Loading summary
Transcript170 lines
- [00:00]
Jason McIntyre
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
Alex Curry
Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply See capital1.com Bank Capital One NA member FDIC Wasabi Technologies is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from those old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, Wasabi is driving innovation in data storage, all for up to 80% less than the other guys. Triumph for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network.
- [01:19]
Landon Donovan
The last thing anyone wants is to leave behind confusion, stress or worse, family conflict. That's why estate planning isn't just for the wealthy. It's for families like mine and probably like yours. With Trust and Will. I created my estate plan in minutes. From naming guardians for my kids to putting our house in a trust to avoid probate. Fast, affordable and way easier than I thought. Every plan is designed by estate planning attorneys and customized for your state. Plans start at just $199 and include essentials like health care directives and power of attorney. With Trust and Will's bank level security and built in privacy protections, your personal information and your wishes stay safe. Whether you're newly married, raising kids, caring for aging parents, or just want peace of mind, trust and will makes it easy to protect what matters Most. Go to trustandwill.com, use code RADIO at checkout and save 20% on your personalized plan because there's no better time to protect the people you love. Trust Trust in Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.
- [02:19]
Alex Curry
Okay, have you heard about this? Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant and their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back and degree listened. That doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and they're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason? It's the number one men's antiperspirant and it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under four bucks. So try and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart or Target to try the OG degree. Cool rush for yourself. Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio at 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.
- [03:11]
Jason McIntyre
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Hello and welcome to the Herd. It's me, Jason McIntyre, in for Colin Cowherd, who is jet setting once again. Boy, nobody travels like Colin Cowherd. I'm joined today by Alex Curry. Alex, how are you feeling? We're on the eve of July 4th here.
- [03:37]
Landon Donovan
I love this week.
- [03:39]
Jason McIntyre
I mean, growing up, 4th of July was like my favorite holiday in Manhattan Beach. Vibes are immaculate down on the strand and on the beach. Obviously a little different for me this year because I'm in the red zone. Like anything can happen. I'm about to pop, but I'm still so excited for it. I love it. Yeah, and we got great sports, obviously a lot of soccer tonight. We're talking soccer on the show. One of my favorite soccer players of all time, Landon Donovan, joining the show in about 40 minutes. Very excited. We have a Lakers insider coming on to talk. I know it hasn't been a great start to free agency. Laker fans, take a deep breath. It's going to be fine. We're actually going to start the show, ladies and gentlemen, with the Lakers. And you know, listen, we are in a hot take society right now. Everybody knows that it's really difficult to cut through. There's so many outlets and mediums. TV, radio, you got the web, you got social media, YouTube, TikTok to cut through. You increasingly have to turn up the volume and get a little hot. And folks, I've been seeing some stuff. You know, I love a good hot take, hot take, happy hour. But I've been seeing some stuff lately about my main man Luka Doncic that I gotta step in. It's time for J. Mac to jump in and be like, guys, can we take a deep breath? Can we get some perspective? I know nuance isn't a thing a lot of people like to do in July. It's either black or White, you love him, you hate him, right? But let's just pump the brakes on the Luka Doncic bashing. And yes, I get it. He's coming off a season where he was injured and he got traded. And hey, if the Dallas Mavericks can move off Luka, how good is he, right? I mean, the guy doesn't play defense. He can't jump. He only had one dunk last season. I mean, Luka, what are we doing? Is he that good? J. Mac, he couldn't get out of the first round with LeBron James. How good is Luka? And you, you start hearing all this and I'm like, wait a minute, hold on. Are we talking about the same Luka doncic that just 13 months ago put the Mavericks on his back and led them to the finals? And now we've got hot takes like this, not just coming from dopey fans and not just the media, but we're talking about former players and coaches, folks. Avery Johnson, a point guard who knows a lot about basketball, was asked who he'd rather have, Cooper Flag or Luka Doncic. Take a listen, man. Give me Cooper Flag. Really? Cooper Flag in this team? Yeah, give me Cooper Flag, man. You're talking about a team when they're healthy. Got three future hall of Famers with Kyrie Ad and Klay Thompson. So this is really exciting. The Mavericks, their future is bright, but they have a window when they're healthy of the next two to three years with this roster is currently constructed. Yeah, I don't totally disagree with Dallas being good, but Cooper Flag over Luka Doncic. And this is what I'm talking about with society. It's become so hot takey that a guy has a down year and we're just writing him off. Like, I. I like Cooper Flag. Do you guys remember, I don't know, two months ago on the show, Rick Bucher sat here and I was like, over under one and a half MVPs for Cooper flag. And he laughed at me. He's like, what on earth are you talking about? I'm like, I'm high on Cooper Flag. No way on earth am I taking him over Luka Doncic. Have we forgotten? I'm not going to try out the resume, but have we forgotten that in the last 40 years, no player has started their NBA career as good as Luka Johnson? Not Michael Jordan, not LeBron James, not Shaq, folks. Luca went rookie of the year and then was first team all NBA five straight years. First team all NBA. Top five player in the league for five Straight years in, starting in year two. Like, that's the kind of talent we're dealing with here. Nobody makes their teammates better in the NBA better than Luka Doncic. Now, I know Jokic has a strong case because he has a title. He's a little older than Luka. I'll just put that out there. But Luca raises the level of all his guys. You remember two years ago, Dallas, they had been fighting for years. How do we build around Luca? Let's try Jalen Brunson. And they screwed that up. Let's try Porzingis. And he got hurt. This is what he does. Let's try Kyrie Irving. Oh, okay, okay. So they bring in Kyrie Irving. I remember being, I think, live on the herd when it happened, I was like, oh, my gosh, Mavs, they're set. They're going to the finals. They missed the playoffs that year. Okay, do you remember how Luka Doncic responded the following year? He averaged 33, 9, 9, and the Mavs went to the NBA finals. So if you want to write off Luke at 26 and say, well, he's not dunking anymore. He's become a step back artist, that's fine. Do you? Do you? But here's the reality. Luca went to the finals last year exhausted, then played in the Olympics. And oh, by the way, then comes the calf injury. Remember on Christmas, suffers the calf injury. And Luca, wisely, I might add, did not want to rush it. He was seen on a scooter and it's like, oh, geez, that's bad news. No, he was being cautious, which is smart in hindsight. You remember when guy on the Pacers had a calf injury in the finals, and I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Halliburton, sit out my guy. You don't want to have to miss a whole year. Halliburton plays good in game six. Oh, he's fine. It's fine. Let's not even rehash what happened in Game 7. You don't rush back from calf injuries. Nico Harrison wanted to rush Luca back. Luca said, no. Oh, slow your roll, man. He took his time, thought he gained weight. They shipped him out of town. I am calling it now. Revenge season is coming for Luca Doncic next year with the Lakers. I don't know who the hell they're going to have. We can get into that later. I'm going to go ahead and assume LeBron's going to be on the roster. I'm going to assume Austin Reeves, but that's not a lock. I think they're going to be okay with two of the greatest players in the NBA currently LeBron, all NBA guy. And Luca, who's off to one of the best starts in NBA history for a young guy. Can we just take our deep breath with Luka? He's going to be fine. All