear weaknesses of the Knicks, yes, or the
Bucks or the Lakers. I think KD Now, Jay Mack disagrees.
I think he's going to have a huge mark of
really good teams. What do you hear?
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I completely agree with you.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
Sorry, j Max, But you know, look, you and I
were two of the people who ten years ago were saying, man,
Katie's game, it's going to age well in this league.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
And guess what I mean.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
It's stunning insight, but we were right. Kevin Durant is
still extremely valuable to have and There are, of course
a lot of people back analyzing the trade with Brooklyn
and saying that Phoenix gave up too much for him,
and they did give up a lot for him, But
the fact that it hasn't been a more successful run
there for Kevin Durant has really largely been.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
About the Bradley Beal trade.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
It is about how handcuffed the team has been in
his time there because Bradley bial was acquired and his
salary and his no trade clause and the lack of
flexibility to build the roster around Kat and Book the
way they need to be built. And Bradley Beal is
a great guy, and he is a good basketball player.
I think his skill has been sort of shaded by
all the contract stuff around him.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
He is a good basketball player.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
He does not fit with Kevin Durant and Devin Book
doesn't work and in fact, not only just moving him
to the bench, which they have done when he doesn't
play and he's out hurt right now, this team is
thirteen and three when he doesn't play and the other
two do. Prior to losing to the Celtics the other night,
which of course most people lose to the.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
Celtics, these days.
Speaker 5 (11:13):
They were four and oh, including beating the Cavaliers without
Bradley Beal. So to me, one of the big questions
of where does kad go this summer. It could be
the Miami who wants him. It could be the Rockets
who want him. However, maybe there's a voice of he
could stay in Phoenix if they can get Bradley Beal
to accept and want a trade and another team to
(11:35):
want him with that deal. But brad said some interesting
things recently. He said, look, in the middle of the season,
there's too much going on. I didn't want to do
a trade at the deadline. He said, this summer you
can lay everything out and get a better sense of
what you want and where you want to go. And
if Phoenix is messaging him right now, we are not
playing you. At some point, Bradley Beal wants to play basketball,
(11:57):
and so he is going to look around little more
than he has the past couple of years and say, Okay,
maybe this team wants me and I want to go
play for them. If they get that flexibility and freedom,
I'd be curious at least what the possibilities are, and
they're few because they've traded away all of their draft picks,
but they are few. If you could keep Kevin Durant
and Booker together, because I do think they played great together.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah, the you know, I was watching Cooper Flag plays
tonight and I was telling people, you're much younger, so
you remember some of this, and being on the East
Coast you remember a lot of it because I was
a West Coast kid and loved the Big East Pack
ten basketball didn't care. I was a Big East but.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
It is Georgetown DC girl.
Speaker 6 (12:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Basically, if you're twenty, you're under thirty five years old,
you don't remember what college basketball in the NBA used
to have this symbiotic relationship. You had about nine Cooper
Flags a year that you loved in college went to
the NBA and were really good immediately. Well, now Cooper
Flag is an outlier where like could he be a
side team All Stars and he may be in the East.
(13:02):
To be landed somewhere is that last year's draft was
wildly international and nobody can name the first eight players
drafted the I mean the NBA. Do you think the NBA?
And it's kind of a theoretical question, but I think
it's so fascinating because he is so good. Do you
think the NBA realizes deep down that they thought they
(13:25):
could do it with themselves with the G League and
part of this ratings regression, it's not politics. We need
college basketball as our feeder system. Look at the ratings
for women's and men's March Madness. It's crazy.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
No, it was great in those days for the NBA.
The problem is they don't control it. You know, they
could possibly they're talking about lowering the age limit again
back to eighteen.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
They could possibly decide.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
I've always said, why not make it twenty as long
as there is a feasible route in the G League
for guys who are turning eighteen to make money, Because
you don't want to impact these guys' ability to be professionals.
The rest of the world gets to work as late
teenagers in eighteen nineteen twenty year olds. You don't want
to limit these guys' ability to earn a living.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
But if there is a.
