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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human Wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees from the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage. Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. Wasabi driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than the other guys. Try for free@wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network here's something that'll freak you out. Most people think their insurance will cover them if disaster strikes. But here's the truth. Many are wrong. You pay your premiums, you assume you're protected. Then the fine print hits. Exclusions, loopholes, limits. Suddenly that coverage you counted on isn't really coverage at all. It's not your agent's fault. They their job is to sell policies. You need somebody in your corner who protects you, not the insurance company. That's why I like my policy advocate. I like what they're doing. They take your actual policies. Home, life, auto, break them down in plain English. They show you what's really covered and what isn't. Here's the best part. Cost 27 cents a day. That's it. Less than a cup of coffee for peace of mind to make sure your family's protected when it matters most. When disaster hits, you don't want surprises. You want certainty. Before you assume you're covered, go to my policyadvocate.com let them review your policy. You might be shocked at what you'll find. My policyadvocate.com Every sports season is built
- [01:37]
Webull Announcer
on preparation, studying the trends, making necessary adjustments to reach the ultimate goal. Investing deserves the same approach. With Webull, you have access to real time market data, advanced tools and an intuitive app designed to help you make informed decisions. Trade stocks, options, ETFs and more. Or set up an IRA for the long term. All in one platform platform get your financial portfolio game ready by downloading the Webull app today or visiting webull.com Webull Financial LLC member SIPC FINRA investing involves risk. For more information, visit webull.com disclosures struggling
- [02:07]
Colin Cowherd
to see up close? Make it visible with VIZ B I Z Z VIZ is a once daily prescription eye drop to treat blurry near vision for up to 10 hours. It works. The most common side effects that may be experienced while using VIZ include eye irritation, temporary dim or dark vision, headaches eye redness. Talk to an eye doctor to learn if Viz V I Z Z is right for you. Learn more@viz.com check it out. Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
- [02:53]
JJ Redick
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.
- [03:01]
Colin Cowherd
Oh, stories breaking. We are live in Chicago. It is the Herd. Wherever you may be and wherever you may be watching or listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright in an hour. Lakers on a heater I told you all summer in August, do you remember I said I have a source inside the building in Philadelphia that I trust implicitly. Someday if I write another book, I'll put in the source on this. It'll be a good laugh for all of us. And he said jalen hurts, tough to coach, not well liked, stubborn. And Howie Roseman is very aware of it. Well, what do you know? People are talking. Jeremy Fowler, ESPN it's finally coming out. The truth always does, I think, largely because there are butts on the line going into the season, including the head coach, Nick Ceriani. According to Fowler and multiple sources quote Jalen has pushed back on changes that would diversify the scheme, including when it comes to him coming under center more. He's shown a reluctance to let it rip, particularly against zone coverage. He diverts from the game plan. He changes play calls to what many feel is an excessive degree. This is exactly what I was told. And when does the truth come out? When people think their jobs are in trouble? When people get replaced, when people are somewhere get blamed for something and they're out of town, they move to another job. Then they'll talk. So, and this is a reporter that I trust, so this is what I was told is that it's starting to feel very Russell Wilson in Seattle, where the quarterback who has critics is getting all the credit and the roster's stacked and when they do infrequently lose, the roster gets to blame and the quarterback doesn't. If you go back two seasons, Saquon Barkley carried the team. The offensive line was stacked and the defensive line was setting records, but it was Jalen Hirsch getting the tush push super bowl mvp, even though we now know over the last two years off buys. The Eagles want to throw Less so. Barkley didn't get enough love to. The D line and O line were dominating. But who got 255 million? Who's getting the commercials? Who's getting the magazine covers? It feels very. Russell Wilson in Seattle and GM Howie Roseman. Very reluctant, if you notice, to trade A.J. brown. I've been saying this for two years. I don't get it. Now. I do. A.J. brown, the general manager's like, yeah, that's not the issue. So the truth comes out. We're going into a season where if Nick. I mean, last year he was coming off a Super bowl win. Nick Sariani's job was not in jeopardy. But in Philadelphia, they move off quarterbacks and they move off head coaches that win trophies, that get the Super Bowls. So this is really, really interesting. And the Eagles, despite a completely stacked offensive roster, were below the Saints last year offensively. Yards per game, 24th, three and outs. Next to last in the league. Punts, tied for 27. You can't do that with that old line. A.J. brown, Saquon Barkley, Devonte Smith. I mean, what is it about this thing about Jalen Hurts where he's always being protected? Look at those numbers. That's worse than the Saints, who are starting a rookie quarterback. And never forget. Remember Derek Gunn, the Eagle reporter in November went on Seth Joyner, the former Eagle show? He was way ahead of this. A month later, excuse me, several months later, I started hearing things. Then in August, I really heard stuff. But here was. Here was, you know, in August. I heard it in November, I'll get my month straight. Here is Derek Gunn, the Eagles reporter on Hertz.