right, now let's get to the big soccer matchup tonight. USA Guatemala. Yes, it's here on FS1, the Gold cup semifinals. I will reserve from making any Guatemalan jokes. I don't know much about their soccer program, but I know this. We gonna smoke them. I'm calling it now. Just like I told Colin three weeks ago, we're going to be fine in the Gold cup. And that. Do you guys remember three weeks ago in the Gold cup, the USA all of a sudden isn't getting their stars to play. Pulisic, I need some rest. Oh, no, what does that say? And then one of my funny joker soccer friends said, I don't know about Pochettino. Laughing like, well, we don't know about this guy. Everything's been fine. Now the bigger issue is one that everybody, even if you're not a soccer fan, can vibe with here in NFL and NBA, right? You follow your team closely. I got some Jacksonville Jaguars buddies, fans, two of them, who, I mean, they could tell you everything that's going on on the two deep. They know who's like, on the bubble to make the roster. They know everything about the Jags because that's their local team. It's totally different with soccer. This happens in the NBA too. Toronto Raptors fans can give you chapter and verse in their salary cap situation in the next two years. That doesn't apply to the U.S. national Soccer Team, which puts us every two to four years in this weird spot of, oh, hey guys, it's time to pay attention to soccer. Wait, are we going to win this tournament? It's either boom or bust when it comes to USA Soccer for casuals. Now, you could argue, hey, it's great that the casuals are paying attention, but we just want to kind of educate these guys so they get up to speed. Hey, this is a B team in the Gold Cup. But here's why it's a good thing. Nobody wants to hear that. They're like, oh, who's the new coach? What has he done? Pulisic's not playing. And you guys are missing out because I'm here to tell you, and I know this is positive. Jason, to start the show, gassing up Luka doncic, glazing the U.S. national team, we're going to beat Guatemala probably soundly tonight. I'll go three to one and then that'll lead us into the game against likely Mexico Sunday. What will be a heated game. Mexico has their A team. We don't, but I think we're going to be plucky in that one. It should be a great game in Houston on Sunday. But when it comes to USA Soccer, the reason I get excited about Gold cup is because we're seeing, like the backups, the depth, the bench that we've never really had, and Colin likes to make this point. We just don't have depth. We're building depth at the Gold Cup. They've got guys who are showing very well. We've probably got two or three starters. We might have our new goalie and Mr. Freese. The freeze man was so good in PKs. And as one of the guys in the morning meeting noted, hey, Turner, the incumbent, he hasn't looked great internationally because he's not playing. Freese gets on the field and is a brick wall in pks. So, folks, we're seeing depth. We're seeing the new coach and. And you guys know this happens, right? You get a new coach, you got a new leader. Well, there's a new guy to impress. And guess who's got a chance up close and personal to impress him? All the guys playing in the Gold Cup. So, you know, Landon Donovan will come on and hopefully echo my sentiments here. But I think this is a good thing. You know, a five nothing against Haiti, beating Trinidad and Tobago, like, okay, those are fine results, but it's more about the process over the results. And I guess my issue is the process can apply to your favorite NFL, your favorite NBA team. Locally, it's tougher to apply the process to the USA team because we just parachute in for the major tournaments and we're like, oh, are we going to win? Like, that's all it comes down to. There's no process. I feel like we're seeing a tremendous process at the Gold Cup. Pochettino is exerting his thoughts and beliefs and his value system on the team, and that will then trickle down to the other guys. It's a good thing Tyler Adams is here. He was on the show yesterday talking about it. Here's Alexi Lalas earlier in the week, also saying very positive things about the USA showing at the Gold Cup. It's almost a wonderful message to send and an important message to send to the guys that aren't here that, you know what, while you're important you're not a savior and we can win games and we can do things without you. Because I think it's going to motivate them to come in and say, you know what?
- [14:24]
Jovan Buha
You know what stinks just like everybody else's.
- [14:27]
Jason McIntyre
America doesn't give a crap how this U.S. team plays. They care that they win and that they are doing it in a kind of raw, strangely ugly but beautiful way that I think that resonates with people. He absolutely nailed it. And folks, I'll, I'll wrap up with this, but continuity is huge when I go to gamble for the NFL in the off season. Looking ahead to this coming season, continuity matters. Did you keep your coach, your coordinators? How many starters do you have back in college football? It's huge. NFL, I feel like it's very important. We don't really have that in soccer because it's a national team and guys are spread out all over the planet playing in different leagues. And then you get them together for the World cup, they're kind of thrust together. So the USA won't have continuity. But here's the positive. Most of the starters in the World cup next summer were going to have played in 2022 and showed well against England for moments against the Netherlands. And now we get a coach who's got a different outlook. And I do believe, I know it's on US Soil and I'm getting a little flag wavy here, but I'm being dead serious, folks. I do believe quarterfinals and semifinals could be in play for US Soccer. I know that's going to seem like a hot take and you all are going to laugh, but historically, when you host the goal, the World cup, you have a. You have a better chance. You're sleeping in beds you're familiar with, you've got friends and family around, you're in your normal time zones. Everything lines up for the US Hosting the World cup next year. I'm thinking big things and I think this Gold cup win tonight and maybe the win in the final Sunday will be a springboard to a huge 2026 in U.S. soccer. All right, we got a phenomenal show today heading into July 4th coming up next. Yeah, we're going back to LeBron. There is a lot of chatter about him switching teams. Does he want out of L. A? Talk about that next year on the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paulie and Tony Fusco Show. Usually in these promos they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you please don't listen to the show.
- [16:45]
Alex Curry
The hosts are two absolute morons who.
- [16:47]
Jason McIntyre
Have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled. Whoa whoa, whoa. What the hell are you doing in our studio? Get him Paulie. Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paulie and Tony Fusco show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. He's still moving.
- [17:06]
Unknown
This July 4th celebrate freedom from spills, stains and overpriced furniture with Annabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $699, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Annabe's pet friendly stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric that's built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic, high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your Life. Now through July 4th, get up to 60% off site wide@washablesofas.com Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Declare independence from dirty outdated furniture. Shop now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [18:06]
Landon Donovan
The last thing anyone wants is to leave behind confusion, stress or worse, family conflict. That's why estate planning isn't just for the wealthy, it's for families like mine and probably like yours. With trust and will, I created my estate plan in minutes. From naming guardians for my kids to putting our house in a trust to avoid probate. Fast, affordable and way easier than I thought. Every plan is designed by estate planning attorneys and customized for your state. Plans start at just $199 and include essentials like healthcare directives and power of attorney. With trust and will's bank level security and built in privacy protections, your personal information and your wishes stay safe. Whether you're newly married, raising kids, caring for aging parents or just want peace of mind, Trust and will makes it easy to protect what matters Most. Go to trustandwill.com, use code RADIO at checkout and save 20% on your personalized plan because there's no better time to protect the people you love, Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.
