Best of The Herd

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — "Best of The Herd" (May 6, 2026)

Host: Colin Cowherd
Network: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Theme: Dissecting NBA playoff performances, salary cap dilemmas, the flopping issue, and athlete legacy, especially through the lens of the Lakers, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and rising stars.

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the key NBA playoff storylines, heavily focusing on the Los Angeles Lakers’ situation—with a spotlight on Austin Reaves’ current struggles, long-term value, and salary cap implications. Cowherd also addresses league-wide issues such as the flopping epidemic, how playoff pressure exposes players’ true value, and the public’s complex relationship with superstars like LeBron James. Later, NBA insider Rachel Nichols joins for insider commentary on officiating, player value, and narratives around league stars.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Austin Reaves: Injury, Playoff Performance, and Salary Dilemma

• Reaves' Poor Game & Injuries
  • Cowherd details Austin Reaves' notably bad playoff game, arguing that injuries in the playoffs aren’t excuses—media and fans simply don’t care ([00:34]).
  • “Nobody cares in the NBA if you injured your oblique over a month ago. ... Ant was great coming off an extended knee. Embiid. His appendix burst. He's been great. Cade Cunningham had a collapsed lung... Nobody cares. He's great. Austin Reaves last night was dreadful.” – Colin Cowherd ([00:34])
• Being 'Hunted' by Opponents
  • Playoff-caliber teams attack Reaves’ weaknesses on film. Cowherd likens his defensive vulnerability to what Derrick White experienced as his role grew in Boston ([01:30]).
  • “When a team picks on you, they're not doing it in the abstract. ... OKC watched film on Austin Reeves, saw him as a weakness and attacked him. ... And that's my take on Austin Reaves in his playoff career.” – Colin Cowherd ([00:34])
• Value & Cap Hit
  • With Reaves eligible for a 5-year $241m deal, Cowherd questions whether he fits that cost, especially as his stats and impact are that of a #3 or #4, not a $40m+ player ([06:00], [07:42]).
  • “Are you a championship team if he is a three? And I don't think you are. ... Austin Reaves is eligible to sign a five-year, $241 million deal. Cap hit would go from 14 million to 48 million. You think he's a $48 million player?” – Colin Cowherd ([06:00])

Notable Exchange

• Debate With J. Mac
  • J. Mac (Jason McIntyre) defends Reaves, citing his consistent production and toughing out injury ([14:25]):
    • “Bashing Austin Reeves off one game when he's barely removed from an oblique injury... We got three years of data... that he's a really good player.” — J. Mac ([14:25])
    • Cowherd remains skeptical: “I don't believe historically we're going to view Austin Reeves as 85% of Kyrie Irving.” ([14:56])

2. LeBron James' Endurance and Public Perception

• LeBron’s Longevity & Value
  • Cowherd points out LeBron, approaching 41, still outperforms MVPs, all while the Lakers ask him to take a pay cut ([07:42]).
  • “LeBron James is 41 years old. He outscored SGA, the reigning MVP... better shooting percentage. LeBron James than the reigning MVP.” ([07:42])
• Why LeBron Is 'Villainized'
  • Rich Paul (LeBron’s agent) claims people actively root for LeBron's failure, unlike with Nikola Jokic ([20:21]).
    • “The reason why you don't hear a lot of conversation about Jokic is I don't believe people are happy to see Jokic lose. But when LeBron loses, people are happy to see him lose.” — Rich Paul ([20:21], [27:26])
  • Rachel Nichols expands: LeBron “bullied the league" for two decades, ending rivals’ dreams and thus earning resentment, similar to Jordan in his era ([27:57]).

3. The NBA’s Flopping Crisis

• SGA and Flopping as Central Issue

  • Cowherd and guests lament how flopping has become too influential, especially in stars' games like SGA’s—citing his +425 FT disparity over two seasons ([09:30]).
    • “Watching him flop during an NBA game is like inserting one of those life alert commercials ... into Cirque du Soleil.” — Colin Cowherd ([09:30])
  • NBA has implemented rules and in-game penalties, but Rachel Nichols notes enforcement is lackluster; expects a new “point of emphasis” directive next season ([23:13]).
    • “They're not going to put in a new rule. ... But what I do think might happen... you might see them talk to the refs about making it a quote, point of emphasis.” — Rachel Nichols ([23:13])

• Donovan Mitchell Comments

  • “I'm just not getting the calls. I don't know why I don't flop. Maybe that's why...” — Donovan Mitchell, via JJ Redick ([11:37])