- [07:26]
Derek Gunn
Those things are dissected on film during practice. Those things are talked about among the quarterback coach, the offensive coordinator, the head coach. It has been constantly discussed all season long. Yet when they transition to a field on a football game, he plays his game, not the game the coaches want him to play. When you look at a lot of quarterbacks, they're going to sling it. They're going to try to throw it through an eye of a needle. Sometimes you just have to take that chance. That's not his game. That's why he stands back there. A lot of time he's patting the ball, patting the ball, and it throws the timing of the offense off. The rhythm is thrown off. I don't think at this point, they can get. They can't get him out of.
- [08:00]
Colin Cowherd
There you go. That's Derek Gunn. That's the article. So it really does have a Russell Wilson, Seattle feel where you've got a very talented guy who probably a better runner than a sit in the pocket guy and getting a lot of credit, getting commercials, getting the big contract, getting the love. And when they lose H, it's not really his fault. Truth always comes out. And I think this year Philadelphia has always been hyper aggressive on moves with quarterbacks and coaches and I, I think enough guys have gotten fired, coordinators have gotten run out. They're talking now and never forget this, in pro sports there's so much money, people protect themselves and their reputations and when they get let go as a coordinator and they get all the blame, they start talking. That's the way the game works. Okay, so the Lakers won last night, clobber Cleveland 15 and two in March. And I know J. Mac and I talked about this. First of all, it does seem like the Lakers play almost all their games at home. But I don't want to get into that only NBA team that played, you know, like 74 games at home and six on the road. Whatever, I'm not going to get into that. But they won again. They're red hot in March. So let's look at the Western Conference standings before we look at the highlights. The Western Conference standings, okc, Spurs, Lakers, Denver, Minnesota, Houston, Suns, Clippers and you know, also Reds. Okay, here's, here's the key on this thing. Look at the T Wolves at 5 and the Rockets at 6, both 46 and 29. You do know who the Lakers want to play because the best matchup of any of these teams and you can go all the way down to the Warriors. Maybe the best matchup for the Lakers are the Rockets because the Rockets don't have a legitimate scoring threat at guard. Amen. Thompson's great, but he's not a refined offensive player. So that means Luca and Austin Reeves will not be attacked in the series. Which leaves Luca and Austin Reeves to spend their energy on the offensive end. You do not want to play Minnesota, who clobbered the Lakers last year. Now LA has played them better this year, but a couple of the wins are in October. So Houston is the perfect team for the Lakers to play. And you saw it, you know, last night. The Lakers do a remarkable job to get into their offense. Why? Because LeBron, Austin and Luca can all do it equally. Equally well, they're all great ball handlers, they're all play initiators, they're all good at creating foul shot opportunities. Lakers are half court offense as good as anybody in the league at getting into their offense and scoring clutch points. They've got like three point guards, all different dimensions. LeBron size, Austin Reeves grittiness and Lucas brilliance, especially in scoring. So the Lakers are a very unique offensive team. It's well documented their defensive issues. Houston has no true point guard. They're terrible in clutch situations. Third worst in the league. They're third worst in the league in one possession games. I think the Lakers may be the best team in the league in one possession games. Lakers are great in clutch scoring. Rockets are not good in clutch scoring. That's all about who's got the ball, who's your quarterback. The Lakers have three, the Rockets have none. So Houston's a perfect matchup for the Lakers because clutch scoring matters in the playoffs. Getting into your offense late in possessions is key to the offense. Lakers are masterful at it. Meanwhile, the T Wolves are not a good matchup despite the Lakers having won the season series this year because ant forces Luka and Austin Reaves to spend so much of their energy on the defensive end in that series. Plus I think they have the better head coach in Chris Finch. So. So last night's fine March is amazing. My take is this 15 and 2 in March. If they play the Rockets that 15 and 2 is going to feel pure and truthful. But if they play Minnesota, that 15 and 2 in March could feel like fool's go. Like well what did I watch? What you're watching is a Laker team that is lopsided. Brilliant in a half court offense, majestic and clutch shooting. Maybe the best team in the league. Three pronged at initiating foul opportunities, good looks, ball rotation. I mean they are just a lopsided team. Their strength is the Rockets weakness. The T Wolves strength goes right at the Lakers weakness. Stopping great guard scoring. Sga sga. Thank God the Lakers have Luca because if they had to guard him they'd be in big trouble. Here's JJ Redick on the win and March.
- [13:02]
JJ Redick
It was a confluence of things starting with health. I think it's much easier when you have a consistent stretch of health to sort of not. Not buy. Not even buy in but settle in to roles and minutes and rotations. We never found that throughout the season.
- [13:25]
Colin Cowherd
You know, we've. This happens all the time. Great styles make great fights is a term that's often used in boxing. But when you have a team that is gifted in one area and incredibly lacking in another. The Lakers who they plan that first round that this last 10 days of the NBA season are going to be fascinating. They are a perfect matchup to beat the Rockets. Yet the T. Wolves could give them huge, huge problems. All right, J. Mac, I know you have for years been a Jalen Hurts advocate, devoted Jalen Hurts fan. What do you make of the story that is coming out? I talked about it in August, November. Derek Gunn. Now here we are in March where again, when multiple coordinators take the hit for Jalen Hurts. And I'm not in any way saying they're a source, but you know how the game works. I remember years ago, I. I broke a story in Portland about Bob Whitsit being let go. The GM and the way I broke it was a former Blazer employee that Wits had fired.