- [19:06]
Alex Curry
Hey, everybody. You've heard me talk about Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the herd podcast. And if you know anything about me, I love a good metaphor. So the team at Green river challenged me to come up with a perfect metaphor to describe their incredible bourbon and rye whiskeys. And with the playoffs upon us, the answer is clear. Green River Whiskey is like a big playoff win by your favorite team, always sure to raise your spirits. So pair the thrills of this playoff season with Green River Whiskey. And with four core products in their starting lineup, there's something to suit any taste. To find Green river near you, head on over to greenriverwhiskey.com here's the green River Whiskey. Raise your spirits. A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com Please drink responsibly. Hey, so we all make mistakes, but owning up to them is the right thing to do. So you know Degree Cool Rush deodorant, right? Well, last year they changed the formula, and it did not go over well with their fans. So Degree's whole thing is it turns up the sweat and odor protection when you turn up the effort. And good thing it does, because Cool Rush fans really turned up the effort to bring the original formula back. One guy even started an online petition, and Degree listened. They admitted they effed up. They're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back, and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp, and fresh. It's back in Walmart, Target, and other stores now for under $4. There's a reason it's been the number one men's antiperspirant for the last decade. It's the same reason why people were not happy when it changed. So if you've never tried it, it might be a good time to see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart Target and try the OG Degree Cool Rush for yourself.
- [20:44]
Jason McIntyre
Obviously, everybody very excited. Usa Guatemala tonight. And then when we win, we'll face Mexico in the final. Yes, we're gonna win. Let's talk to Landon Donovan. Oh, my gosh, a legend. You know, I get a little gushy. I'm gonna be a little bit of a fanboy here. Who couldn't love Landon Donovan? I was just telling him a lot of people, stop it. Maybe Pochettino, but that's about it, but during the break, like, I remember the goal against Algeria in the World Cup. Watching with my family, I'll never forget it. That's one of the most seminal moments in USA soccer. So, Landovan, great. Landon, great to have you on the show. Let's start with this layup. How do you feel about the game against Guatemala tonight?
- [21:27]
Unknown
I think we got a gift. Guatemala played Canada the other night, and Canada are much, much better overall team than Guatemala. And I think if they play that game 10 times, Canada win eight, Guatemala tie one, and they win one. And they tied, went to penalty kicks and ended up losing the game. So it's. It's a bit of a gift for us. Guatemala is not a top CONCACAF team. This is the first time, I believe, in 30 something years they've been to the semifinals of. Of a Gold Cup. So I expect us to win. It will not be easy. J. Mac soccer never is because goals are hard to score. But I expect that we'll win tonight.
- [22:08]
Jason McIntyre
I'm just curious, obviously you're not there talking to the players, but how do you. What do you think the mindset is given? Free shows up in pks, you know, all the criticism for the team, but they have been kind of playing great. I didn't love the goal they gave up in, what, the 85th minute or whatever, but overall they've played pretty darn good.
- [22:26]
Unknown
No, they've been fantastic. And it's important to have the context of what happened. So before the tournament, many players opted out of the tournament, which, you know, is a whole nother story. And for people who have dreamt of playing soccer their whole life, you know, it's. It's pretty interesting that people would not want to play for their national team. A lot of players out injured, and then a third set of players are out for the Club World cup that's going on concurrently. So this group of players is a little bit of a makeshift, maybe one or two starters, but the rest are a, B, maybe even in some cases a C team or a C player. And what they've done is they've taken the opportunity and J. Mac, you know, in sports, when someone leaves the door slightly open, you better be careful because someone else might barge through. And these guys have barged through and they've been really inspiring. For those of us who love this game and love this national team, it's been really fun to watch them continue to grow and win back hearts and minds of Americans.
- [23:25]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I didn't want to start with the controversy, but let's Go into it. You know, they didn't seem to have an identity heading into the Gold Cup. Like, what are they? Do you think that Pochettino has kind of established this is what we are, or is that still a work in progress?
- [23:41]
Unknown
So this is the hard part with. With soccer for people who are new to it. You play for your club team all the time, and let's use the analogy of you play for the Lakers or the Celtics or the Yankees, but then once a month, maybe once every couple months, you come together for whatever country you represent, and you represent your national team. The problem is, is you're only together for two or three days at a time. And then you go back to your club teams. What's happened in this camp is Pochettino had two friendlies before this camp started. So he had a week and a half with these guys, two games. And now they've had. They're going on, I think two and a half or three weeks together. Having that amount of time together is priceless with a national team. It's absolutely priceless. So in the beginning, there was no identity. People didn't know what to expect. Everybody's sort of looking around in camp, are you a leader? You're a leader with your club team, but are you a leader here? And now you're starting to see roles defined. You're starting to see people take the opportunity. You saw Matt Fries say, hey, no one else has claimed the goalkeeper spot. Why not me? And that's what guys have done this entire tournament. It's been really fun to watch them grow.
- [24:43]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. And you said, the door is kind of open. And I asked, the more the staff here, like, how many guys do you think currently on the Gold Club Gold cup roster would. Would maybe start next year in the World Cup? And we came around two or three. I don't know. Am I missing anyone? I think Freese might have passed Turner just alone in this tournament. But who else do you think is. Could Richards be a starter next year in the World Cup?
- [25:08]
Unknown
Well, look, like politics. A year is a long time, right? So a lot of things can happen in a year. However, this is what I would say with Pochettino. Pochettino is Argentinian. He spent most of his career in Europe coaching. He doesn't have any obligation to anybody who has name recognition or has played in the past or has been a leader or been a captain. He just looks at this, this roster and says, these are the guys I have. You show me that by your performance today, today against Guatemala that you deserve to Play in the final if we win. And if we play in the final against Mexico or Honduras, you show me again that you deserve to play in the friendlies that are coming up in the fall. And you, you deserve to play in the next one and the next one and the next one. He doesn't care if you have a big name or a big contract or play for a big club. He can only evaluate what he's seeing. And what he's seeing right now are a bunch of guys who are taking advantage of the opportunity.
- [26:02]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. Do you think Tillman is one of those guys? I was looking at his background.
- [26:05]
Unknown
Absolutely.
- [26:05]
Jason McIntyre
Played on the German national team, you know, 15 through 21. And it's like, wow, he looks outstanding. But I don't think of him as better than Baligan, you know, and like some of the other forwards. Right. Or is that now a discussion?
- [26:17]
Unknown
Yeah, but it is a discussion for what I just said. And you know the old adage, the most important ability in sports is availability. And Baligan is a fantastic player. Talented. Ricardo Pepe, fantastic player. Very talented. They've been injured. Both of them have been injured a lot. Malik Tillman's not an out and out striker. There's a young man named Patrick Ajamong who has sort of taken that role. And we'll see what happens. You know, J. Mac, the. The telling sign will be in the next camp after this Gold Cup. Does he just readily invite all those guys back in or does he say, you know what? These guys did a great job for me in the Gold cup, this B and C list. And maybe they become the A list. And, and that's gonna, that's gonna tell us a lot.
- [27:01]
Jason McIntyre
That, that would ruffle some feathers. But I'm just curious. Like, that sounds like a good talking point. And hearing you say it, like, yeah, there's something there. But in your soccer experience, do you ever recall them going with B's over A's just because the A's weren't there?
