Best of The Herd

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Best of The Herd Summary
Release Date: February 25, 2025

Introduction

In the "Best of The Herd" episode, host Colin Cowherd, along with co-hosts Chris Finch and J. Mac, navigates through a series of pivotal sports topics, offering their seasoned opinions and in-depth analyses. This episode distills key discussions surrounding major trades, league dynamics, player performances, and the evolving landscape of various sports leagues, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the current sports milieu.

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1. Luka Dončić's Move to the Los Angeles Lakers

The episode kicks off with an intense focus on Luka Dončić's unexpected trade to the Los Angeles Lakers and its ramifications for both the Mavericks and the Lakers.

• Colin Cowherd highlights the precarious situation of the Dallas Mavericks, noting, “[06:47]... Tonight is a spectacle.” He underscores the potential chaos stemming from multiple injuries among the Mavericks' bigs, suggesting that Dončić's performance will be central to the game's outcome.

• J. Mac expresses a nuanced perspective, stating, “[07:21]... I'll never be a Lakers fan, but it will always be a Luka fan,” emphasizing his support for Dončić despite the trade's complexities.

• Cowherd further elaborates on Dončić’s potential longevity and strategic importance within the Western Conference, asserting, “Luka could be keeping Dallas because I actually like Dallas's roster, Kyrie, their size, their coach.”

Notable Quote:

Colin Cowherd [07:21]: “I'll never be a Lakers fan, but it will always be a Luka fan.”

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2. NFL Mock Draft and Shador Sanders' Prospects

The discussion transitions to the NFL mock draft, with a particular focus on Shador Sanders, projected to be selected seventh by the New York Jets.

• Cowherd commends Sanders' resilience, comparing his collegiate challenges to those faced by past NFL quarterbacks. He states, “[07:52]... Shador Sanders has had to manufacture offense. And that's what happens in the NFL, even if you're Patrick Mahomes.”

• **He emphasizes the competitive environment and salary constraints that top-tier quarterbacks encounter in the NFL, highlighting the strategic considerations teams must navigate during trades and drafts.

Notable Quote:

Colin Cowherd [07:52]: “Shador Sanders has had to manufacture offense. And that's what happens in the NFL, even if you're Patrick Mahomes.”

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3. NBA Ratings Decline and Channing Fry's Critique

A substantial portion of the episode delves into the current state of the NBA, particularly addressing declining television ratings and criticisms from sports commentator Channing Fry.

• Channing Fry’s perspective is introduced as he argues that nostalgia for the 90s is stifling the NBA’s growth. He remarks, “[20:12]... Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The 90s basketball, Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was... All this superstar era is over.”

• Cowherd counters Fry's viewpoint by discussing the evolving nature of sports consumption and the NBA's adaptation to modern viewing habits. He notes, “[21:05]... The NBA is part gossip, infighting, drama, rumors...”

• The hosts debate potential solutions to rejuvenate the NBA’s appeal, including modifying playoff structures and recalibrating three-point shot strategies to align with contemporary analytics.

Notable Quotes:

Channing Fry [20:12]: “Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The 90s basketball, Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was...”
Colin Cowherd [21:05]: “The NBA is part gossip, infighting, drama, rumors...”

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4. Evolution of College Football and NFL Comparisons

The conversation shifts to the transformation within college football, drawing parallels to the NFL’s structure and operational strategies.

• Cowherd advocates for adopting NFL-like elements in college football, such as a more defined playoff system and enhanced free agency options. He asserts, “[32:12]... College football's far behind and outdated, it has to make some seismic moves.”

• The hosts discuss the necessity for college football to modernize to maintain and grow its audience, emphasizing the importance of strategic adaptations in coaching and management.

Notable Quote:

Colin Cowherd [32:12]: “College football's far behind and outdated, it has to make some seismic moves.”

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5. Player Management and Coaching Strategies in the NBA

Delving deeper into NBA team dynamics, the episode examines coaching strategies, particularly focusing on integrating players like Julius Randle and managing star athletes.