Speaker 5 (14:07):
Route for that, it doesn't have to be the NBA
where they earn a living. If there is a route
for them to play professional basketball both internationally and here
in the US, and you raise the age limit to twenty,
you would get more developed players entering the NBA. You'd
be able to scout them better because you can see
guys like Cooper Flag coming a mile away. But there's
(14:28):
a ton of guys who maybe were scouted one way
and they turned into another way. Yanna sent it Tokoupo,
nobody thought he was going to be him. No one
thought that Nikola Yokich was going to be who he's
turned out to be. So there are still guys who
if they had another year or two to develop, especially
in college American players, you'd be able to know who
they were more and they would be delivered to the
NBA as more developed products.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I am in the minority.
Speaker 5 (14:50):
I am the only one I hear saying raise the
age limit, don't lower it. But that is how I
feel in terms of that question you just asked.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So I proposed it this week that there are solvable
and unsolvable problems. The NFL had the concussion issue, it
was solvable, pay attention to it, don't roll your eyes
at it and change the rules. Steroids solvable, more testing,
and then there are unsolvable issues. Football is a violent game.
(15:20):
Guys get hurt, seriously, that's just the way it works.
I think load management is a bit more solvable because
the young players like playing, and also we're not going
to give you awards unless you play them in the
mount games. I think tanking's unsolvable. I think it is
the unsolvable issue because in March, if I can get
(15:41):
Cooper Flag, huh, nine of my guys have a chest cold. Interesting,
you can't. I'm sorry. But the league, if you look
at the greatest players ever, they've often ended up on teams.
San Antonio was planning on Wemby three years ago.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
So I mean, look, tanking is not solvable. You are
one hundred percent correct. Look the Spurs, how they ended
up getting Tim Duncan was that David Robinson had an
injury and then he just seemed to have an injury
the entire year, and then they got Tim Duncan, and
the next year Tim Duncan and David Robinson played together. Man,
that's amazing. So it's not solvable in terms of we're
done with it. But I will say the league has
(16:16):
gotten itself into more trouble because of the way the
contract situations have worked out, and they've made efforts on
the other end.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
They've tried to flatten lottery odds.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
But the truth is that in twenty sixteen, because ownership
around the league didn't like that, Kevin Durant went to
the Golden State Warriors. They invented the Supermax, and the
Supermax was supposed to get guys to stay with the
teams that drafted them more. The problem with that, though,
was that you had uneven situations around the league because
you had teams that just weren't in the right draft
(16:45):
at the right time, and guys your team and owners
felt bad about that. So then they created all these aprons.
There's the first apron, there's the second apron. Guy Fieri
is apparently managing the NBA. I mean, there's all of
this stuff that restricts teams and movement and trades and
all of the other things that the only really viable
way to start from scratch and rethink.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Your team is to tank.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
And in fact, Matt Ishbia, the owner of the Phoenix Suns,
just gave a really good interview and he talked about, hey,
we are never going to do that here. We are
never going to clear the decks and tank. We want
to win every year. Where you're going to try to
win every year, and that's great and fans applauded it.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Everyone around the league, in every.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
Front office you talk to, guys were sort of sending
me quotes, sending me quotes from that article.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Hahaha. New owner syndrome.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
He doesn't get it yet, doesn't he.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Know it's literally the only way to do it.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
We saw it with the Houston Rockets a few years
ago and now they're number two in the West.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
I mean we've seen it over and over.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
So the league has contributed to creating this problem because
owners want to stop themselves from overspending. And then it's
not fair over there. It's not fair that way. It's
not fair that way. Fat the league office his fault.
I think the ownership has to take a look at
itself in the mirror, at the situation that they have
put themselves in, and why so many of them have
to tank and then have terrible ticket sales for a
(18:03):
couple of years in a row.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
I mean, it's just cyclical.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah. By the way, the last three minutes of Rachel Nichols,
it should be played over and over and over because
that is the truth in all of this. And I
said to Adam when he was on their show. I said,
Adam you're paralyzed by trades. Kevin Durant and Warriors were
the highest rated team. Of course, you couldn't turn them off. Yes,
it made people briefly uncomfortable. So did Shaq and Kobe.