- [27:14]
Unknown
No. And, and no. The reason why is because when you play with your national team, and this is part of my frustration why I'm outspoken about this, when you play for your national team, it just means more. It has to mean more. And I'm not saying people don't try with their club teams. I'm not even saying people don't care sometimes when they play with their national team. But if you're not willing to do anything and everything to win the game with your national team, then you don't deserve to be there. And the Guys who are there right now have said, I don't care what happens. I'm not, you know, a guy, Diego Luna, young man, broke his nose in a friendly in January. And they said, you need to come out of the game. And he said, I'm not coming out of the game. This is my one chance, so you can pull me off the field, you can carry me off, but I'm not coming out of the game. Next thing you know, he started every game in the Gold cup. If there was. The roster was announced tomorrow for the World cup, he is 100% on it. And he came out of nowhere. And so that's what it means to play for your national team. Malik Tillman got kicked all over the field the other night, and he got up again and got up again and got up again. He missed a penalty in the game, came back and made a penalty in the penalty kick shootout. So they are showing Mauricio Pochettino what it means to play for a national team. And there's no reason why a lot of these guys, one, won't be on the roster and two, some of them would start. Now. Are they all going to be starters? I don't think so, but hopefully it sends a message to the rest of the group that this is what's expected and if you don't do it, you're not going to be here.
- [28:40]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. All right. I got to ask it. And obviously, you know the drama with Pulisic and Pochettino. A, have you heard from anybody in either camp since the Gold cup, privately? If it's private stuff and you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But have you heard from anyone in Pulisic's camp or Pochettino's?
- [28:57]
Unknown
No.
- [28:58]
Jason McIntyre
Do you?
- [28:58]
Unknown
No, no and no. And I've. I talked to many people behind the scenes all week, J. Mac in U.S. soccer and that the reality right now is what I just said about Pochettino. He does not have. He does not feel any obligation to any player. Now, is Christian Pulisic more talented than anybody on the current Gold cup roster? Yes, by a gazillion miles. But when you see, when you play for a national team, it doesn't always mean that if you watch, do yourself a favor, go watch Argentina play Colombia or Argentina play Brazil. When you watch that game, you go, there's not a lot of soccer being played here. This is just a battle. And these are some of the best players in the world. And all the skill and all this stuff gets thrown out the window for 90% of the game. And they just battle because that's what it means to play for your country. So I think the message is loud and clear. And I took Christian's credit. I think when he shows up and plays, he does play that way.
- [29:55]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [29:55]
Unknown
Now, some of the other guys on the roster haven't. And I think the message is becoming clear from Pochettino. You either do this or you're not playing.
- [30:03]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I feel like that was a shot of Gio Reyna, but I'm just going to sidestep it. Let's. We'll wrap up with this. You know, Freeze obviously was the hero in the pks. Turner's kind of been buried on the bench with his club team. I don't know. Do you think Freeze past him or is it too early to tell?
- [30:19]
Unknown
I want to separate. You know, people get excited in moments.
- [30:22]
Jason McIntyre
Right.
- [30:22]
Unknown
You know, it'd be like if a guy gets fouled for a three pointer and makes three free throws to win the game, you wouldn't necessarily then say, oh, well, he's the best player throughout the game. Right. Because he made those free. Three. Three free throws. Matt Freese is excellent, clearly, at penalty kicks. And I will just say, let's say he's not one of the best three goalkeepers. Generally, you take three goalkeepers to the World cup, there is every opportunity that Pochettino says, you know what? I'm going to take him even as my third, even though he's not the best, because we might get into a situation in a knockout stage where we need to take penalty kicks. And I could absolutely see that happen now. Aside from that, I think he's been okay. I don't think he is a better goalkeeper than Matt Turner. But I talked earlier. You leave that door open. You're Matt Turner and you didn't play a lot of club soccer the last year. You left the door open and someone said, bang, I'm kicking that thing down and I'm coming in.
- [31:13]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. And he has Landon Donovan, Fox Sports soccer analyst, a legend on the pitch and off of it. Great stuff. Landon, thanks a lot. Enjoy the game.
- [31:22]
Unknown
Appreciate you guys. Thank you.
- [31:24]
Jason McIntyre
All right. Landon Donovan really want listen. He's saying a lot of stuff and you need to listen because I. I'm sure he talks to everybody in USA Soccer. He's probably not saying everything. Alex, you know soccer. Well, I think based on some of the stuff Landon Donovan saying, you know, if you passed on this Gold cup, you may have. And not Pulisic, but some of the other guys, you Got to want to be here. Yeah. That's what this new coaching regime is about. Show me that you want to be here. Yeah.
- [31:52]
Unknown
Oh, boy.
- [31:53]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, it's exciting. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hour number two here on the herd, Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. Jet setting? I don't know. Where is he? Ibiza. Is that where he is right now? I have no idea. You tell me. I love Ibiza. I haven't been there. We honeymooned in Ibiza. What a. Alex Curry joining me. We got Jovan Buha coming up in, I don't know, five minutes. Listen, Lakers fans are like on the edge, Alex, right now. They're breathing. We're okay. Okay. I, I'm not as concerned, I think, as everybody else. Like, as we talked about last hour, LeBron knows how to get the conversation going. This is what he does. What, what does his hat say? Welcome home. Welcome home. Yeah, it's a message. But he is back home. Well, I thought he's playing golf in Ohio with LeBron, like hanging around, seeing what the hell's going on, but he's out here anyways. All right, real quick, before we get to Yovon, I just gotta talk about, like, I like Lamar Jackson. I know people think you don't like him, Jay, you're critical. That's what we do. We're critical of everybody. Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, LeBron, everybody. And Lamar Jackson is a two time MVP. He's a dynamic player. When he's on, you're watching. He came out here to sofi to play. I think it was the Chargers, either last year or two years ago. I was at the game. He's electrifying. You can't take your eyes off him. He's unbelievable. And he keeps coming up empty in the playoffs, which is fine, you know, not everybody wins right out of the gate, but Lamar went on some, some digital show with Kevin Hart. I need to take a quick time out. Kevin Hart, for my money, is the funniest guy going. I know people like Theo Vaughn and the, all these other comics. Kevin Hart's the man. I'm a huge fan. His movies, his stand up. I've seen him live. He's great. Kevin Hart also does like an ice tub thing where he invites people on and talks to him. And here's what Lamar Jackson said to Kevin Hart about the one thing, okay, one thing he needs to improve on to get the Ravens over the hump. Just being a leader, okay? I'm gonna Say being a leader, because I'm. I really don't. I'm really not outspoken, like, being vocal with my guys, like, oh, let's do this and that, or got a great motivational speech. I don't have that. You know, I just pretty much lead by example. I go out there, I'm gonna work hard. I expect that out of you. But as I've been going, like, growing in the league, it's like, nah, you gotta talk to the guys, coaches and stuff. Like, to tell me, talk to the guys. I'm like, all right, now I talk to them one on one. But certain things I'm seeing, I gotta voice it more. What's my opinion? More to those guys. Yeah. I don't know. It's like when you're in a job interview and, you know, they ask you one of these qu. Like, what's your biggest weakness? And you give one of these answers that says, like, I don't have a weakness. You know, not having a weakness. That's my weakness. Like, something like that. And I'm like, really? Leadership. You either have that or you don't. I don't think, like, five years into the league, something snaps and you're a leader. Like, Justin Herbert is quiet and just doesn't say much. That's who he is. He's not changing. You know, Patrick Mahomes is a fiery dude. He was that way at Texas Tech. He's that way in the NFL. He's not changing. Lamar Jackson's a quiet guy. He doesn't say a lot. Tom Brady, remember him on the sideline with the Patriots? He would F bomb people and dog custom. That's who he was, fiery. Everybody's different when it comes to leadership. If Lamar was given truth serum before the Kevin Hart interview, what's the biggest. Hey, man, I've had some rotten playoff games going to Buffalo. I couldn't do anything this past year in Buffalo. I started slow. Fumble, interception. I got us in the hole. I can't play like that on the road. I haven't delivered in the playoffs. And it's like, yeah, I get it. Mark Andrews, if he catches that, it's a different discussion. But look at the game log of Lamar Jackson. He has not been great in the playoffs. And yeah, I see the drops on the screen. And that's not always on him. Obviously. What's his name? Against Kansas City, when they were at home, had the fumble. The young receiver, Zay Flowers had a brutal game, but right out of the gate, like, Lamar Jackson wasn't awesome. Teams have seen him. They know how to game plan for him. He needs to become a different quarterback in the postseason and that's not a knockout, it's just a reality. Right now. That's the only kryptonite he has. The calendar turns to January and all of a sudden Lamar Jackson, oh shoot, what are we getting here? Are we in trouble? I mean look at the numbers three and five in the playoffs. Completion percentage down, passer rating down. It hasn't been great. Now you're playing the best of the best but for a two time mvp. That to me is his weakness. I don't want to hear this leadership nonsense. All right. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and.