• Chris Finch, the coach, discusses the challenges of balancing player roles and maintaining team chemistry. He explains, “[44:32]... It's a very tough mental, you know, trap that you have to fight through with your players because you want to be able to match physicality.”

• The discussion highlights the delicate interplay between star players’ egos and the broader team objectives, underscoring the importance of strategic player utilization and mental toughness.

Notable Quote:

Chris Finch [44:32]: “It's a very tough mental, you know, trap that you have to fight through with your players because you want to be able to match physicality.”

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6. NBA’s Future and Potential Solutions for Declining Engagement

Exploring the NBA’s trajectory, the hosts propose several measures to enhance fan engagement and improve the league’s standing.

• Cowherd suggests reducing the number of games to increase the significance of each match, stating, “[51:13]... Maybe they just go away from the game even and just have more events with more player interactivity with the fans.”

• Chris Finch echoes the idea of refining the schedule to spotlight marquee matchups and reduce viewer fatigue, emphasizing the importance of quality over quantity in game broadcasting.

Notable Quote:

Colin Cowherd [51:13]: “Maybe they just go away from the game even and just have more events with more player interactivity with the fans.”

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7. Addressing Load Management and Player Criticism

The episode addresses the controversial topics of load management and the media’s role in player criticism, particularly in the NBA.

• Cowherd critiques the inconsistency in media coverage between different sports, mentioning, “[40:38]... We crush quarterbacks. It's part of the game... Why can't NBA stars be crushed?”

• J. Mac agrees, highlighting the selective criticism towards NBA players like Anthony Edwards, and the undue pressure placed on them compared to athletes in other leagues.

Notable Quotes:

Colin Cowherd [40:38]: “We crush quarterbacks. It's part of the game... Why can't NBA stars be crushed?”
J. Mac [41:24]: “I think they are getting crushed by one show.”

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8. Integrating Star Players and Team Synergy

Discussing the synergy between star players within teams, the hosts analyze the dynamic between Luka Dončić and LeBron James, among others.

• Cowherd raises questions about the distribution of playmaking responsibilities, noting, “[51:35]... Could you relate to people... I'm a little jealous, but I'm going to sit back and watch.”

• Chris Finch responds by emphasizing the importance of clarity in team roles and mutual understanding among players, stating, “[53:32]... He makes the right play.”

Notable Quote:

Chris Finch [53:32]: “He makes the right play.”

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Conclusion

The "Best of The Herd" episode encapsulates a wide array of sports discussions, from high-profile trades and draft analyses to critical evaluations of league structures and media practices. Colin Cowherd and his co-hosts provide a balanced mix of critique and optimism, encouraging sports leagues to adapt and evolve in response to changing audience dynamics and internal challenges. Their candid conversations offer valuable insights for sports enthusiasts looking to stay informed about the intricate workings of their favorite leagues and players.

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Notable Quotes Recap

• Colin Cowherd [07:21]: “I'll never be a Lakers fan, but it will always be a Luka fan.”
• Channing Fry [20:12]: “Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The 90s basketball, Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was...”
• Colin Cowherd [07:52]: “Shador Sanders has had to manufacture offense. And that's what happens in the NFL...”
• Chris Finch [44:32]: “It's a very tough mental, you know, trap that you have to fight through with your players because you want to be able to match physicality.”
• Colin Cowherd [51:13]: “Maybe they just go away from the game even and just have more events with more player interactivity with the fans.”
• Colin Cowherd [40:38]: “We crush quarterbacks. It's part of the game... Why can't NBA stars be crushed?”
• Chris Finch [53:32]: “He makes the right play.”

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the "Best of The Herd" episode, highlighting key discussions, insights, and the hosts' perspectives on various sports-related topics.

Transcript

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[Chris Finch]

This is the Best of the Herd.