4. Regular Season vs. Playoffs: True Value Exposed

• Role Players Under Pressure
  • Cowherd reiterates many “regular season” guys—like Reaves or Derrick White—get exposed in playoffs if forced into bigger roles. Cap hit and expectations must adjust accordingly ([12:03], [24:47]).
• Boston Celtics & Derrick White Example
  • “Boston felt this with Derrick White this year because the Tatum injury, there were nights he had to be a two. ... You elevate him... and you're like, well, Derrick White wasn't as good this year.” — Colin Cowherd ([13:30])

5. Perspectives from Rachel Nichols

• On Reaves’ Value: Lakers Not Panicking
  • Despite recent poor play, Nichols doesn't foresee the Lakers souring on Reaves due to one series, especially given his injury and value to team dynamics ([25:49]).
    • “If anything, he's going to get credit from the organization for trying to play through it... I don't think it's going to count against him in contract negotiations this summer.” — Rachel Nichols ([25:49])
• NBA Player Sentiment
  • Explains why players respect both Ant (Anthony Edwards) and Wemby (Victor Wembanyama), but think Wemby has yet to refine his offensive game and will improve quickly in adjusting to playoff defense ([29:56]-[33:37]).
    • “The book on him all season… is that the only way to stop him offensively is to really get up under him. ... I expect him to come back in the next game knowing better how to deal with it.” — Rachel Nichols ([29:56])

6. Other Playoff Stories & Player Perceptions

• Philly and Embiid
  • Discussion on Embiid’s injury: numbers move in betting lines, but dominant stars’ absence is felt more over a series than in one game ([34:04]).
• Wemby's Playoff Education
  • Both host and guest predict Wemby will adapt, but see Minnesota’s physicality as a uniquely tough matchup ([31:46], [33:32]).

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Playoff Injuries and Excuses:
  “Nobody cares in the NBA if you injured your oblique over a month ago. ... Ant was great coming off an extended knee... Embiid. His appendix burst. He's been great.” – Colin Cowherd ([00:34])
• On Salary Cap Realities:
  “Austin Reaves is eligible to sign a five-year, $241 million deal. Cap hit would go from 14 million to 48 million. You think he's a $48 million player?” – Colin Cowherd ([06:00])
• On Flopping Epidemic:
  “Watching him flop during an NBA game is like inserting one of those life alert commercials... into Cirque du Soleil.” – Colin Cowherd ([09:30])
• On LeBron’s ‘Villain’ Status:
  “When LeBron loses, people are happy to see him lose. There’s something about that, especially his peers, guys that played in the league...” – Rich Paul ([20:21]) “Damn straight they are. You know why? Because LeBron bullied the entire league for about two decades…” – Rachel Nichols ([27:57])
• On Wembanaya’s Potential:
  “Wemby is such a student of the game. I expect him to come back in the next game knowing better how to deal with it.” – Rachel Nichols ([31:46])

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• Austin Reaves: Playoff Failure, Injury, and Value Debate — [00:34]-[07:42], [14:25]-[16:57], [24:47]-[26:53]
• NBA Flopping & Rule Discussion — [09:30]-[13:30], [23:13]-[24:30]
• Public/Player Perceptions of LeBron — [20:21]-[22:00], [27:26]-[29:05]
• In-Depth with Rachel Nichols — [22:40]-[34:05]
• Discussion on Wembanyama, Minnesota Matchup — [29:56]-[33:37]
• Embiid/Philly and the Regular/Postseason Divide — [34:04]-[36:13]

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Tone & Language

Colin Cowherd’s tone was critical yet analytical, peppered with characteristic analogies and a focus on team-building realities over sentimental narratives. J. Mac played the role of a contrarian optimist for underappreciated players. Rachel Nichols provided grounded, player-focused insight, balancing the show’s critical energy with industry perspective.

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Summary Bottom-Line

• Austin Reaves’ future as a Laker is now tied to tough cap realities and harsh playoff truths, not sentiment or regular season stats.
• Flopping has become a major issue, likely to attract new league enforcement, particularly as stars exploit it to a record degree.
• LeBron James’ legacy continues to be a study in greatness versus public resentment, driven in part by a career of dominating others’ dreams.
• Young stars like Wemby are being tested by tougher, older playoff competition—but peers see the greatness emerging, just as viewers do.
• The episode overall is a study in how the NBA’s postseason ruthlessly reveals which players, contracts, and coaching strategies truly belong on a contender.