- [36:37]
Unknown
The iHeartradio this July 4th celebrate freedom from spills, stains and overpriced furniture with Annabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $699, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Annabe's pet friendly, stain resistant and interchangeable slip covers are made with high performance fabric that's built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of home, hypoallergenic, high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your Life. Now through July 4th, get up to 60% off site wide@washablesofas.com Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Declare independence from dirty, outdated furniture. Shop now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [37:39]
Landon Donovan
The last thing anyone wants is to leave behind confusion, stress or worse, family conflict. That's why estate planning isn't just for the wealthy. It's for families like mine and probably like yours. With trust and will. I created my estate plan in minutes. From naming guardians for my kids to putting our house in a trust to avoid probate. Fast, affordable and way easier than I thought. Every plan is designed by estate planning attorneys and customized for your state. Plans start at just $199 and include essentials like health care directives and power of attorney. With trust and will's bank level security and built in privacy protections, your personal information and your wishes stay safe whether you're newly married, raising kids, caring for aging parents, or just want peace of mind. Trust and Will makes it easy to protect what matters Most. Go to trustandwill.com, use code RADIO at checkout, and save 20% on your personalized plan because there's no better time to protect the people you love. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.
- [38:39]
Alex Curry
Hey everybody. You've heard me talk about Green River Whiskey, the official Whiskey of the Herd podcast. And if you know anything about me, I love a good metaphor. So the team at Green river challenged me to come up with a perfect metaphor to describe their incredible bourbon and rye whiskeys. And with the playoffs upon us, the answer is clear. Green River Whiskey is like a big playoff win by your favorite team, always sure to raise your spirits. So pair the thrills of this playoff season with Green River Whiskey. And with four core products in their starting lineup, there's something to suit any taste. To find Green river near you, head on over to greenriverwhisky.com here's the green River Whiskey. Raise your spirits. A product of Green River Distilling Co. Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhisky.com Please drink responsibly. Hey, so we all make mistakes, but owning up to them is the right thing to do. So you know Degree Cool Rush deodorant, right? Well, last year they changed the formula and it did not go over well with their fans. So Degree's whole thing is it turns up the sweat and odor protection when you turn up the effort. And good thing it does because Cool Rush fans really turned up the effort to bring the original formula back. One guy even started an online petition and Degree listened, admitted they effed up. They're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. It's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. There's a reason it's been the number one men's antiperspirant for the last decade. It's the same reason why people were not happy when it changed. So if you've never tried it, it might be a good time to see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart, Target and try the OG Degree Cool Rush for yourself.
- [40:15]
Jason McIntyre
Let's go back to the NBA and bring in Jovan Buha, who covers the league. He covers the Lakers closely. Welcome in Jovan, who's listen the last time he was here, absolute fire and now the pressure's on Yovon, obviously not just because you're a free agent, but also there's some free agent stuff swirling around. And the Lakers fans want to know right now what is the status with deandre Ayton in Los Angeles?
- [40:42]
Jovan Buha
My understanding is he's likely going to make his decision today. He clears waivers at 5pm Eastern time. There's a bit of a Deandre Ayton sweepstakes going on right now for a guy who's on a $35 million contract, gets bought out and now is going to be in that probably 8 to 4, 8 to $14 million range. So you got a couple of options with a full non taxpayer mle. Golden State and Indiana both need starting centers. Indiana just lost Miles Turner. They also have a relationship with Ayton. They offered him a max contract offer sheet back in 2022, which he signed. So there was a second there where it looked like he was going to be their center of the future. Then you got the Lakers, who only have $8.25 million because they split part of that MLE on Jake LaRavia. So I think the Lakers probably provide the best opportunity. You're going to be in the spotlight. You're going to be starting playing with Luka, potentially playing with LeBron and theoretically being on a team with some, you know, contending odds. So I think that's the best opportunity for him. But also like money talks and other teams can offer him more money.
- [41:47]
Jason McIntyre
I mean, he got number one pick money. He got a second contract which is huge. Yeah, I mean 14 million versus 8 if it just comes down to that, Lakers are going to lose out on that.
- [41:57]
Jovan Buha
And he's still getting the 25 million from Portland. So he would be taking like I guess a 1.75 million shaving off of that 35 if he goes to the Lakers. Whereas actually if he goes to the other teams, he could technically make more money on top of the 35 because it would be an offset of like 4 extra million dollars. But I think, you know, right now that they're weighing their options is my understanding him and his camp. But it sounds like around the time of him clearing waivers. We should have a better idea from.
- [42:24]
Jason McIntyre
Just a fit perspective. I gotta ask, like culturally, did you read the article about him where it's like he was late to flights and practice, he couldn't make it to a game because of icy roads? Like there was, there's a lot of stuff that apparently trickled out in Portland. They were like, we got to get this Guy out of here and now the Lakers want to bring him in.
- [42:44]
Jovan Buha
Yeah, I mean that's certainly concerning. But if you look at the center options right now and free agency, the Alternative is a 39 year old Al Horford, who I think I would go Al Horford. I like Al Horford. I just think, you know, in comparison to like rebounding, rim protection, I think Deandre Ayton as a 26 year old is just at a different level than Al Horford right now. Like they were load managing Al Horford in Boston.
- [43:04]
Jason McIntyre
Right.