[Colin Cowherd]

With Colin Cowher on Fox. Here we go. It is a Tuesday. Live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Tonight is the night. Tonight is the night. Luka Dontich, the newest Laker in Los Angeles and the team that traded him away. Shockingly, the Dallas Mavericks limp into town with all their bigs injured. This has the potential to get really ugly. J. Mac is going to this one. I'll be locked on a tv, smoking a stove, maybe knocking down a gin and soda, checking out what will be a spectacle in Los Angeles tonight. And this is a city over the last several years. Between Mookie Betts and Freeman and Shohei Ohtani and Lincoln Riley and Jim Harbaugh. A lot of stars coming to town. J Mac tonight is going to be interesting. So Luka Dontich at home hosting the Mavs. You're going to officially see how awful this trade was. Luka is going to be inspired. He's going to be ticked off and J.J. redick and LeBron James are going to make sure he eats. They're going to feed him the ball all night. This is going to be the New York Giants against Saquon Barkley. This is going to be dinner with your ex and she upgraded. You're going to be wondering if you're Dallas. What was I thinking? Where did it all go wrong? It sets up to be a bloodbath potentially because Dallas, all their bigs are hurt. So Luke is going to score any way he wants. And I said this, if the Mavericks would have gotten Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and three first round picks, I still wouldn't have made the deal. But I, but I could. I, you know, he's hurt, conditioning. Maybe I'd sleep a little better at night. But giving him away for one pick for Anthony Davis and he is not 26 years old yet. He's got two more days to be 25. And here's the thing, the thing I'm thinking about this morning. Yes, Saquon Barkley to the Eagles was a huge gaffe by Joe Shane, the Giants gm. But Saquon Barkley's a running back. They don't last forever. 32 years old, they can be out of the game. 33 years old, they retire soon. So you don't have to sit and Watch this forever. Luke is 25. If he gets the conditioning right, he could be dropping 33 points a night for the next 14 years. And the other thing, he's in the Western Conference. So Luka could be keeping Dallas because I actually like Dallas roster, ad, Kyrie, their size, their coach. I actually like Dallas's roster. But there's a real opportunity here for the Lakers to bounce the Mavericks out for years. And this is a player that is just in two days turning 26. So years ago, about 15 straight years out of college, I used to have a dream that haunted me, and it may have lasted 20 years. And this thing woke me up in a sweat about three times a month. I had this dream that I was going to take a college final and I wasn't prepared. And I had this dream all the time. And just think about it this way. Luca is advanced calculus and the Mavericks, Nico Harrison is going to spend the next 12 to 13 years waking up at least two to three times a month in a sweat. That's why if you're going to trade Luca, you got to get assets, you got to get ammo, you got to get him out of your conference. He can't get in the way of keeping you from trophies. So tonight's the night. Dirk Nowitzki, previously in Dallas, their greatest player ever. He'll be here tonight. And he has been in LA several times to support Luca.

[Chris Finch]

I felt a little disappointed and sad for him. You know, I think he obviously didn't see this coming. So he invited me to come out to his first game in la and I felt like I had to support him. It was reported that he was pretty obviously down and disappointed how it went down. And so I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to be there for his family and. And show support. It was weird. It was surreal to see him play for the Lakers. And so at the end of the day, I mean, I'll never be a Lakers fan, but it was always be a Luka fan.

[Colin Cowherd]