(18:28):
Shaq and Kobe made people uncomfortable. For the record, Michael
won six MVPs and went six and six in the finals.
Bill Russell, as the league was being formed, and popularized
one eleven titles, Dynasties yukon women's and men's basketball. They're
not the worst thing.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
No, they're popular.
Speaker 5 (18:45):
Dynasties sell casual fans get invested in them.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
But it's not a front office issue.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
Adam Silver can't solve that when he has owners around
the league.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
No, the owners meetings saying.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
That's not fair, that's not fair, let's make a new rule.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
The other thing that made Katie work in Golden State
was Steph was on a cheap deal because of his injuries.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
It was such a crazy confluence.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
It was.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
It was a complete confluence of events. He shouldn't have
been under that contract.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
The salary cap blew up in a big bubble. The
way it's not going to this time around. They're going
to distribute the TV money more evenly, over the years,
there were so many things about Katie going to the
Warriors that were not replicatable, and yet they made all
these rules, and then all those rules created new problems,
and then that's now created this problem. So again, I
don't think you're ever going to solve tanking Spurs David Robinson,
(19:35):
Tim Duncan, but I do think that they have gotten
themselves into this pickle more where it is the only
route now, and that is creating an issue for fans
who want to watch good basketball games. I mean, you
watch some of these games right now and it's like
you can't even pick out there's so many two way
guys on the floor, you can't even pick out who's playing.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
That's why I watched the Celtic Suns last night. Tatum's
actually hurt, which is never hurt, but it was fun
because it was like KD was playing, like he was
showing off to the lead.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
Well, the Sons have none of their own first round
draft picks till twenty you know, through twenty thirty one,
so they don't have to tank.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
They can't tank.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
It doesn't help them at all helps the Houston Rockets,
so they're gonna put it all out there in Boston's
getting ready for a championship run. But there aren't that
many of those games right now, Colin. There are the
games the other way around a lot of the time.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
All right, almost professorial. Just just you should have grabbed
a dais, sat up there and told the league how
it works. All getting smarter, Rachel Nichols.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Thank you so much, Colin.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Live in La. It's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Again, people, what's really interesting about the world. I talk
to this about my wife all the time. People overreact
to everything, and I don't even know if I'm built
for media anymore. Remember when David Letterman left The Late
Show because you had Jimmy Fallon doing musical bits and
Colbert was talking politics, and like, Letterman's like, you know,
I don't think I'm built for this generation. Is that
(21:00):
the media now is like headlines this week, the madness
is out of March. I'm the wet blanket. I'm the
guy in the country that goes no actually the ratings
are up. We never watched for the Madness. We watched
for Duke and Big Brands in Carolina and you know,
Michigan State and syracusean Yukon.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
It's like everything now is so overheated. And I think
your job as a commissioner or a general manager is
not overreact, right, And so I think the NBA a
little bit overreacted to Kevin Durant to the Warriors because
it felt unfair and all the owners were upset. They
(21:43):
were getting huge ratings. It wasn't gonna last forever. Kevin Durant,
you could feel, you know, by year two they were
getting a little prickly and Draymon and it was a
little explosive. So now you're kind of trapped as a league.
You know, by March, you know, seven or eight teams
are like just not playing anybody. And the Lakers can't
do that, by the way, as we talked about earlier,
(22:04):
because they could fall into a playing spot because the
West is deep, there is a lot of talent. Just
wait till next year when Dallas is healthy and they're
gonna be The West is only getting better. Utah is
going nowhere but up Oklahoma City's going nowhere but up Dallas.
When these guys are healthy, is gonna be a team
full of dogs. That's gonna be a really good team.
Jay mcklanews, turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
This is the herd Line news.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
Right, Carlon, Let's start with the Lakers game winner last
night from Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
Here it is Luca with the drive.
Speaker 7 (22:38):
Bounces off the rim in an incredible putback by Lebron.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
His eighth game winner.