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Transcript

[Doug]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And, Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Doug]

Hey, everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[J. Mac]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Doug]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[J. Mac]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Doug]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Colin Cowherd]

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 [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Wednesday. We are live. It is the Herd. NBA playoff week. Good games, wherever you may be, however you may be listening or watching, thanks for making us part of your day. You know how sometimes people will come up to you and they'll ask, hey, how you doing? How are things? They're hoping you say good. They don't want to hear about your problems. And nobody cares in the NBA if you injured your oblique over a month ago. Austin Reaves was 3 for 16 and awful last night. Nobody cares about the injury. Ant was great coming off an extended knee. Hyperextended knee, Game one embiid. His appendix burst. He's been great. Cade Cunningham had a collapse lung, missed 11 games. Kate Cunningham. Nobody cares. He's great. Austin Reeves last night was dreadful. Over 10 on uncontested shots. Nobody's done that in this league since Draymond Green three years ago. I understand his popularity. He's undrafted. The headband, he's scrappy. He gets a little bit better every year. Seems like a great kid. He. He was awful. And here's what happens. You see his limitations. So when a team picks on you, they're not doing it in the abstract. They have watched film on you. Last year, the T Wolves, Chris Finch and a great staff watched film on Austin Reeves and attacked him. He was bad. OKC Watched film on Austin Reeves, saw him as a weakness and attacked him. Put ball pressure. Multiple. Multiple turnovers. And you saw this with Derrick White of the Celtics. Everybody's like, derrick White had a down year. No. When Derrick white was a 5 or a 4. The Celtics were a championship team this year because the Tatum injury and they moved off Porzingis and other players. There were nights he was a two, he was often the third. And then you see the ceiling with Derrick White, who's a good player. Austin Reeves, a good player. But when you ask the number three starter in baseball to be your ace and go toe to toe with, you know, Garrett Cole, he's not. And that's, and that's my take on Austin Reaves in his playoff career. That's the best coaches, best teams. He gives you 16, 4 and 4, shoots about 42, 43%, that's fine, but it's not special. He is a number four on a championship team, a number three on a decent playoff team. But he gets hunted defensively. And both Minnesota last year and Oklahoma City last night, they look at film, they scout and they attack him and they put ball pressure on him and they're making sure switches. They want Austin Reeves guarding one of their guys. And that's the reality of it. Ant embiid Cade Cunningham, Austin's oblique injury, nobody cares. So far in the playoffs, the Lakers are better with Austin Reeves not on the floor. I know the oblique injury. And also here's something else to think about. In back to back seasons he's been injured, right? In the playoffs, he, he's in the playoffs. He's not 100%.

[Rich Paul]

Why?

[Colin Cowherd]

Because he has an undrafted athlete's body. He doesn't have big dominant physical traits. Caleb Williams goes number one to the Bears. He's never hurt. LeBron's a number one pick. He's never hurt. Part of being a first round picker, a number one pick is the body, the traits, the size, the durability. I mean, Big Ben didn't get hurt until the end. Eli Manning, you know, John Elways, Dan Marino's bigger, stronger athletes. So he's banged up. I've said this about Brock Purdy. He's a smaller guy, gets hurt more. Caleb Williams gets hammered. He's never hurt. That's part of being like a number one pick. So you know the big issue we're all talking about with the Lakers next year is, hey, LeBron's got to take a pay cut. And here's my question, is the bigger issue, is Austin Reeves worth $38 million a cap hit? Because his cap hit now is going to triple and he's not a one and he's not a two. The question is, are you a championship team? If he is a three and I don't think you are. I think you could win a playoff series or two. But. But it's. I'm not picking on Austin Reeves. I get his popularity, I like him as a player. But folks, regular season basketball is not playoff basketball. Are you noticing what's happening in the playoffs? Embiid Ant Wemby. Chet Holmgren's great. Why your best players rise above schemes. Your more fraudulent players get picked on. So for all the criticism Cat gets in the playoffs, Cat now is pretty good player. Well, Cat has always been a really good player. Flaky, silly fouls can drive you nuts. He's a big time talent. So Austin Reaves is eligible to sign a five year, $241 million deal. Cap hit would go from 14 million to 48 million. You think he's a $48 million player? I know the headband. Undrafted scrappy gets better every year. Let me ask you, is that a 48 million dollar player? Go look at the Celtics and Derrick White. I'm not being mean here. Austin Reaves, he took the hit. He said nobody cares about the injury. Because I thought the Lakers, if they gotten just a decent game from him, get a real basketball game. I mean, the Lakers, I don't think they're a very good defensive team, but they're playing their butts off. When they are playing their butts off, LeBron's playing real defense. Here's J.J. redick. After.