- [43:05]
Jovan Buha
And I don't think he's a guy who can hold up over the course of an 82 game season. So I think the Lakers need a legit starting center and Ayton is one. Now there are some flaws and there are some drawbacks. I think he's, he's very talented, he's very skilled. Of course there have been times where it seems like the motor or the motivation have not always been there. And I think that's something that, you know, he's in a contract year effectively, so he's going to have to prove himself.
- [43:29]
Jason McIntyre
He doesn't really stretch the floor. He doesn't get to the foul line. He's not, I mean I saw this video catching some lobs, but he's not like the lively gaffer type. He's more of a throwback, a back to the basket guy.
- [43:43]
Jovan Buha
I will, all seven years he's averaged a double double. So like you are getting a baseline level of rebounding with him. Shot 80% at the rim last year, which I think, you know, that's not all dunks, but he's got soft touch with hook shots, floaters, like I think the offensive skill is there. I think he's arguably the best like realistic offensive option they could get. It's the defensive end that I, I'm interested to see. But some of his rim protection numbers are good. Good defensive rebounder like you could certainly do worse. Which I would argue the Lakers did last year with their center.
- [44:12]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so. So Ayton, let's say Ayton picks the warriors or whoever. Oh, wow. They're just sending me some breaking news. Are you ready for this?
- [44:22]
Jovan Buha
Sure.
- [44:22]
Jason McIntyre
It's not Lakers related. The Knicks are expected to land Mike Brown as the next head coach of the franchise.
- [44:29]
Jovan Buha
Wow.
- [44:30]
Jason McIntyre
So not a huge surprise. We'll come back to the Knicks.
- [44:32]
Jovan Buha
He was the favorite.
- [44:32]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, he was a favorite. So if the Lakers don't get Ayton and then Al Horford, is there anyone else out there? I Can't. I mean, Luke Cornett got way too much money. He would have been the starting center of the Lakers.
- [44:44]
Jovan Buha
Yeah, I mean, Jackson Hayes is still out there. Alex Lennon. Can I, can I, can I sell you. There's Precious Achua from New York, who's an interesting name. Yeah. So, but, but I think at that point they have to pivot and make a trade. Really at that.
- [45:00]
Jason McIntyre
Like, but who do they have to trade? Rui or Austin Reeves?
- [45:03]
Jovan Buha
Depends on the salary for the player. Like a guy like Walker Kessler, who they want. They're not, I don't think they're getting Walker Kessler, but like that he's on a rookie scale contract. So you could do something like the, the Mark Williams package of Dalton. Connect a first, a swap, something like that where you're not really giving up much in salary and you're trading a bench player for a starter. So like that's probably the optimal trade.
- [45:26]
Jason McIntyre
Oh, if they could get Walker Kessler for Delta.
- [45:29]
Jovan Buha
I don't think they're getting Walker Kessler, but that's, you know, could they get a Nick Claxton from Brooklyn? Could they get a Gafford from Dallas? Circle the block.
- [45:37]
Jason McIntyre
Let's quickly talk about Dallas. So. And there's a LeBron. There's so much stuff. Yeah, I want to actually, I'm sorry, let me go back to Jake Laravia.
- [45:45]
Jovan Buha
Okay.
- [45:45]
Jason McIntyre
A lot of Laker fans are outraged and there's all these memes around. What the hell is it? Jake Laravia. But you told me something that I hadn't seen online about Jake Laravia. What's the connection to the Lakers?
- [45:57]
Jovan Buha
Shares an agency with Austin Reaves and he actually did a interview this summer and at the end of the interview he pans and he's in the car with Austin Reaves. So they were spending some time together this offseason. So assuming Austin put on his recruiting hat and told him about his experience in LA and what it's like to be a Laker, and that was a selling point for sure. But I will say I've been in the lab diving into the Jake Laravia film and it's impressive for a 23 year old. Here we go, here we go. Look, this is. The guy's a former first round pick from. He's played three years and he played in Memphis and Sacramento. So he's not a household name. He's playing in two small markets that don't get a lot of attention. He was a bench player, but they're counting on him to in some ways be The Dorian Finney Smith replacement. And like watching his film, I have a film breakdown coming out on my YouTube channel later. And like he's guarding Jokic and he's doing the Caruso of fronting him, deflecting entry passes. He's switching on to Tatum and Kawhi. I think people look at him and they don't expect him to be good defensively, but he is actually pretty good against wings and then 43% three point shooter last year. So like I think he can actually do some things for them. And $6 million like we're talking about, you know, not even half the mid level. Like I think that's pretty good value.
- [47:12]
Jason McIntyre
Okay, so when you said Laravia shares an agent with Reef, I instantly, you know, I'm going next step. They're not trading Austin Reeves. He's sticking around you. You don't do that move with Reeves's agent. You clearly like the agent and you trust him and you like Reeves and the work ethic for Laravia. So they're not moving off Austin Reeves. Can we just put that to bed or no?
- [47:31]
Jovan Buha
I think so for this summer, of course we'll see how next season goes. And now there's this talk of them having this 2027 plan and trying to keep the cap sheet flexibility to go get a second superstar in the summer of 2027 or maybe trade for one going into that summer. So I think depending on how this next season goes with him, how he fares in the playoffs and then also what type of contract he gets, I think all those are factors that could determine whether he ultimately gets traded at some point in the future. But for this summer, they've been telegraphing it like they've called him a pillar of the franchise. They offered him the max contract extension that they could. It was below market value so he didn't take it. But I think he is someone who is going to be a part of the Lakers for at least next season and then we'll see ultimately with the next contract.
- [48:16]
Jason McIntyre
Okay, so let's go to the breaking news here. So the Knicks move off Tibbs last month and now bring in Mike Brown. I'll bring it to LeBron in a second. First of all, I'm curious, do you think Mike Brown is an upgrade over Thibodeau?
- [48:30]
Jovan Buha
I think it's close. I think from a personality perspective he is and that's always the variable here that is hard to quantify of just tibs can be grading on people. Like we have enough of sample size of that. Some players just don't mesh well with that. And I think that old school style of coaching has kind of gone away in the NBA. So I think from a personality perspective especially going to feels like Golden State is the place as a retread head coach. You want to go to join that assistant coaching staff and learn from Steve Kerr kind of the modern way of coaching, which I think is a more player friendly approach. So I think from that perspective he will be in terms of X's and O's defense like Tibbs is pretty good in that regard. I think he'll play a deeper rotation, so I think that's probably upgrade. But sometimes you just need a new voice. Tibbs was there for five years and does feel like with the coaching cycle now guys get three to five years and you got to try to maximize that.
- [49:22]
Jason McIntyre
So I'll ask you about Mike Brown dating back to his early LeBron days. Can you really judge Mike Brown from coaching? LeBron won 50 games, 150, lost in the conference finals, 160. Like I don't really count that. So then you've got one year with the Lakers and then he got fired the next year fight like five games in and then he was pretty good in Sacramento. I don't really know, but what some of my Knicks friends are saying, Jay, there's one potential landing spot for LeBron and that could be the New York Knicks. The Cavs would probably have to give up too much. Mike Brown knows LeBron. What, what, what about LeBron getting traded to the Knicks for an OG? Mitchell, Robinson, whatever. Do you think there's any world where LeBron gets traded?