- [14:42]
Nick Wright
Right.
- [14:42]
Colin Cowherd
Like, that's the way to break stories. So whenever you see a team making multiple changes in multiple years, if you want to. If you want to find a source, go talk to people who are going to protect their. I mean, these are great jobs. They're seven figure jobs. They're going to protect their reputation, they're going to protect their career. And there's been a lot of movement in Philadelphia and people are obviously talking to Jeremy Fowler.
- [15:04]
Undisclosed Sports Analyst
Yeah, clearly it's not a great story, Colin. Doesn't look amazing for Jalen Hurts. It is interesting. This is the second quarterback we've seen in the last four months who a lot of negative stuff has come out about. Remember the Lamar Jackson story in the Baltimore Sun?
- [15:18]
Colin Cowherd
Next thing you know, local reporters, local
- [15:21]
Undisclosed Sports Analyst
reporter, maybe it wasn't her son, but ended up Harbaugh gets fired. We'll see what happens. I. I'm a. I'm a Jalen Hurts truther.
- [15:28]
Nick Wright
And.
- [15:29]
Undisclosed Sports Analyst
And I got you all hot and bothered before the show when I said there would be a robust market for Jalen Hurts should the Eagles want to move off of him. I just jotted down 13 teams who could be interested at the end of this season.
- [15:43]
Colin Cowherd
But you can't. You can't count UFL teams. And I know you included seven teams in that league.
- [15:49]
Nick Wright
Wow.
- [15:50]
Colin Cowherd
Wow.
- [15:51]
Undisclosed Sports Analyst
You are anti herz, anti Purdy. Do like this little, little game we got going on. I like the underdog. You like the elites. You. You love the favorites. The big guys.
- [16:00]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. Okay. Okay. So new technology is cool and it can be scary. People are talking about job displacement with AI this ABS system in baseball on several fronts is utterly fascinating. And last night, another regrettable moment by a singular umpire. That is next in the Herd.
- [16:25]
JJ Redick
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.
- [16:34]
Rob Parker
Hey, it's me, Rob Parker Check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Support Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
- [17:04]
Colin Cowherd
Hey Heard. Listen up. Sports and steaks go hand in hand and True Nature Meats is delivering an incredible offer. They're pre cooked New York strip steaks are insanely tender, juicy and packed with rich beefy flavor that melts in every bite. Ready in just four minutes. In a warm skillet, buy 10 New York strip steaks and get 10 free sirloin steaks. 20 steaks total up to 80% less than what high end steakhouses charge for these same premium cuts. And here's the best part. It comes out to about $7.40 per steak. Incredible value. With over 30 years supplying top restaurants, True Nature Meats delivers restaurant quality flavor straight to your kitchen, fast and easy. Only 250 promo codes will work, so this is extremely limited. Head to TrueNatureMeats.com right now. Use the promo code Free Steak that's TrueNatureMeats.com Free Steak don't miss out. This is a real deal. Here's something that'll freak you out. Most people think their insurance will cover them if disaster strikes. But here's the truth. Many are wrong. You pay your premiums, you assume you're protected. Then the fine print hits. Exclusions, loopholes, limits. Suddenly that coverage you counted on isn't really coverage at all. It's not your agent's fault. Their job is to sell policies. You need somebody in your corner who protects you, not the insurance company. That's why I like my policy advocate. I like what they're doing. They take your actual policies home, life, auto, break them down in plain English. They show you what's really covered and what isn't. Here's the best part. Cost 27 cents a day. That's it. Less than a cup of coffee for peace of mind to make sure your family's protected when it matters most. When disaster hits, you don't want surprises. You want certainty. Before you assume you're covered, go to my policyadvocate.com let them review your policy. You might be shocked at what you'll find. My policyadvocate.com spring is starting at the
- [19:01]
Home Depot Announcer
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- [19:40]
Public Investing Announcer
Support for the show comes from Public. If you look at your investing app, what do you see? An Interface stuck in 1997 or something that looks modern but feels more like a casino than a place to build wealth. Public is different. It's the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build your portfolio for the long haul. Stocks, options, bonds, crypto. It's all there. But what really makes Public different is the technology behind it. Imagine starting your day with an AI summarized market briefing, getting clear summaries of earnings calls the moment they end, or turning any idea into an investable index just by typing a prompt. This is what investing looks like when the tools finally catch up. Go to public.com and earn a 1% uncapped match when you transfer your portfolio. Public Investing for those who take it soon seriously Ad paid for by Public
- [20:34]
Public Investing Disclosures Announcer
Holdings Brokerage Services by Public Investing member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services By Public Advisors SEC Registered Advisor Crypto Services By 0/ all investing involves risk of loss. See complete disclosures@public.com disclosures well, I almost
- [20:49]
Colin Cowherd
feel bad for our radio audience for the next couple of minutes because you almost have to see this to believe it. New technology is both cool and scary. It creates new efficiencies. It speeds up our life. And it's scary. There's job displacement, so baseball creates the ABS system. I think it's great. Most people do. One umpire in particular has been exposed. CB Buckner. He had a terrible weekend in the Reds Red Sox series multiple times. He got corrected. It's bad, and I don't mean to pick on him, but he butchered a call so badly last night in the brewers game, and you will see this that both managers started laughing. And you know managers don't laugh much, especially when their team gets screwed. Let's play what happened in Milwaukee last night. It is hard to unsee. Just watch Bowers.