[JJ Redick]

You can make mistakes. There's a. Basketball is a game full of mistakes. There's just too many tonight. We got to clean that up. But, you know, there were some, some good things. We won. Expected score, you know, held Shea under 20. He ended up with seven turnovers. The guys played hard. We just got to do a better job with execution. It comes down to just the attention to detail on that. And I know we'll, we'll clean things up.

[Colin Cowherd]

And Austin Reeves is 28. Next month, five year deal, he'd be 33. Be an old 33 and you're paying him 48 large. Just things to think about. We're all, we're all saying LeBron's gotta take a pink. I mean this is outrageous. I don't know. LeBron's really healthy. LeBron's got that number one pick body. I mean, he's playing his butt off. I mean, think about this. LeBron James is 41 years old. He outscored SGA, the reigning MVP had fewer turnovers than the reigning MVP, SGA, better shooting percentage. LeBron James than the reigning MVP. And all of us, myself included, are like, he needs to take a pay cut. I think what I'm more scared about is Austin Reeves tripling three and a half times his cap hit. That's what worries me. Those are tough decisions. Lakers deserve credit for getting him and Austin deserves credit for being a very, very good pro. He's a good pro. He should be proud. The parents have raised a great kid. He, he gets better every year. He has maximized his talent. There's nothing wrong with him. But you know, we talk about this now. Can't make trades in the NBA. It's brutal. Aprons, caps like cap hit matters. You start costing 38, 43, 48. I got to think about everything. Are you, are you a regular season guy? Are you going to be healthy at the end? I got to think about everything. Okay, so I want to talk about the flopping. First of all, SGA is a really good player. He's a fluid athlete. One of the best mid range jumpers of all time. He's got tight handles. He's a great player. He's an all star player. But because the flopping is allowed and it's really bad sports, we all know that, right? And what bothers me is it's become a central point of the playoffs and a central part of his game. If you do it once a game, I'm okay with it. It's become like the central point of his game. And the NBA is the sport with the most creative artistic athletes, right? And this is like acting versus AI acting. It's just not as authentic. Watching him flop during an NBA game is like to some degree it's like inserting one of those life alert commercials. I've fallen and I can't get up into Cirque du Soleil. It's like eh, kind of tears at the fabric of the creativity of the NBA. And the NBA has always been the sport since I was a kid in the 70s. Dr. J, like magic, David Thompson, Michael Jordan. It's our most athletic sport. It's our most creative sport. One of the reasons I don't like all the three point shots, it reduces athleticism. I don't want ant shooting 15 threes. I want him dunking in people's face. And I like sg. I think he's a, I think he's a great player. Fluid, good handles, moves well, athletic, although not terribly vertical. But it's just bad sports and I do think the NBA, if they win back to back titles, will step in and change it. NFL changed the catch rule, changed the Pat, Major League Baseball took away the defensive shift. I don't think it's good television. I don't think it's good sports. And again, just to give you some sense of how outrageous it's become, SGA has shot 425 more free throws over the last two years. The number two, like it's just become too much of a central part of his game. And Donovan Mitchell in another series is not getting the calls. And everybody's talking about it. Listen to what Donovan Mitchell says about flopping.

[JJ Redick]

The free throw disparity is not why we lost tonight. I want to make sure I say that. But I don't know, I'm trying to get downhill and a friend of mine got fined for talking about flop. So I'm not going to try to double down. But I mean, like, I feel like that's what I got to do at this point. I'm just not getting the calls. I don't know why I don't flop. Maybe that's why this isn't just a tonight thing.

[Colin Cowherd]

So the NBA used to have a slogan where amazing happens. Nothing amazing happens at the free throw line. So when it become again, if, if SGA had 13 free throws more than the next guy, maybe even 23, but if he got 425 more, I mean, look at this one right there. That, that's an absolutely awful call against the Lakers. And it's just bad sports. It's like when we used to watch the NFL and the guy make a great catch and they're like, well, it kind of wiggled by his elbow. No catch. NFL's like, it's bad TV. It's bad sports. Defensive shift. Bryce Harper hits a bolt and the second baseman standing in right field catches it. That's bad sports. I want to see Bryce Harper when he rips a ball, I want to see it, it drop. Unless he it's it. You know, I don't want to see clean hits off a 96 mile an hour slitty get caught by a second baseman standing in. Right. So I think the NBA and they've done this before, hack a shack hand check. I mean they've done this multiple times to elevate the quality of the overall product and the television product. They've tweaked it. I think we're getting to that point. So J. Mac, listen, I know you love Austin Reaves. I know you do. And I'm not trying to pick on him because he had a bad night, but it does. You know, here's the reality. Outside of Baseball salaries matter a lot. I mean, in baseball, you can defer him if you want, which is crazy, but you can. And that's the thing with Austin Reaves. Three and a half times the cap hit. So again, he's going to be paid like a two, and he's closer to a three or a four. And this is. Boston felt this with Derrick White this year because the Tatum injury, there were nights he had to be a two. Well, Jaylen Brown's like a great two or a good one. Jaylen Brown would be the best three in the league by a mile. Derrick White's a four on a great team. That one great Celtics team, he was almost a five. But now you. You elevate him, you know, to the number two starter in the rotation, and you're like, well, Derrick White wasn't as good this year. He's being guarded by better players. He has to guard better players, you know, elevating to a spot he's not really as suited for. So, I mean, it. A $48 million cap hit would be bigger right now than Kate Cunningham and Ant.