- [50:07]
Jovan Buha
I think there's a world, but I think it's. I would put the odds very low right now. I mean he has not asked for a trade. There's been no discussion between Rich Paul and the Lakers about a potential trade. It's hard to look at that statement and not read into it and then see the subsequent actions by the Lakers of not retaining Dorian, Finney Smith and then signing a 23 year old and Jake Laravia, then having this report come out that they're looking at 2027 as the summer to really get that second star build around Luka. So the moves they're making are trending in a younger short term window and not necessarily win now maximize LeBron's 23rd season, maximize LeBron's potential 24th season. So if I'm LeBron and I think they kind of put it out in statement like it's been a good partnership. They've had seven Years together. He won a championship. He benefited from the Lakers brand. They benefited from him coming there, bringing AD there, winning a championship. So, like, it's been a mutually beneficial partnership. I just think at this point, if you're LeBron, it's hard to like, I think right now they're probably the fifth best team in the west. And that's not a spot that LeBron.
- [51:14]
Jason McIntyre
Let me guess, Houston, Denver, Okc. Who's the other one?
- [51:17]
Jovan Buha
Minnesota. Back to back conference finals. I mean, they lost. Na, but that's a big loss. It is a big loss, but I mean, I think that they just beat the Lakers in five. And you could argue the Lakers are currently worse than they were.
- [51:29]
Jason McIntyre
I thought you were gonna say Golden State.
- [51:30]
Jovan Buha
I mean, Golden State's in the mix. The Clippers in the mix. I really like the Brook Lopez signing for them. So the west is tough. And then you got Dallas just looming.
- [51:37]
Jason McIntyre
So Dallas. So of these, you see on the screen, four teams have inquired about LeBron. Everybody says it's Dallas after the Luca trade. I cannot envision a world where they're doing another deal.
- [51:47]
Jovan Buha
I'm part of the everybody because I put it out there. Like I heard over the last couple of weeks that if LeBron asked out, which is an if.
- [51:54]
Unknown
Right.
- [51:55]
Jovan Buha
That Dallas would be among the team.
- [51:57]
Jason McIntyre
That would be on his trade. Let's just, just humor me. Who the hell are they getting for? For LeBron?
- [52:02]
Jovan Buha
They're not a bit on the trade machine.
- [52:04]
Unknown
So they're not giving up.
- [52:04]
Jason McIntyre
Cooper flag.
- [52:05]
Jovan Buha
No. So I think Cooper flag 80. Kyrie, Derek Lively, those four are off the table.
- [52:10]
Jason McIntyre
Can't get lively.
- [52:11]
Jovan Buha
I don't think so.
- [52:12]
Jason McIntyre
I mean, maybe, but Thompson.
- [52:15]
Jovan Buha
Yeah, I think it's Gafford, P.J. washington, Klay Thompson, Max Christie. That those four work financially? I don't even throw picks from. You throw in a pick.
- [52:23]
Jason McIntyre
No, I don't want picks. They're gonna be good.
- [52:24]
Jovan Buha
You could get the Laker Lakers could get their pick back from the Luca trade. Potentially.
- [52:29]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. Can I get super Max Christie back?
- [52:31]
Jovan Buha
No, I, I. Yeah, I mean, it's, it's. Yeah.
- [52:33]
Jason McIntyre
So Dallas is one, Cleveland is another.
- [52:36]
Jovan Buha
And it just their second apron team. So that's. It gets tricky.
- [52:40]
Jason McIntyre
Did you see the instagram today of LeBron in Ohio playing golf wearing a hat that says welcome home?
- [52:47]
Jovan Buha
Yeah.
- [52:48]
Jason McIntyre
Okay, go ahead, give me your thoughts on it. Because he loves to play these games.
- [52:52]
Jovan Buha
He does.
- [52:53]
Jason McIntyre
From the statement from Rich Paul. The Lakers seem to counter with their own 2027. And now LeBron countering with his welcome Home par for the course. Haha. Golf analogy or is there something more here?
- [53:04]
Jovan Buha
I think there's a little bit more here. Just because the finish line is in sight. Right. So again, going back to LeBron, like, because LeBron has done this before, right.
- [53:12]
Jason McIntyre
He.
- [53:12]
Jovan Buha
He's at various points of his career, held his team to their feet, to the fire with the one plus ones and some of the cryptic things he'll do. And he wants to the Cleveland playoff game and like. So there's been a little bit of smoke with that. Right. But it's different to actually ask out. Right. And demand a trade. He's never been traded. I think that's been a point of pride for him that he, you know, look at. Even though he's bounced around a little bit, it's always been him making the decision, him being the driving force behind it. He's never been traded, which not every star, especially stars that have been on multiple teams, can say. So I think that's a point of pride. But again, the finish line's in sight. It's one year left. It's maybe two years, three years. If he really wanted to stretch it out and if he wants to get that fifth ring, you could argue there are several teams that would make more sense.
- [54:02]
Jason McIntyre
Are you tossing like, Atlanta, Detroit or any.
- [54:04]
Jovan Buha
I think it has to be a big market. I don't see because people have floated Denver, which now it's a little trickier. Like, I think MPJ would have had to have been the salary, and they just trade for Cam Johnson. But that one, I'm just like, I don't see LeBron living in Denver and playing for Denver, I think. So that's why the four I mentioned on my show were Golden State, New York, Cleveland, Dallas. Cleveland's the one small market, but that's obviously home. And you got the homecoming narrative for the second time. But then Dallas, Golden State, New York are all big market teams.
- [54:34]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. All right, let's go from LeBron to Luka Doncic. So I opened the show defending Luka. The disrespect is getting a little out of control.
- [54:41]
Jovan Buha
Yeah.
- [54:42]
Jason McIntyre
Have you heard the Avery Johnson sound? No, about. He was asked who would you rather have Cooper flag or Luka Doncic? I think we could play it for you. Here it. Here's Avery Johnson. Man, give me Cooper flag. Really? Cooper flag in this team? Yeah, give me Cooper flag, man. You're talking about a team when they're healthy. Got three future hall of Famers with Kyrie Ad and Klay Thompson. So this is really exciting. The Mavericks, their future is bright, but they have a window when they're healthy of the next two to three years with this roster as currently constructed. Okay, listen, Avery Johnson is a smart guy. He probably knows more basketball than you and I combined.
- [55:26]
Jovan Buha
Yeah.
- [55:27]
Jason McIntyre
This is just crazy. This is bat poop crazy.
- [55:31]
Jovan Buha
Yes, correct. Correct.
- [55:33]
Jason McIntyre
Why are people waiting on Luca? Like, one bad season. And by the way, hey, if he had rushed back from his Catholic Nico Harrison wanted, would he be Tyrese Halliburton now? I don't know.