Tonight is a spectacle. We've been lucky in Los Angeles. We've just had big coaches and, you know, Stafford to town and Harbaugh to town and Shohei moves up the i5. And here comes Freddie Freeman from Atlanta. And here comes Mookie Betts. And now it's Luca in our lap and facing his Mavericks hobbling into town tonight. Can't wait. So Mel Kuiper, maybe you've heard of him, has a big mock draft and he released it today. And a lot of people are surprised that Shadour Sanders. Who? People. You know, during the college football season, many people speculated he'd go number one. He's going number seven in the mock draft of the New York Jets. And I was thinking about this this morning. That's about where he should go. I think he's a good B plus prospect. I think he's a good kid. He's accurate. But my favorite part about Shador Sanders is not. It's not that his dad is Dion. It's not that he was one of the first guys that made Big Nil money. Actually, my favorite part isn't his strength. He's really accurate. You want to know my favorite part of Shador Sanders? The last two years he has been the most sacked college quarterback out of every single Power 5 school. Oh, it gets worse. In the last two years, he had the worst running game of any other quarterback in Power 5 conferences. This is Andy Du Frain escaping from Shawshank. This kid has been through a tunnel, okay? This kid has swam through a tunnel. You know what? And there's a reason that there aren't a lot of great Ohio State quarterbacks in the NFL and not a lot of great Notre Dame quarterbacks, USC quarterbacks, Texas quarterbacks, Georgia quarterbacks. Why is that? Why is that? Yet Cal, the Golden Bears have given us Goff and Aaron Rodgers. North Carolina State gave us Philip Rivers, gave us Russell Wilson. Eastern Illinois gave us Garoppolo and Tony Romo. Why is that? Josh Allen's from Wyoming. Patrick Mahomes is from Texas Tech. Lamar Jackson from a basketball school, Louisville. Why is that? It's because of what Shador Sanders faced, a tunnel of crap. Is that the reality is when you go to an Ohio State, you take a three strip, three step drop, hit a receiver, a five star receiver on a drag route. He goes for 48 yards. It's easy living. Go back to Matt Leinert at USC. How many times was he sacked? I mean, one time, one year, it was 11 times. It's not a real life that you'll face in the NFL, especially if you're a top 10 lottery pick. You go to bad teams and battle lines and bad receivers and often really bad coaches. That is why Big Ben didn't go to Ohio State. He was overlooked by them. Miami of Ohio, Drew Brees didn't go to Texas. He was overlooked by them. He went to Purdue, Mahomes, all those guys from Cal. Shador Sanders has had to manufacture offense. And that's what happens in the NFL, even if you're Patrick Mahomes, because You make so much money, you don't have an elite offensive left tackle. And you have to manufacture stuff because you have to let Tyreek Hill go. Philadelphia is an outlier. They pay the quarterback and they're loaded. The reality is, in the NFL, if you're a top 10 quarterback, you usually go to a lousy roster or a really bad smell in the organization. And then once you do get paid, you're going to be limited on actually what they can put around you. I mean, that's the downside to being a lottery pick. But Shador Sanders, the most sacked quarterback, the worst running game. This kid's ready for it. It's not that his dad's Dion. It's not that he was the first nil star or second. It's not that he's really accurate. He's lived a real life in the NFL. I mean, Caleb Williams, high school and college, everything was easy. He goes to Chicago. That's a real life. The coach, the coordinators, the roster, your O line, the media is not in your corner. So I look at Shador Sanders and I looked it up this morning, and he's seventh in Mel Kuiper's draft. That's exactly. That's exact. By the way, if you look at the top seven teams in the NFL draft, I could argue the jets have the best roster going to fall a little. Oh, they got a number one receiver and a number one back and they have a left tackle from Penn State and they've got maybe the best corner or second best corner in the league. And they've got a top linebacker. Now they got a new coaching staff. But I would argue falling in the draft of the jets, it's a better roster than Tennessee or the Giants or Cleveland or the Raiders. So I looked up the composite rankings of Colorado that Shadour Sanders played with. It was even with byu, SMU and Arizona State. And there are two quarterbacks in this draft that are ready to play day one, Cam Ward and Shador Sanders. And the biggest reason is he's lived a real NFL life, running for his life with no running game for two years and having to manufacture offense. J Mac, you are very fired up. I would ask you where you got your tickets. Hopefully you had to pay for them. You didn't get freebies, so you can relate to people. But you are going to the game tonight and I'm a little jealous, but I'm going to sit back, watch. And my guess is luka goes for 44. 44. Well, they don't have any rim Protection. Dallas's bigs are all hurt. But the other thing is, you know, JJ Redick and LeBron James are going to feed him the ball for 40 minutes. He is going to get the ball. They're going to initiate offense. This is going to be one of those, you know, you just do guys a solid. It's almost like when LeBron would play Cleveland in Miami. It's like we're going to make sure we get him the ball. We're going to make sure it's a solid.