Speaker 7 (22:44):
Colin in his career, tied for second with Joe Johnson
Iso Joe huh. Interesting gotta be tied with Michael Jordan's
number one with nine buzzer beaters, Kobe also at eight,
and you see Paul Pierce FS One's own Paul Pierre
at seven. I don't know did you see this live
because Lebron had had a rough game, as you mentioned earlier.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
No, I saw it on YouTube. I watched the first half.
I thought it was awful, and then I went out
and then I watched later. I watched Boston and Phoenix,
which which was a blowout, but it was a fun
first half.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
Yeah, Lakers needed this one badly, Yes, and I would
expect him to rest guys tonight against Chicago, a back
to back. By the way, I know people are like
a Lakers defense six. This was their eighth game in
twelve days. It has been a brutal stretch because of
the canceled games due to the fires. They backloaded it.
They're gonna load up on that Memphis game Saturday night.
Speaker 6 (23:36):
That's a huge swing game in the West.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
And then they got the Rockets here Monday night out
in La So whatach Chicago?
Speaker 1 (23:41):
What are the Bulls getting in this game at home
against the Lakers.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
I haven't seen the line yet. By the way, I'm
all first quarters for the Lakers. The last two have
not cast. I think teams have caught up, the markets
caught up with the Lakers, So no need to better
those first quarters anymore. Guys. Let's move to the next
next story, and that is the richest man in baseball
makes his met debut today. That's Juan Soto, signed fifteen years,
seven hundred and sixty five million dollars contract.
Speaker 6 (24:06):
He's a two to eighty five career ait A college.
Did you know that.
Speaker 7 (24:10):
Two hundred and one career home runs, five hundred ninety
two RBI fourteen As.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Start perfect swing, he has a perfect swing.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
Yeah, but seven hundred and sixty five million dollars.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
There will be a billion dollar contract.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
He's worth more than Patrick Mahomes. No, of course, not because.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
He worth more than well, they also have two kids. No,
but they have one hundred and sixty two games. So
the merchandising the seats, that's why baseball can do this.
You have so many games. Only have eight home games
in the NFL. Yeah, yeah, what'd you say, Ryan, Yeah, yeah,
Mahomes get another one.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
I don't think it'll be.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
But the other thing is because there's no salary cap,
Mahomes is going to try to sign team friendly deals
because he wants to win. Because remember, Mahomes has only
been humiliated twice, both times in Super Bowls, both times
because they were bad at left tackle. So Mahomes, there's
no value for Mahomes in takeing every penny. It's like
I don't want to get you can also get hurt. Yeah,
if you don't share the money and baseball take whatever
(25:06):
they give you.
Speaker 7 (25:07):
So it's to the point where the baseball contracts are
so ridiculously large that if your kid is a major
superstar athlete basketball, football, baseball, which sport.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
Are you telling him to go into column tennis?
Speaker 7 (25:20):
What are you not following the tennis lawsuit right now?
Like tennis players are woefully underpaid. I think you got
to steal your kid toward baseball.
Speaker 6 (25:28):
Now. I don't know about you.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
I've never signed my kids up for baseball because I
personally don't want to sit in the spring. My weather's
great for like ninety.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
I said that one time, and people say you're selfish.
I said, I'm not a taxi driver. I told my
kids I'll take you to games as long as you care.
And then my daughter said, I don't want to be
in a van all summer playing volleyball. I said, okay, great,
let's go to the lake. I had way more fun
going skiing with my kids and go to the lake
than you did it sitting in a gym in Youngstown, Ohio.
Am I a bad dad if I think you could
(26:00):
do both?
Speaker 7 (26:01):
But obviously one has an expiration date. But yeah, we
never signed our kids up for baseball or softball. And
I love hitting the baseball in the yard. It's fun
playing some cats with your kids.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
That's listen. When my daughter played volleyball, I loved going
to the match. Volleyball's quick, it's fun. It's fat volleyball.
Speaker 7 (26:17):
When you get bay, I'll be spending seven hours in
a volleyball gym this weekend.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
No no, I did that for two years. Thank god.
My daughter got tired of it.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
This is year three.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
It was the greatest moment in my life.