- [21:54]
JJ Redick
Oh, in and out of the glove
- [21:55]
Colin Cowherd
of Williamson throws the first. It's wide it's backed up by Fortes.
- [22:01]
JJ Redick
That should be a base hit for Bowers. Runner did not touch first base and
- [22:06]
Colin Cowherd
then was put out.
- [22:07]
Nick Wright
So the call from CB Buckner is that Jake Bowers missed first base and then was tagged out.
- [22:13]
JJ Redick
Not that he made a move to second base.
- [22:16]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [22:16]
JJ Redick
And was tagged out.
- [22:17]
Nick Wright
That he flat out missed.
- [22:18]
Colin Cowherd
Missed the bag.
- [22:19]
JJ Redick
And I think that is the.
- [22:21]
Nick Wright
A horrendous call. Where is CB Buckner looking?
- [22:24]
JJ Redick
He's not even looking at it. Why would he even say that?
- [22:26]
Nick Wright
CB Buckner was not even looking at the play.
- [22:29]
JJ Redick
I'm not sure what CB Buckner is looking at there. That. That's ridiculous.
- [22:32]
Nick Wright
Well, I'm really excited for him to have the play tomorrow.
- [22:35]
JJ Redick
Everybody laughing at that call.
- [22:39]
Colin Cowherd
I've never seen anything like that in my life. Here is. Here is Jake Bowers should be furious. Here he is after the game.
- [22:52]
JJ Redick
You guys are trying to get me in trouble, man. I. I don't know. I don't know what happens. Just thankful. Thankful to get on base.
- [23:07]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, that I'm not trying to pick on him, but that professional sports is the best of the best. If players can be demoted and managers fired, CB Buckner cannot be a major league umpire. By the way, there's an online database that every day in the baseball season grades umpires. In the last five years, CB Buckner has been the worst in the sport. It's not fair to the players, it's not fair to the managers. It's not fair to the fans. And by the way, that database no longer just lives on the World Wide Web. Some obscure domain. It's. All of us, every night are seeing it. National television, regional television. It's not personal. But listen, people age quickly. People get out of step. People are inefficient. But this weekend, CB Buckner had 26 missed calls. Six because of the ABS system. Thank God we're overturned. That's still 20 missed calls in Saturday's game, not the weekend series. In Saturday's game. You know what? There's got to be. I mean, listen, some jobs go away. I mean, AI Reportedly, the Houston Astros are thinking of replacing the guy who bangs the garbage cans. AI is going to eliminate that job. So, I mean, some jobs just go away, but this is just. This is when the managers and the players are laughing like, that's. That's sad. Let's make a move. Baseball.
- [24:53]
JJ Redick
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
- [24:58]
Colin Cowherd
Hey, herd, listen up. Sports and steaks go hand in hand. And true nature meats is delivering an incredible offer. They're precooked. New York strip steaks are insanely tender, juicy and packed with rich, beefy flavor that melts in every bite. Ready in just four minutes in a warm skillet, buy 10 New York strip steaks and get 10 free sirloin steaks. 20 steaks total up to 80% less than what high end steakhouses charge for these same premium cuts. And here's the best part. It comes out to about $7.40 per steak. Incredible value. With over 30 years supplying top restaurants, True Nature Meats delivers restaurant quality flavor straight to your kitchen, fast and easy. Only 250 promo codes will work, so this is extremely limited. Head to True Nature meats.com right now. Use the promo code. Free steak that's TrueNatureMeats.com free steak don't miss out. This is a real deal. Here's something that'll freak you out. Most people think their insurance will cover them if disaster strikes. But here's the truth. Many are wrong. You pay your premiums. You assume you're protected. Then the fine print hits. Exclusions, loopholes, limits. Suddenly that coverage you counted on isn't really coverage at all. It's not your agent's fault. Their job is to sell policies. You need somebody in your corner who protects you, not the insurance company. That's why I like my policy advocate. I like what they're doing. They take your actual policies. Home, life, auto, break them down in plain English. They show you what's really covered and what isn't. Here's the best part. Cost 27 cents a day. That's it. Less than a cup of coffee for peace of mind to make sure your family's protected when it matters most. When disaster hits, you don't want surprises. You want certainty. Before you assume you're covered, go to mypolicyadvocate.com let them review your policy. You might be shocked at what you'll find. MyPolicyAdvocate.com Spring is starting at the Home
- [26:55]
Home Depot Announcer
Depot and bringing you everyday low prices so you can wake up your yard this season. Shape up your lawn with top brand outdoor power tools like Ryobi 40 volt mowers that have up to 50 minutes of runtime. Bring in a splash of color with spring blooms and fresh plants from the Home Depot Garden Center. Then refresh your garden beds and keep them clear of weeds with Earth. Grow mulch five bags for $10 to make your yard feel like new. Start your spring with low Prices now through April 2, only at the Home Depot exclusions apply. See homedepot.com Pricematch for details. Shop now.
- [27:34]
Public Investing Announcer
Support for the show comes from public.