[J. Mac]

Okay, all right, let's settle down. Bashing Austin Reeves off one game when he is barely removed from an oblique injury that kept him out for a month ago. We got three years of data, bro, on Austin Reeds that he's a really good player. And honestly, the blueprint is there for Luca. He took the maps to the finals with Kyrie Irving as his wingman. If you can get 85% of Kyrie Irving from Austin Reeves, I think you're going to be just fine. Now the question is, can Reeves stay healthy? Remember, Kyrie Irving also had many issues with injuries. Little frail.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't believe historically we're going to view Austin Reeves as 85% of Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving.

[J. Mac]

Prime Kyrie Irving. But Dallas. Kyrie Irving.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, yeah, but prime Kyrie Irving won a title.

[J. Mac]

He was spectacular. I'm just talking about the Dallas one who was a wingman to Luca. I need you to create a little bit.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, but they. That. That wasn't prime Kyrie, and he was multiple injured Kyrie, and they didn't win a title. The Lakers win titles. They don't care about going to the finals.

[J. Mac]

You got to get there to win it, though. I mean, Lakers are barely getting out of the first round now. You got to put the other pieces around.

[Colin Cowherd]

Is not 60% really prime Kyrie. Kyrie Irving at his prime is the greatest small and ambidextrous finisher in the history of the League go back to the Celtics teams, definitely. There's never been a finisher both hands that size in the history of the sport of Kyrie Irving.

[J. Mac]

But that's the thing. He wasn't prime in Dallas when they went to the finals. He was just good.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, you're really into this. Went to the finals. But what you got to catch the finals. Win one, team win. Why is Michael Jordan considered the greatest player? Six for six in the finals. Magic went to 30% more, but he lost a third of them going to the finals. Didn't the Pacers just get to the finals? What does it mean? Does it mean anything?

[J. Mac]

You have to win a trip to the finals.

[Colin Cowherd]

Rick Smith's got to a finals. Nobody cares. They don't care about your oblique injury. They don't care that you got to the finals. Los Angeles. When it comes to baseball and it comes to the Lakers, there are certain things like Ohio State football. We played in an addie. Who cares? You didn't win. Ohio State is one of the Duke doesn't brag about. You know, we got to the final four. Duke brags if they win. I mean, that's what the Lakers are. Their standard is. I mean, Austin Reeves is a top 10 jersey seller. What team's third best player is a top 10 jersey seller? Yeah. And for the record, Kyrie. Kyrie was a number one overall pick.

[J. Mac]

Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

So let's not kid our seven to eight year period that Kyrie was. I mean, honestly, after Stefan Lebron was as good a player and watch as the league had. The whole sport had.

[J. Mac]

Yeah. And he needed LeBron to get to the playoffs and win. He could do nothing by himself. Austin reeves as a one, no shot as a two. I'm buying that. Remember 15 and two in March, Colin, with Austin Reeves as the two. LeBron ceding to the three.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Again, March. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, is Cabino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for the show. Yup, that's right. You can now watch Covino and rich live on YouTube every day. All you got to do, search COVINO and RICH FSR on YouTube. Again. Go to YouTube. Search COVINOENRICH FSR. Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe. Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Doug]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[J. Mac]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Doug]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[J. Mac]

Liberty, Liberty.