Speaker 6 (26:27):
It's fat.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
I'm tired of being in a van all summer going
to San Bernardino. I'm like, right, let's go to the
Lake Fornino.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Final story.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
Colin is Jokic the second best player in the NBA
after luc I guess. Anyways, he missed five straight games
with an ankle injury, and he came back and had
that unbelievable assistant and then he just kept going. Thirty
nine point triple double in a ten point went over
the Bucks.
Speaker 6 (26:50):
Jokic scorer assisted.
Speaker 7 (26:51):
On sixty one of the one twenty seven points, his
thirtieth triple double of this season.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
I just beat down. It's a good Jokic healthy.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Look at him. I mean, I'll tell you something now.
Speaker 7 (27:04):
Yannis did not play last night. I don't know if
he was upset with the dame situation and.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Maybe he didn't want to get roasted. Hey, let me
ask you this. Do we need to start having conversations?
And I'm serious on this, greatest centers of all time.
So Russell's got all the rings, Kareem's got all the points.
I'm just telling you, if you're asking me, jokicch Shakakeem,
(27:30):
those guys didn't do this. No, I mean this. This
is the most well rounded player. First of all, here's yoke.
Jokic is the most skilled big by a mile over
any big of all to number two year, and he's
a mile from it. He didn't play his best years
here in the States, But I think we have to
have it. We have to have a real discussion about this.
(27:51):
Shaq was more dynamic. Shaq couldn't shoot. Shaq didn't ball
handle like that late in his career. Shack couldn't pass
like that. Shaq, you had semi commitment. Shack wasn't in
great shape.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
Sha donnas Okay, look at those Doughey.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
This guy is the most skilled big easily in Leak history.
Speaker 7 (28:12):
You know, I thought it was probably Elijah one because
his footwork and offensive I mean, he was.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
By the way a Keem gave Shack fits. Shaq would
tell I watched a keem in Shaq go Toe to
Tona a series once? I mean I saw them, maybe
it was a series. I remember watching them play.
Speaker 6 (28:29):
It was the NBA Finals. I think Shaq got swept. Yeah,
they got.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
A keem is they put him in a blunder.
Speaker 6 (28:35):
I know you mentioned Russell and a lot. I listen,
your boy Simmons was on the show. I'm not besmirching
his name. Bill Russell was six', Nine. Yo kich would
absolutely eviscerate. Him i'm.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
SORRY i Mean Bill russell was like compare, Somebody, okay,
good so, Well so.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Let's not mention those guys. Anymore. Now wilt is an interesting. One,
obviously never saw him. Live you probably saw him, live, RIGHT.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I saw old Headband.
Speaker 6 (28:55):
Wiled how dominant are we talking?
Speaker 7 (28:57):
Like?
Speaker 6 (28:57):
Yo WHEN i.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Watched, him he didn't exactly get back on. Defense wilt
at that point had he'd stayed up really, late didn't.
COMMIT i, mean it was it was just not it was.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
Nothing he had some fun with the. Ladies IF i, recall,
right you.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Know who was good in the seventies that nobody talks
about and was, Unbelievable Bill. Walton oh, well, yeah, dude
let me tell you. SOMETHING i college to his first
FIVE nba, Seasons walton Was jokic all time. Great, NO
i Mean walton Was. Jokic he was the best passing
big ever. Seen he could hit a mid, ranger he
(29:35):
was dominant. Inside Bill walton is the only Player i've
ever seen play center that looks Like. JOKIC i, Mean
Bill walton was doing forty years ahead of his, time.
FIFTY i just if.
Speaker 7 (29:47):
You're having a draft and you had you could take
any center you, won AND i got second, pick who
are you going?
Speaker 6 (29:52):
First playing the modern? GAME i think you gotta go With?
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Yoki, yes who? WOULD i, Mean wemby's.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Not quite a. Sentence he could.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
Be i'm not JUST i mean, people, listen it was
took a while for me to come on. BOARD i,
mean he's unstoppable right. NOW i don't want to see
him in from The. Lakers i'd much rather take on your.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Boy all all you need to know is This draymon
can shut Down. Yannis draymond laughs at the suggestion he
can do anything With Jokis draymon Faced. Giannis was it
like ten days ago held him to five field? Goals Jo,
KISCH i Mean draymond's like, that we're not even let's do.