- [27:37]
Colin Cowherd
Huh.
- [27:37]
Public Investing User
I wonder if this can beat the market. Everyone's talking about the NASDAQ 100, but let's get more specific. Software. Actually, too broad. How about software that's already profitable? Companies that beat the last five quarters. Oh, and I want founders who are marathon runners. That's discipline. Yeah, let's see what that looks like.
- [28:02]
Public Investing Announcer
With generated assets on public, you can turn any idea into an investable index. Just enter a prompt and watch the AI scramble screen thousands of stocks in seconds. You can then back test your index against the S&P 500. Make adjustments, refine your criteria, and when you're ready, invest in what you've built. Go to public.com and build your own index with generated assets. Plus earn a 1% uncapped match when
- [28:25]
Public Investing Disclosures Announcer
you transfer your portfolio.
- [28:26]
Public Investing Announcer
Public Investing for those who take it seriously AD paid for by Public Holdings
- [28:31]
Public Investing Disclosures Announcer
Brokerage Services by Public Investing member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors SEC Registered Advisor Sample prompts are for illustrative purposes only, not investment advice. All investing involves risk of loss. Complete disclosures@public.com disclosures here we go.
- [28:44]
Colin Cowherd
Lively first hour. I told you things are breaking today. That Jaylen Hurt story is crazy. Lakers 15 and 2 in March, a major League baseball umpire who's had a rough week. Otani is unbelievable. I, I, I'm telling you, I, I'll have Nick Wright on in a couple minutes. The media maybe hyperbolic, but Tiger woods ended up being When Tiger woods there was all this discussion about he's going to be unbelievable. I remember being a local sportscaster and people coming up to me when I would go out and, you know, shank drives. Why do you guys talk about Tiger Woods? The dude won a U.S. open at Pebble beach by 15 strokes and he was like 21. I mean, come on. When Ohtani is better than I was told he was going to be, Tiger woods in his prime was better than the media guaranteed he would be. Wemby is 22 years old. He's better than I thought he would be. So when anybody says, oh, you guys are hyping stuff up, Tiger better than you would have guessed. In his early 20s he would go to pebble beach and win a major over the world's best golfers by 15 strokes. Tiger for 10 years. There was a 10 year period where between the Sopranos and Tiger woods and majors, Sunday night was better during that season than the NFL Season. I mean it was you. You just could. You had to be around a TV on Sundays, Tiger to major in the Sopranos. Okay, I just saw this. Record setting NCAA tournament viewership continues. Apparently Duke and Yukon. CBS sports is saying this and TNT most watched tournament game duke Yukon since 1993. Yukon Duke Peak with 19 million viewers. Oh, interesting. Despite no Cinderella team. Yeah. David versus Goliath is a fun story. Goliath versus Goliath in the good old days. Sold more tickets. I don't want glass slippers in March. I want Jordan brand sneakers. I want big brands. I want Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs. My first day 20 years ago. It was almost 20 years ago today. I think it was April. I went on syndicated radio, from local radio to syndicated radio. And I remember my first show. I said, I said, you don't like underdogs. You say you do, but you like favorites. You go to watch Tom Cruise in the movie theater, not film noir. Right now people go to Vegas to watch U2 at the sphere, not the indie band. And this ratings indicates once again, for
- [31:48]
JJ Redick
the first time ever on this show was extraordinarily right.
- [31:51]
Colin Cowherd
Yep. On Wednesday I usually do that. Monday. Let's do it on a Wednesday. Give me one more where Colin was
- [31:57]
JJ Redick
right from day one.
- [31:59]
Colin Cowherd
Thank you. Stop telling me you love Cinderella. You don't. It's cute. Hopefully you guys are coming around to my side because when James Madison made the college football playoffs finally everybody was like, the hell are we doing with this? Give me a break. I mean, you got SEC teams and Big ten teams and you got big brands. The Avengers, Tom Cruise, Ohtani and the Dodgers, Michigan, the fighting Illini, UConn, Arizona. It's going to be, I think it'll be the highest rated final four, I mean in a decade and a lot of it's nil. With that, let's bring out first things first. Nick Wright, the Knickster Boy, has he exploded in pot. He is so popular now.
- [32:54]
Nick Wright
Where did that come from?
- [32:55]
Colin Cowherd
Well, you just. I see everywhere it's poker. Oh yeah, it's your podcast.
- [32:58]
Nick Wright
A lot of poker.
- [32:59]
Public Investing Announcer
Yeah.
- [33:00]
Nick Wright
Oh, the podcast got great bosses there, you know, it's a collective effort. Good to see you, my friend.
- [33:07]
Colin Cowherd
Great to see you. Okay. I threw this by the show this morning, by the staff.
- [33:11]
Nick Wright
Yeah, we know.