[Doug]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here we go. It's hour two. We're live. J. Mac in la, me in Chicago. It's the herd. You know, I was. My least favorite event in America is the Met Gala. They do it every year. It's. It's the least relatable moment in America. It's just. I look at it and I think, oh, you couldn't pay me, but I'm not an artist, so whatever. But it made me. Somebody asked Meryl Streep why she wasn't there, and somebody asked Meryl Streep who's probably the greatest actor in my life. They asked her, are you not going? Are you protesting Jeff Bezos? And she said, no. Met Gala is just not my vibe. And I. I've never loved Meryl Streep more, but she's been nominated more than any actor ever Oscar nominated. And she's also has nine movies that have lower than a 50% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And. And, you know, whatever you think of that, I kind of trust it. Not necessarily. The point is, the longer you do something, even if you're Meryl streep, great or LeBron, you're gonna get criticism. And basketball players and pro athletes are artists, and you're not coming out of this thing alive or unscathed. And, you know, Rich Paul, who's represented LeBron forever, was talking about the fact that literally sometimes, you know, clients. He'll try to get clients, and they don't want to go with him because he represents LeBron, which sounds outrageous, but here he is.

[Rich Paul]

The reason why you don't hear a lot of conversation about Jokic is because I don't believe people are happy to see Jokic lose. But when LeBron loses, people are happy to see him lose. There's something about that, especially his peers, guys that played in the league that have platforms today for different reasons. It's extra. They are happy to see him lose.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's crazy to me. I mean, think about LeBron comes into the NBA as a kid, and his big missteps in 23 years are. He broke up with the Cavaliers on TV. Although he gave a million dollars to the Boys and Girls Club in Connecticut. That was a big one. I guess it freaked people out. The. The tweet ripping Daryl Mory for defending protesters in China. Again, it's. It's Twitter that apparently got people worked up. And then, you know, the Lakers drafted Bronnie. Was it heavy handed By Rich Paul LeBron? I defended it because it was a horrible draft. It was middle to late second round. And Bronny's a good kid who works his butt off. I actually know a couple people that know Bronnie. He's a really good kid. He works really hard. Again, I can't lose sleep over all this stuff. But I'll say it again if you are. Meryl Streep is the best actor of my lifetime. And she's been nominated more than anybody. But she's been around so long, and she's still amazing. Is that she's got eight or nine movies that haven't worked for the general consensus of the public. Like, it's just the reality of it. LeBron's been around so long, you're gonna misstep, you're gonna step in it. And by and large, I think he's not only a remarkable basketball player, he's been remarkable human. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9:00am Pacific.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Doug]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together.

[J. Mac]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Doug]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[J. Mac]

Liberty, Liberty.

[Colin Cowherd]

Liberty, Liberty. Rachel Nichols covers the NBA, Fox Sports. Okay. She joins us live. So listen, you deal with us all the time. You talk to people in locker rooms. You know, a lot of times, you know, you can tell when you've been doing this. There's things that are said that they don't want Rachel to go. I talked to JJ right at the

[Rachel Nichols]

end of the night.

[Colin Cowherd]

And then there are things that they'll go on the record with. I would imagine you hear a lot about this.

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Off the record, because they don't want to rip officials, but you hear this a lot in the league.

[Rachel Nichols]

Well, you have two categories of guys, right? You have guys who are a bit reliant on it with their game and they'll sit there and tell you it's part of the game and he does it, why shouldn't I do it? And look, there are anti flop measures that have been instituted in the NBA in the past couple years. We had, I think in 20, 23, 24, it was a trial rule. And then the year after it was adopted as a real permanent rule. That's when they put in official flopping penalties, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that officials can call. So the NBA will tell you we've already addressed this. Your point though, and the point of the other portion of players I talk to is, hey, it's not working. Guys are still doing it and it's ruining some of the flow of the game. And so the question is the rule is already there and it's there kind of almost recently. So they're not going to put in a new rule. But what I do think might happen in this off season is you might see them talk to the refs about making it a quote, point of emphasis. And that's what the NBA does when they feel like the rule is in place but it's not being called enough. And they say going into the season this is a quote, point of emphasis. And then at the beginning of the season, I know a lot of fans don't realize this. An officiating crew will go around and talk to every single team during the preseason, have a meeting with them with visual aids and say they're. These will be our points of emphasis, be warned. So I wouldn't be surprised if we see a little bit of more of that in the beginning of the preseason next year.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, I've said this with part of take baseball out of it where there's no salary cap, but a big part of, I mean great players like AJ Brown got moved out of Tennessee. And I remember Mike Vrabel's reaction to the press conference. He it was like, I just lost my offense.

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Like it happens all the time. Austin Reaves cap hit's gonna triple plus, triple plus. And we saw this Rachel, with Derrick White. Derrick White, if he is a four, you can win a championship this year. He was often asked during the Tatum injury to be a 2 and he didn't play as well. Right. You're asking him now to guard better players and you're running more of the offense through him. And then there are limitations based on just physical traits. And I look at Austin Reaves, I would love Austin at certain prices. It's Baker Mayfield at 35 million. He's a steal at 55 million. I'm going to draft the quarterback. These new owners, you know this in Los Angeles, they moved off Corey Seeger, Bellinger, Manny Machado. They've moved off stars because the numbers don't work. 3. I mean, $48 million cap hit for Austin. Reaves is there. I mean, if he has a couple more games like this in the series, does the brain trust say, guys, this, this is, this is punitive now?