It we're not nobody stopping. Him it's Like Michael jordan
(30:33):
in his, prime there was No michael stop well who
there was A michael.
Speaker 7 (30:37):
Stopper Dyson daniels right now is really one of the
best defensive.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
Players no, Laugh do you even know who that?
Speaker 1 (30:45):
IS i, Know Jared jackson's pretty. Good is he a good?
Speaker 7 (30:48):
Defender, Yeah, memphis he's a Big you're, Right Jordan. Torch
you know The expansion era in the, Nineties magic And
berg were gone. Whatever yokisch is doing it in an
era With Lebron curry is the.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Best Phil jackson one time was at a doctor's office
and my wife was. There and my wife doesn't know,
sports and she said she told. Me she, GOES i
KNEW i had seen him, before And i'm, LIKE i
laughed because my wife spent so many years In chicago
and went To bulls. Games she, GOES i knew this
guy was a famous guy with, sports BUT i don't know.
Sports and it was true, story and, uh and then,
(31:21):
Uh phil's a very gregarious, guy start talking or, whatever
and my wife's. Cute and then so at one, point,
uh my wife, says, yeah my husband does, this and
my wife, said, yeah my husband's calling. Character phil's like
telling me's wrong About lebron because you know he coached. Them.
Jay So phil doesn't like me, apparently which IS i don't.
Speaker 6 (31:42):
CARE i, mean some people have you said today don't like?
Speaker 1 (31:44):
You, OH i have a Lot Aaron rodgers number. One,
YEAH i GUESS i don't know Why phil. Wouldn't i've
been nothing but a GREAT i, MEAN i think he's
the best basketball Coach I've i've ever.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
Seen he's he's up there with, me up, there he's
up there near the. TOP i need to give it more.
Speaker 7 (31:57):
THOUGHT i, mean you sprung this on me at the last,
second AND i wasn't prepared to go through the.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Greatest that's Why Phil.
Speaker 6 (32:03):
Jackson Steve currs up.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
There steve's very. Good he Told, phil, no thank. YOU
i don't want to be the next. Coach that was
his best move. Ever part of the NIXT J mack
with a.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
News, well that's the news and thanks for stopping. By
The Herd Line news one more. Heard The herd streams
twenty four hours a, day seven days a week within
The iHeartRadio App Search herd to listen live or on
demand whenever you.
Speaker 8 (32:29):
Like, Hey Steve covino And I'm Rich david and together
We're covino And rich On Fox Sports.
Speaker 9 (32:34):
Radio you could catch us weekdays from five to seven
Pm eastern two to Four pacific On Fox Sports radio
and of course The iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
App why should you listen To covino And.
Speaker 9 (32:43):
Rich we talk about everything, life, sports, relationships what's.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Going on in the.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
World we have a lot of fun talking about the
stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop,
culture stories that, well other shows don't seem to have
the time to.
Speaker 9 (32:55):
Discuss and the fact that we've been friends for the
last twenty years and still work together that says, something, Right.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
So check us.
Speaker 8 (33:01):
Out we like to get you, involved to take your phone,
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Speaker 1 (33:06):
Up as they, Say.
Speaker 9 (33:06):
I'd, say the most interactive show On Fox Sports, radio maybe.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
The most interactive show on.
Speaker 8 (33:11):
Planetar be sure to check Out cavino And rich live
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On rich wherever you get your, podcasts and of course
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Speaker 6 (33:24):
Rich saturday, night It's Baseball.
Speaker 7 (33:27):
Night Catch New york's newly minted Superstar One soto as
he leads The mets Against Jose althuve and The, astros
or The braves take on The. Padres Baseball night In
america Return saturday at sevent eastern On.
Speaker 6 (33:41):
Fox check local listings for the game in your.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Area SO i went to a movie theater recently to
Watch Black. Bag Steven, soderberg WHO i watch all this.