- [33:12]
Colin Cowherd
Andy Reid is part of Mahomes success. Probably the best coach, I would argue once the rules change the offense Belichick dropped, Reed flourished and he's arguably the second best coach I've ever seen to Bill Walsh. I mean, honestly. So. And we know Coaching matters in football. You can see a guy go to a college program. Mike Vrabel goes to the Patriots super bowl like right? Yeah. I watched J.J. redick. He was a podcast host a year and a half ago. He walks into the Lakers same roster. You know he gets gets JJ right first year, little bumpy. This year they're setting records. Their efficiency's through the roof. They're the best clutch team in the league. LeBron's getting older. Austin Reeves suddenly didn't become Aunt Edwards. Luke is good. He's always been good. Is basketball coaching at the pro level? There's no recruiting here. It's not college. And I'm saying this as a compliment to how darn good he is. But do we over how come Steve Kerr isn't winning anymore? How come Spoelstra is not winning titles? They don't have the guys that Reddick's proving that it's a players league. It always has been in coaching's overrated in the NBA.
- [34:20]
Nick Wright
Well listen, I think that it is certainly not what coaching is in the NFL. That is obviously true. I do think it's more meaningful though than coaching or managing in Major League Baseball. And I do think that there are certain coaches can there. It's more often that a coach is weaknesses kneecap a team than his strengths elevated team in the NBA in my opinion.
- [34:46]
Colin Cowherd
Good point.
- [34:47]
Nick Wright
With the rare exception of like the all time great coaches is going to sound ridiculous but are all time great for a reason. They are. They are uniquely gifted at certain things. Phil Jackson was just a great connector of people and dealing with these giant personalities and finding a way to meet people on their level. I think Pat Riley as a coach and then as a front office guy always kind of had a tactical vision and an understanding of the sport that separated him from others. Popovich was good seemingly at everything. I think JJ is. I think he is very very sharp. As for on the little stuff, the out of timeout plays, I think he took his medicine on the mistake he made in the playoffs on not subbing for a whole half and has tried to be a little less rigid. So I don't know that JJ is yet a great coach, but I do think he has the kind of the bones of a potentially good coach as long as his own personality foibles that we've known about since he was at Duke don't get in his own way. But the biggest reason I'm glad we're starting here that the Lakers look awesome is that old number 77 that when he comes up on this show, he's either, you know, a poor man's Carmelo Anthony or just the modern James Harden, or I'm sure there's some, you know, I, I don't know if you've broken out even, you know, the Alex English comp. That guy scored a bunch, didn't play a lot of defense, and you loved him as a kid. I know he was your favorite player. And all Luke has done is win player of the month in January. And now folks are like, oh, he just started playing good. No, he didn't. He was 45 a game, though, in October. Granted, just three games the first month of the season. Player of the month in January had a rough February. And in March, he has lit the league ablaze every single night. And what I my frustration with some of the Luca commentary and then some of the MVP talk, which I know we'll get into, is folks are, I think, pretending like, oh yeah, we thought the lakers would win 54 games and be the 3 seed. Nobody did. They've smashed their over already. They have the same number of wins as Boston. They might finish with the third best record in the entire NBA. Austin and Bron have missed 47 games this year. It's because of Luca. He is that transcendently great of an offensive player. And I know it can irk some folks because he does yell at the officials a lot, but he is a once in a lifetime offensive force of nature. Colin.
- [37:37]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I wouldn't deny that. So I said before, or maybe the top of the hour, I said, everybody talked about Tiger woods. And then in his prime, he was better. He was literally better. He was winning US Open by 15 strokes. It's insane. And I think LeBron, frankly is better than people said. I mean, nobody thought. I mean, give me a break. If I just said all time leading scorer, you'd be like, well, he's better passer. I mean, he can score him in High School, 28 a game. I'm watching Wemby. Okay? Forget the defense where he literally has like 45 more blocks than anybody and alters every possession when he is hitting his three and it's inconsistent. Nick, I, I said this yesterday. When LeBron came into the league, LeBron did things that even Michael couldn't because of his physical stature.
- [38:29]
Nick Wright
Sure.
- [38:30]
Colin Cowherd
But there are some things Michaels does better than LeBron. There are multiple things that Wemby does. LeBron couldn't do, and I never thought I would. Defensively, LeBron can't physically, genetically, he can't do it. And offensively if Wemby is cutting to the basket, if you don't throw bodies at that, well, it's over. The possession is over. I don't know how you don't.
- [38:54]
Nick Wright
Now we've gone too. Now we've gone too far again. Now we've. Now, listen, certainly defensively, Wimby is en route to being the greatest defensive player, if not ever, certainly since Bill Russell, like that would be. And he already. The best defensive player I have ever seen in my lifetime is Akeem Olajuwon. The second best is Tim Duncan. And you could argue that Wimby right now is already better than both of them. Okay, so like that part, that. That part is undeniable. But Wimby's. Here is my. And again, I think Wimby right now is third in the MVP race. I think the spurs might be able to win the title. I think he is a great player. And they have. They also have overachieved in an insane way. Nobody thought they would flirt with 60 wins that they'd be the 2 seed. But you are. Now, what you just told me is when he already can do things offensively that peak LeBron James couldn't do, I don't know what a single one of those things is. This year, Wimby is averaging a whole three more points. Three than LeBron in year 23, LeBron in third. You know, the Swiss army knife, third option. LeBron's 21A game. Wimby, who I think you're already comparing to Tiger at Pebble, is at 24 a game. And like Wimby, is not yet a better offensive player, just offensive player than Devin Booker, much less a better offensive player than prime LeBron James.