[Rachel Nichols]

I don't think so. Look, he. Austin Reeves showed them through an entire season what he could do. The way he compliments Luka, Luka loves having him around. And keeping Luka happy is very important to the Lakers, not just in terms of long term contract stuff, but Luka is an emotional player and when he's happy, he plays better. So that is important for all the on the court and frankly off court reasons, too. Austin Reeves had an oblique injury that should have kept him out for at least six weeks, probably eight, and he came back early. And that is, to me, what we saw last night. He is not himself out there, and I think if anything, he's going to get credit from the organization for trying to play through it, because at least if you're a body out there, you're someone that they have to guard, especially if you are an offensive talent like Reeves. So I expect him to sort of work his way back through this series. Obviously, the Thunder, one of the best defensive teams in the league, so they're going to make it extra hard on him, and he is still hurting, and the hours he spends in the training room right now are evidence of that. So I don't think anyone's going to count this series or that performance last night, which was terrible, but I don't think it's going to count against him in contract negotiations this summer.

[Colin Cowherd]

So, you know, considering LeBron has been in the public eye for 23 years, his missteps may have been a tweet about China. The public breakup of the Cavs was a little rough. You know, the brawny thing. Did he enrich Paul? I defended that. It was a terrible draft. It was second round. Bronnie's a good kid. He plays hard. He's actually better than I thought he would be in the.

[Rachel Nichols]

They needed him in the last round, by the way.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, better than I thought. But, Rich, I want you to react to this. Here's Rich Paul talking about LeBron and what he deals with.

[Rich Paul]

The reason why you don't hear a lot of conversation about Jokic is because I don't believe people are happy to see Jokic lose. But when LeBron loses, people are happy to see him lose. There's something about that, especially his peers, guys that played in the league that have platforms today for different reasons. It's extra. They are happy to see him lose.

[Colin Cowherd]

That is sad. What do you make of that?

[Rachel Nichols]

Damn straight they are. You know why? Because LeBron bullied the entire league for about two decades. This is the case of the guy who. Who not only sort of capped careers, there are players in this league, many, many elite players in this league who would have titles, who would have rings if not for LeBron. And we said that about Michael Jordan, the years he played. Right. Think about the players that we can point to. They definitely would have had a ring if not for Michael Jordan. Well, LeBron has been bullying guys for a lot longer than Michael Jordan ever did think about. You talked about players with platforms. Paul George. Right. He's still in the league, but he has a. He has a podcast. His career would have gone completely different in the east when he was in Indiana if not for LeBron James. There were entire franchises who built up and then got destroyed by LeBron and then had to build down again. The Toronto Raptors, obviously, the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics dynasty, if it was one, was broken up by LeBron James. So of course they're happy when he has a misstep or when things go poorly for him. They were on the other end of those fisticuffs for so long. I think it's really just a testament to LeBron's greatness more than it says anything about anyone else in Wemby.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hasn't been around long enough to be a villain, but I could see people in the league being like, you know, you media people are giving him flowers that his offensive game isn't even refined yet. I wonder if you polled. There was a poll that came out in the Athletic today about overrated, underrated guys should get it to me. How do you. If you. If you polled NBA players and you said t. Wolves or spurs, my gut is the players would root for Ant. They like Ant, and I think they like kind of the toughness, you know, the Julius Randall, the Nas Reed. I find Minnesota easy to root for. They're just veterans. You're not overlooked, but, you know, not always aesthetically beautiful players. Outside of Ant, who do you think players are rooting for around the league in that series?

[Rachel Nichols]