- [55:44]
Jovan Buha
Yeah. I mean, maybe it's the jersey he's wearing now. I think that comes with some extra criticism sometimes. I mean, I do think the way, like, I think some of the stuff that came out from the Dallas side has been taken as gospel, right? With the conditioning and their concerns. And it almost was like, we cannot believe that this trade is real. So we have to validate anything that's coming from their side to even make it, like, plausible that they would consider trading Luka. And now, of course, Nico still gotten his fair share of jokes, and he's been roasted and, you know, will probably be roasted forever. But I think there has been, like, a tarnishing of Luka and his image and just his status in the league because I think for a lot of people, he was, like, a top two or top three player pre Lakers trade. Now he's being talked about in, like, top five, top seven, top ten. He's flipping.
- [56:38]
Jason McIntyre
Would you take SGA over Luka going forward right now?
- [56:41]
Jovan Buha
I think you asked me this last.
- [56:42]
Jason McIntyre
Time I was on again, because he's now finals mvp.
- [56:44]
Jovan Buha
I think I would.
- [56:45]
Jason McIntyre
Oh, come on. But.
- [56:46]
Jovan Buha
But more so, it's more the defense. I think that, like, that's. I think that's the real knock on Luka is, like, you have to build a particular lineup. And now we have the proof of concept with SGA of, like. I think previously I had some concerns. Could SGA be the best player? We hadn't seen it yet. Like, that was one thing we had discussed of, you know, talking about, like, him versus Harden. It was like, can he get over that hump? Can he get to the finals? Can he win a championship? He did it, and he was awesome. And so I. I think, like, for now, I think Shay deserves his props. Mvp. Finals mvp. I think both were deserved. But, you know, I think I'll say it's close. Like, I think Luka's probably the third or fourth best player. It's right there with Giannis.
- [57:27]
Jason McIntyre
So I was gonna. I was gonna ask you this but now probably hurts your chances. So your background is Eastern European.
- [57:33]
Jovan Buha
Right?
- [57:33]
Jason McIntyre
Because I follow, you know, in Serbian stuff. Right. What's Luca's background?
- [57:37]
Jovan Buha
He's Slovenian, but they're his, they're close Balkan region, former Yugoslavia. And then his dad has some Serbian roots.
- [57:45]
Jason McIntyre
When he's going back this summer. Are you headed back there to maybe connect with Luca?
- [57:50]
Jovan Buha
So he is actually going to be in Serbia in August. They're playing a friendly against Serbia and we were actually talking about it at the end of the season, Luka and I, after the Lakers were eliminated. We're walking to.
- [58:00]
Jason McIntyre
Was that in a different language or.
- [58:02]
Jovan Buha
No, we were talking in English. We have done a little talk in Serbia. I speak a little bit. I wish I spoke fluently, but yeah, walk into the, walk into the car area. You know, doing the sidling. We were chatting and I was saying might be going this summer and he was saying when he was going to be there. So maybe it's, it's TBD right now.
- [58:18]
Jason McIntyre
Now. Well, it would have chances to say of course, Luca over sga.
- [58:22]
Jovan Buha
Yeah.
- [58:23]
Jason McIntyre
Welcome you into.
- [58:23]
Jovan Buha
No, I mean I've spoken very highly of Luca. I, I, you know, I think he's again, I think Luca over Cooper flag. 10 out of 10 times. Obviously like we'll, we'll see with Flag.
- [58:33]
Unknown
Right.
- [58:33]
Jovan Buha
He could develop into that type of player. But I think Luca is clearly the engine of. You could win a title with him as your best player. Your number one option. Cooper Flag. I think like maybe he's more of a number two but could be because he could do so many other things and he's like a defensive player of the year type defender. Like I don't know, more like a Kevin Garnett or something like that where you know, I don't know if he's the number one option but he can do so many other things that it makes up for it.
- [58:59]
Jason McIntyre
All right, last one. I thought the Lakers would be in the mix to get some not ring chasers but. Oh damn, I could play with Luca and LeBron and then I see like Tim Hardaway's going to the Nuggets. I mean that's gotta hurt, right? Those guys could have been huge for, for the Lakers to get just shooters.
- [59:14]
Jovan Buha
Yeah. So with that I would say right now there's just the hold up with the Ayton situation and what they do with their non taxpayer MLE. They have the biannual exception. 5.1 million. So I think there are going to be some guys that Chris Paul, I don't Think he's probably going to Lakers. It seems more like the Clippers but.
- [59:30]
Jason McIntyre
Oh gosh Chris, what the hell.
- [59:32]
Jovan Buha
But like D Anthony Melton is a name I like who a former Wasn't he hurt last year Trojan? Yeah, he tore his ACL last year so that's the reason why he's available but is a defensive energy guard I think a good guard off the bench. Gary Payton II is still out there. Amir Coffey, clipper benchwing who is athletic score so like there's some names that I think the Lake you know Lakers could sign depending on what they have available but I think you'll see them get like right now it's just being held up by once they have the clarity with eight and then they'll move forward.
- [60:05]
Jason McIntyre
Hot. Super hot take just hit me. Why the hell not? Celtics don't have Tatum next year. It would never happen. But what if there was a hey, Jaylen Brown, we let's get him off our books. We'll take LeBron for a year. He could do his victory lap with the Celtics lead us to I don't know what in the east. And you guys can have Jalen Brown because they're not going to be able to pay Tatum and Brown 65 million each and build a team. That's pretty clear. Any shot the Celtics get involved for LeBron.
- [60:32]
Jovan Buha
I think LeBron would rather retire and play for the Celtics.
- [60:37]
Jason McIntyre
Well said, yo.
- [60:38]
Jovan Buha
And he's got the no trade clause. So he would block it.
- [60:40]
Jason McIntyre
He could mix it.
- [60:41]
Jovan Buha
All right.
- [60:41]
Jason McIntyre
I had to fire it out. Why not?
- [60:43]
Alex Curry
Okay. Have you heard about this? Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant and their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back. And Degree listened to that doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and they're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason it's the number one men's antiperspirant. And it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under four bucks. So try and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart or Target to try the OG Degree Cool Rush for yourself.
- [61:15]
Unknown
On the latest episode of Next Question with me, Katie Couric. I sat down with Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas. She's holding down the fort for her.
- [61:25]
Jason McIntyre
Party in one of the most conservative.
- [61:27]
Unknown
States in the union.
- [61:28]
Jason McIntyre
I think that ultimately who will become the Democratic nominee for president will be someone that has been out there and has shown that they won't allow themselves to be punched and just say thank you like they will punch back.
- [61:42]
Unknown
Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [61:51]
Jovan Buha
I know a lot of cops.
- [61:52]
Jason McIntyre
They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where.
- [62:00]
Jovan Buha
The answer will always be no.
- [62:03]
Jason McIntyre
This is Absolute Season one Taser Incorporated.
- [62:07]
Landon Donovan
I get right back there and it's bad.
- [62:10]
Jason McIntyre
Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
- [62:14]
Jovan Buha
On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or.
- [62:16]
Jason McIntyre
Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [62:21]
Unknown
Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free.
- [62:28]
Jason McIntyre
I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be.
- [62:30]
Unknown
Sharing all new anonymous stories that would.
- [62:33]
Jason McIntyre
Challenge your perceptions and give you new.
- [62:35]
Unknown
Insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to.
- [62:40]
Jason McIntyre
Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the iHeartra radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. This is an I Heart podcast.