- [40:32]
Colin Cowherd
Let's be fair. LeBron was playing 46 minutes. Wemby's minutes are minuscule. So per minute his numbers are insane. But they are smartly protecting him because 74 is a body type that's hard to keep healthy.
- [40:47]
Nick Wright
So I'm so glad you brought up the minutes because Wimby this year is 100th in the NBA in minutes. Yes, he has played 500 fewer minutes than the guy I was talking about earlier, Luca, which is the equivalent of at 30 minutes a game, 16 games fewer than Luka. So that, that. That gap in Wimby's defensive impact versus Luka compared to Luka's offensive impact versus Wimby, when you add Lucas played the equivalent of 16 additional games, that gap must be just the size of the Rock of Gibraltar. But set that aside. I am totally fine with the minute's conversation being a part of why someone says the spurs are going to win the title. If they're this good with him playing 29 a game in the playoffs, when he plays 36, then how they're going to be dominant. I think the minutes conversation belongs there. If people want to say, this is why I think Wimby is going to be the greatest player of all time, because think about when he plays 34, 35 minutes a game. I think that's fair. If people want to say, I believe Wemby could average 30 a night if he played heavier minutes, I think that's fair. I do not think it is fair or with any Preston at all to use his lack of minutes as an argument for him to be mvp. MVP is not a hypothetical award. It is not a projection award. And I think when you have the season Shay is having and the season Luke is having to say, yeah, but what if Wemby was playing as much as them? He's not. And one of the taxes of not playing as much typically is you don't get all of the awards now, maybe they'll win the title because of it. But I don't love the extra credit for not playing, which some people want to give to Wimby because everybody loves him. I mean, the pr, this French kid who's never won anything and comes here and says, we play ethical basketball. And they, I mean, it's unbelievable. Everybody's like, you know why the All Star game was fixed because of Wimby? Well, I don't know. I know the Americans beat him twice. I, I, I don't know. I, I just know that we, this guy Colin, can you imagine? Just, just thought exercise, if next year, in year three, having won nothing, but he had won a playoff game, if Caleb Williams is asked around week 13, hey, what do you think about you in the MVP race? And he goes right at Matt Stafford's throat and he's like, well, we dominated him when we played him. I think actually completion percentage is an overrated stat. And here's where escapability really matters. That's why I'm the mvp. You think the media would be like, man, love the gumption on that kid. And did you see the nail polish he had on when he said it? No. Wimby comes here and is like, here's why I'm the mvp. The Thunder, the defending champs, we dominated them. It's my award. And everyone's like, wow, refreshing. This is an odd media double Standard with the 7 foot 6 French kid, that's all I'm saying. Go ahead.
- [43:55]
Colin Cowherd
That's funny. So it's. I got a couple of things let's do. Let's, let's, let's do this one. Let's do this one. So we all know that Cam Newton's career because he took so many shots. Big Ben, similarly, they age very quickly. A Brady who avoided sacks practice how to get sacked lasts forever, right? McVeigh and Stafford, Stafford, McVeigh, McVeigh. You know, he finds fifth rounders that help Stafford. He's elevated his career. He's a better Ram than he was a Lion. He was good with both, but he's great now. And I look at the Knicks and it's a really J. Mac brought this up. I love Jalen Brunson. He's my favorite Nick ever. Ewing, second. Carmelo, well, Bernard King. Ewing, yeah. But he's small. He gets attacked on the defensive end. He is completely high ball centric. He's aging fast. He doesn't feel this year as good as last year. And my take is this is why the Knicks have to go after Giannis. They'll both be on the same timeline for different reasons. Giannis, injuries is aging Brunson. Stylistically. We know this usage rate. You have to go back to Jordan, number one usage rate, won a title. It wears guys down. And Brunson doesn't quite feel quite, quite as good as last year. He's not going to age, I don't think terribly well based on stylistically being attacked and having the ball. The Knicks have lost three straight. You can blame what you want. Let's talk. We'll do it. We got a couple minutes here. Why are they suddenly not good? And the Brunson idea that go get Giannis and the primary reason is your best current player's career is going in about three years to not look the same.
- [45:41]
Nick Wright
So I think that I don't want to be too harsh on the Knicks because I do think that they are. They have a puncher's chance to come out of the Eastern Conference. But the fact that I have relegated them to punchers chance makes this season already close to a catastrophe. They were with obviously with Indiana punting on the season. Boston was, we thought going to be in, you know, in flux for a year. They beat Detroit in the playoffs last year. We thought that this was the Knicks moment to at least make a finals, the first finals this century. And instead they feel to me like a third tier contender like that you would you have o the top tier for me I know some would argue, but is OKC kind of by itself, but then also San Antonio, Boston, and I have the Lakers and people. Some would have the Lakers in the next one. That's fine. And then the next group to me is Denver, Minnesota, Detroit, and then you get to. Yeah, Cleveland, the Knicks. And that's really, really disappointing for the Knicks. And not where Houston would be in that group. Not where they're supposed to be. And listen, maybe Brunson's been an excellent playoff player. Maybe they can, you know, have a upset in round two and then upset Boston in round two and change the narrative entirely. Obviously, I agree with you. If they could get Giannis, I think Giannis, at least in the short term, makes every team, basically every team better. But they traded so many of their assets for Bridges that I think that's going to be a hard trade to execute. Can I throw a different. Yeah, can I throw a different option at you? Okay, what if you could just, you know, add a guy who's proven he can immediately become the best Swiss army knife in the league for very little money for a final year in the league? And LeBron James.