MOVIES i talked about this. Yesterday i'm generally gonna go
to movies to watch Directors, Spielberg Christopher, Nolan Martin. Scorsese
there's a handful of. Them Even soderberg Did traffic sexalized,
videotape so he has Got Black. BAG i thought it
(34:04):
was very, good very, quick excellent. Movie he does kind
of quirky. Movies David lynch for a while and went
to his. Movies i'm more director and writer over movie.
Star but. Whatever but WHENEVER i go to a, MOVIE
i notice. THIS i see a lot of, seniors AND
i tend to go to movie theaters not when they're.
CROWDED i go in the. AFTERNOON i went eleven forty
in the. AFTERNOON a couple of weeks ago or a week.
(34:26):
AGO i go. EARLY i never go at. Night AND
i always noticed. Seniors there's a lot of seniors to
go to, movies and especially these uh you, know these
these movies got food and. Alcohol they're having the time
of their. Life AND i always think, like like, that
the industry of, movies it's not really built for. Me
when you get me to a. Theater i'm a busy.
(34:47):
GUY i got, KIDS i got. Businesses seniors there are
a lot of. Movies they're, retired they got nothing to,
do they're hanging. Out they love. MOVIES i every TIME
i go to a movie, THEATER i see seniors, everywhere
AND i think that's a cool. Life go and watch
a movie times a. WEEK i don't have. Time so
a movie's a true hit when you could get me
a casual into. IT i went and Watched. Oppenheimer that's
(35:09):
a big. Hit, OKAY i didn't go To. Barbie all
my kids did loved, it and, again my kid's pretty.
Busy only one of them is a movie Zealot. Josh
so my point is you need, casuals not the die
hards to really make it. Work movie theaters have always
had seniors and diehards going nobody's in a. Theater it's
(35:32):
when you get a big you, Know, avengers all go to,
That all go To Tom, Cruise Mission, Impossible all go
to A Christopher nolan. Movie that's when you have a. Hit.
Right you can't do it off indie, films, sorry, actors you.
Can't you, know you got your passion. Projects everybody used
to get, Those not as much. Anymore you gotta fund them.
Yourself so my take is The yankees And dodgers are
(35:55):
favored to get in The World. Series and you know,
what that's great because the heads hate it. Baseball the
last fifteen, years baseball purists didn't go. Anywhere the casuals
left the Casual my staff is full of. Casuals you
know who watched the playoffs last, Year all the casuals
and the. Diehards so when people there's this thing about
(36:18):
guys that like it's kind of, braggy, like hey, MAN
i got The Major League baseball. PACKAGE i watch one
hundred and forty two. Games oh so you don't have a. Girlfriend,
okay it's not that. Cool it's most, people even. Sportscasters you,
know you get, kids you have a, life you're doing,
stuff you have. Friends you don't want to surrender your
life to sitting around Watching Missouri Valley conference basketball all.
(36:41):
Day so you, KNOW i Had rob manfred on and
we were talking about this yesterday about The dodgers and
Show hayes. INFLUENCE i think it's greater than baseball.
Speaker 10 (36:49):
Understood he's been a great player since he entered the,
league but the shift from The angels to The dodgers
has really been. EXPLOSIVE i, mean he had a, great
great year last. Year they had added to, it AND
i think the fact that The dodgers won was really,
important but it has. EXPLODED i was just In japan
(37:14):
for the. Opener the level of interest and excitement There
colin just absolutely.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Unbelievable, yeah, NO i mean it's, just Oh tani felt
wasted with The. Angels you, Know i've said this. BEFORE
i wonder If Joe burrow is wasted with The bengals
and their cheap. Ownership now they went and spent some
money on, guys so that's a very encouraging. Sign BUT i,
mean Like Cooper, Flagg i'm being honest with, you would
be wasted In New orleans Or. Charlotte he would be
(37:41):
better going to play With. Wemby he would be better
going To philadelphia Or. CHICAGO i don't Think utah's bad at.
ALL i actually think With Danny, ains they're gonna build
a powerhouse Like Sam Presty okse. Have but to, ME
i think sports is so much better today than it's ever.