I think guys like both of these teams, you know, I think there's a lot of respect around the league for, you know, what the Wolves are, the way they are able to ratchet it up in the playoffs after having these, you know, characteristically now uneven seasons. Chris Finch is very respected around the league ant, you know, has a lot of guys attention by the way he plays both sides of the floor and the way that he frankly just has that, you know, it factor, the charisma. But I actually think that other players like Wemby and have a ton of respect for him and don't think he's overrated. You have guys all season who have made the point that he is just completely on another level from them, you know, throughout, throughout the year and what they project for him for the rest of his career. I mean Jaylen Brown at one point during the season said, I think right now I'm the best two way player in the league. And then at the end of that sentence he paused and he goes, of course, you know, non wemby division. I mean literally that is what he said. Guys call him an alien. That nickname has really stuck with the other players around the league. I don't think they think he's overrated at this point at all. I do think what we saw with him last night was that players think they have a little bit of a window of opportunity right now when he still is new and fresh and hasn't figured everything out. And the book on him all season because he's played so well has been that the only way to stop him offensively is to really get up under him. And that is what we saw the Timberwolves do last night. They jammed him. They jammed him in the chest, in the hip. And they take away some of the power of that first step which is just so lethal with Wemby. And it also means that he just gets discombobulated and he's not used to dealing with that yet. I'm interested, Colin, in what you think about how he's going to adjust for the rest of the series because I kept saying over, you know, during our predictions phase of these playoffs. I think the spurs youth will show at times during these playoffs, but Wemby is such a student of the game. I expect him to come back in the next game knowing better how to deal with it. Or do you think that he just doesn't have it yet?

[Colin Cowherd]

I think it's a bad matchup a little bit for San Antonio because if you take out the COVID year where older players miss Their wives and families. And they were like, I mean, like LeBron talked about that. Like, I had to get the guys together and say, guys, this is brutal. We're playing, you know, the theme park. But it was rough on older players, so younger players, for the only time in my life, kind of took the playoffs over. Yeah, right. Single guys. No kid. They were just having fun. The playoffs are mostly about old guys that can manipulate the refs, guys that can make adjustments in the fourth quarter. I said at the other night, when these games go into the fourth, the minute that game one went into the fourth, I'm like, oh, no. Minnesota had a four point lead, five point lead. It was their game.

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

And I think it's a, I think it's a tough matchup. I, I think if you took every NBA roster and you just said, we're going to do strength tests and physical tests, Minnesota would win. I think they have The Randall Nas, McDaniel Gobert. I think experience, wisdom, length, toughness. I think Wemby is going to have, I mean, listen, he's, he struggled in game one at home. I think there's a little bit of a book on him. I think you said it. I think Randall Nas, I think those guys are bad matchups. I don't think it's going to be a great series for him. And you know, the other thing, Rachel, he's not a creative or an initiator. Yeah, he's a disruptor on the defensive end and he's a finisher on the offensive end. But he does need people to engineer or initiate the. He's not Jokic that way. He's more Kareem. You know, he's the finisher and the disruptor. When you put magic with Kareem, that's a dynasty.

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I, I, I mean, my take is this is a seven game series.

[Rachel Nichols]

Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. We thought we would see that in the east too. But I'm sure you guys have seen the Embiid news. We'll see what happens there. I'm very curious to see how the Sixers operate tonight with Joel Embiid ruled out because are we going to see Tyrese Maxey take over that game or are they just going to have to let Kat run wild and then they're not going to have an answer for him and we're going to see another dominant performance from the Knicks. I just don't know how competitive this east side of the bracket is going to be.

[JJ Redick]

Totally agree.

[Colin Cowherd]

Rachel Nichols, covering the NBA since 1993. Good senior thanks. You bet. Yeah. That's a bummer on Joel Embiid. Although they were a seven and a half point favorite with Embiid, now they're ten and a half. So, you know, it's interesting. Embiid dominates the Boston series, has given cat huge problems. And the number only moves two and a half, three points. I mean, and it goes to show in short spurts, in very, very short spurts, you can lose your start. The first two games of the Houston series without Luca Ayton and Rui and Luke Kennard were great. Then you get a lot of game film, then you can go back and prepare. And by game three, Houston should have won that game. By game three, your feeling is, yeah, they missed Luca. So you generally speaking for a game or two, like in football, sometimes you can for a half, you can, you can overcome on scheme, but eventually, if you have Christian McCaffrey in the lineup or Trent Williams, the Niners later in games, you don't want to back up quarterback. If BROCK Purdy's throwing 38 times, you don't want to back up left tackle. You can overcome it early, take a lead schemes try to run, but if you fall behind, you're in big trouble. I think tonight Philadelphia will play Hair on Fire. I think they'll be super aggressive. I think it'll be competitive. But, you know, if you go back to the regular season, the games in the regular season that we all watched were okc, San Antonio. OKC had their. Or San Antonio had their number, but if they played again, we'd probably take okc. And the games we talked about in the east this year were the Detroit Knick games, which Detroit controlled. Detroit controlled. In the regular season, I would probably take the Knicks. And that shows you the divide between the regular season and the postseason. I would take OKC over San Antonio. Though the spurs dominated the regular season, I would take the Knicks over the Pistons. Although Detroit pushed them around in the regular season, it's a different sport.

[Doug]

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