- [47:53]
Colin Cowherd
Oh, I think. And be like, I think on this
- [47:55]
Nick Wright
team, you don't have to. And you don't it. Right. Brunson is playing the Luca role. LeBron can like. LeBron probably is better served with a slightly higher usage than he has now in L. A because he's deferring not just to Luca, but to Austin. But he's proving I can fit anywhere. And if I am asked to do less on offense, I can help you more on defense. Be pretty good.
- [48:20]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. Lakers could say, hey, can we have Bridges in that deal? We could use. We could use a wing to.
- [48:25]
Nick Wright
Well, I don't know if they'd have to trade it. The thing is this. LeBron's a free agent. LeBron can just leave. And we. I know that it's all happy go lucky right now in L. A, and I think that they have I stat. I think the Celtics are my pick to win the title. I would go Celtics my first pick, Thunder my second pick. And then I think the Lakers are right there with San Antonio as far as chances with Denver lurking. But we are not far removed from Jeanie Buss telling anyone that will listen, you know how annoying it's been having to deal with this part of LeBron's career. So I don't know that he'll be back with the Lakers next year. And I think the Knicks are a pretty good fit.
- [49:05]
Colin Cowherd
All right, first Things first after our show, I got to, I got to touch on this. So I said in August I had somebody who I trust that had a very good relationship with Howie Roseman. And the Eagles tell me Jalen Hurts is not well liked. He's hard to coach, can be stubborn. And then in November, Derek Gunn, a reporter in Philadelphia, respected reporter, came out and said, yeah, he's patting the ball, he won't run the plays. Then today, Jeremy Fowler, respected journalist, comes out and says, yeah, it's a problem and everybody in the building knows it. And Nick, because the Eagles go through so many different coordinators, you know how people protect their careers. If you want to find information, go find somebody that got fired, replaced. They talk. And the Eagles just run through coordinators and they're very aggressive with players and front office people. You and I have always been, I think, like Brock Purdy kind of doubters on this. I said earlier it feels very Russell Wilson hurts, gets the credit when they win, none of the blame when they lose. You know, Pete Carroll preferred the run game. Nick series, Nick Sirianni is like, let's throw less. That's not. Nobody's doing that with Mahomes. Your take on the story, the way today that was unveiled about problems in Philly with Hertz.
- [50:26]
Nick Wright
So I think the Russell, the Russell Wilson comp is the one I've leaned on for quite some time where the neither was a first round pick. Both, you know, went to multiple colleges. Both. Nobody questioned their leadership or unique talents as a scrambler or as a rusher at the quarterback position. But there were questions about being able to pass every quadrant of the field. Also, the odd part of both of their best pass was the deep ball. There's a lot of similarities between the players. Yes, but including one a ton everywhere they went, one a ton. And they did have that it factor which I think matters played a lot of their best games in their biggest moments. That's particularly true obviously historically with Jalen. But I also think that one of the reasons A.J. brown in consecutive seasons could light that locker room on fire and remain popular amongst his teammates is because I think guys are like, well, somebody's gotta say it. I'm glad AJ Will take the hit for us. I'm not saying AJ handled it the right way, but if everyone thought AJ Brown was as out of pocket as the media thought, he would not have had the support within the locker room that he did seem to have. And I think that the Eagles listen. Jalen Hurts played Patrick Mahomes in back to back Super Bowls. And the first one played excellent, came up short and the second one played the great and they trounced my Chiefs. He will always have that. You can never ask question can you win with Jalen Hurts. They did win and they at one point won like 21 out of his 22 starts. That's all true. It's also true that you need a, in my opinion, you need a specific type of team to have peak success with Jalen. He had that. I don't know that they have it anymore. And if he doesn't evolve as a more mature, pure passer, I think that they could have similar struggles. And the Eagles move off coaches and quarterbacks and coordinators like you say Howie Roseman. It's also Jeffrey Laurie. So I do think this is a critically important moment in Jalen's career. And whenever you read an article where it says we talked with 12 team sources right after the owners meetings and then the coaches meetings with the coach team photo, it's like, man, it's a lot of noise in that building about Jalen having some culpability for what went wrong last year.
- [53:10]
Colin Cowherd
Nick Wright, long segment. We just, you made a couple good points, so I kept you.
- [53:16]
Nick Wright
You know, that's, you know what, that's why I strive just 1% better every day. Colin, great to see you, my friend.
- [53:22]
Colin Cowherd
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- [54:39]
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- [54:41]
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- [55:41]
Colin Cowherd
I need a job with a steady paycheck. I need a job that offers health
- [55:45]
Nick Wright
care on day one for me and my kids.
- [55:50]
Colin Cowherd
I want a job where I can get certified in technical roles like software
- [55:53]
Undisclosed Sports Analyst
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- [56:11]
Colin Cowherd
this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.