Been are you going to tell me That Mike trout
(38:02):
wouldn't have been better for, everybody Including Mike, trout had
he not had he been A. Yankee doesn't it feel
Like Mike trout's career has mostly been. Unseen i'm not
saying he's an anonymous phone, call but we watched highlights of.
Him baseball would have been better, Off Mike trout would
have been better. Off everybody would have. Won The, angels
(38:25):
by the, way have had to pay him so, much
and he's been. Injured i'm not sure it's helped them win.
Enough And Mike trout's. Unbelievable so that this this this purity.
Argument you see this all the time on the. Internet
that was a real trend for years and, years the purity.
Argument and we're all we're not that pure sports is
not that. Pure you, know THE nfl in the sixties
and seventies there was a concussion. Issue people look the
(38:46):
other way, sports you, know until they got called on
it and had to write a billion dollar. Check you.
Know you, Know Barry sanders would have been better playing
probably for The Philadelphia eagles or The Dallas, boys Or
Bill walsh and The San francisco forty nine. Ers and
it wouldn't have been just better for the. League it
would have been better for the. Networks it would have
(39:08):
been better For Barry. Sanders this is better not just
for baseball and The. Dodgers it's better For. Otawni they
can surround him with great. Players he can lead, off
he can hit. Third remember When Joe mauer The twins
signed that massive deal at the, time a great, player.
CATCHER i think he's from that. Area they couldn't afford anybody.
Else Or Joey vodo signs with The reds and they
(39:29):
can't afford anybody. Else Joey, vado a great, player would
have been better In New. York you could. Have, so you,
know it's like When Barry jeff kent't had his best.
Years When Barry bonds was hitting behind, him he got better.
PITCHES i, mean that's the reality Of. Otani you can't
pitch around. Him mookie's up, next Then Max, Munsey Freddie,
freeman Ta Oscar. HERNANDEZ i, mean you can't pitch around.
(39:52):
Him so it's everybody Hated katie going to The. WARRIORS i.
Didn't it's like. History we argued he was the best
basketball team of all. TIME i, mean you AND i
watched The. Globetrotters why not want watch one that. COUNTS
i was, like this is the best basketball and NOW
i do think The bulls all time are. Better if
you could use you, know the rules would have. Changed,
Obviously Golden state was smoother or, Offensively bulls were, better
(40:15):
in my, opinion much better, defensively, length, toughness blah blah.
Blah BUT i gotta watch. HISTORY i gotta watch history
like all the. LIKE i gotta Watch yukon's dynasty with
with with The Gino. ARIMA i gotta Watch Pat, SUMMITS
i gotta Watch, KD'S i gotta Watch. JORDAN'S i, Mean
i've GOTTEN i think we have a chance at a.
(40:38):
DYNASTY i gotta Watch. ALABAMA'S i want to watch. DYNASTIES
i want to watch the greatest teams of all. Time
you're not getting them In. MINNESOTA i, mean the reality
in baseball Is i'm A marinerd. Fan forget. It we
can't afford. It And seattle is not a poor. City
it's a rich, City microsoft And. Star But minneapolis is
a corporate hub in. Baseball they can't afford. It you're
(40:59):
never gonna get a salary up in baseball because the
player union is way too. STRONG i Think Rob manfred
would like. It it make his job easier and he
get less complaining from poor. Owners but the bottom line
is you're not gonna get it with the Players. Union
so the bottom, line the greatest teams of all time
are not gonna be In Kansas. City doesn't mean The
royals can't win A World. Series they did played in.
Two good to one. Two you'll get, There but what
(41:22):
you'll need is what you're seeing with some of these.
Teams they're bad for, years they get good draft, picks
they hit on. Him all of a sudden you look
up and you're, like, wow The guardians are. Good oh my,
god that team's got a lot of good. Players now
you may not have those players for eight. Years you
may get them for three before The yankees Or dodgers poach,
them but you'll have a. Shot it just won't be
as good a shot as The yankees and The dodgers have.
Repetitively and Now i'm off my. Soapbox
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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