[J. Mac]

Yeah. You think he's maybe dieting today? A little intermittent fasting, not eating, A little look a little slimmer to just shove it in the face of the mask. Boy, it's tough to be a Dallas Mavericks fan right now. How about a Dallas sports fan right now? Colin Cowboys are in turmoil.

[Colin Cowherd]

I was in Chicago this weekend and I was talking to a couple of Chicago sports fans. They are going through. People in Los Angeles are spoiled. We are. I mean, I mean there's been about an eight year run. I mean, think of our football coaches. We've had Chip Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McVay. Our quarterbacks would have been Caleb Williams, Matt Stafford, Jared Goff got shipped out of town. He wasn't good enough. And Justin Herbert. Not.

[J. Mac]

Not bad.

[Colin Cowherd]

No. So it's. And all of a sudden Luca falls in the lap of the Lakers. So it is. Tonight's going to be a big night in LA. Huge. Massive.

[J. Mac]

I'll go triple double for Luca. 32 point triple double.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd.

[Chris Finch]

Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Chris Finch]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Chris Finch]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Colin Cowherd]

The five families did not want us.

[Chris Finch]

To shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title and on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birthday. From start to finish, this is really.

[Chris Finch]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Nathan King]

We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's nonsense.

[Nathan King]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened and they said we're finished, this is over.

[Colin Cowherd]

It only is not going to work. You got to get rid of those guys.

[American Express Representative]

It's a disaster.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Chris Finch]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your.

[Colin Cowherd]

Podcasts is that you've seen everything like four times and that you tend not to overreact to stuff and you realize that sports is very cyclical and let me just give you an advantage. Boxing used to be a much bigger deal, but it was poorly run. UFC was brilliantly run by Dana White and the Fertitta family. UFC killed boxing. It'll never return. Horse racing used to be bigger. Too many controversies. Tennis just went through a 20 year run of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, maybe the three best players ever. Men's tennis will never duplicate that again. That will never happen. Sometimes great happens. Tiger woods in golf, literally. The Sopranos, the NFL and Tiger Woods. The only thing that got me to a TV on Sunday, I would race home to see Tiger Woods. If I did stuff in the morning on a Saturday or a Sunday, I've never done that in my entire life. There'll be no more Tigers. I mean, I love Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka. I like all of them. It's not Tiger Woods. He was a meteor for 10 to 12 years. It's okay. Sports are cyclical. Take the NFL out. It's our English Premier League. We watch it, it's perfect for tv and we bet it like crazy. And many of us played it. Take the English Premier League out. Cricket used to be much bigger in England. It's called their national pastime. It takes four days. Nobody's waiting four days for a result from a sporting event. It's died mostly baseball, up and down. Huge in the 70s, not as big in the 80s. Really quiet for 20 years. And now they've got all the stars lined up in the big markets and they just set ratings and they've sped the game up. There's been a lot of talk about the NBA and it should be noted before I give you this sound bite, they just signed an 11 year, $76 billion billion dollars deal. There's an old saying about the Bible, treat others as you want to be treated. Everything else in it is just commentary. And there's a saying in sports, just get the contract. Everything else is noise. Adam Silver, the owners and the players. 11 years, 76 billion. But there's a lot of critics about the NBA. And Channing Fry, never afraid to have a strong opinion, says this is what's killing the league.

[Channing Fry]

Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The 90s basketball, Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was. Every great player, whether that's Ant, Wemby, Braun, you know, Steph this, that, this, that, you know, they compare them to a month 40 years ago. The rules weren't even the same. Nobody celebrates these new people. So why the would anybody want to be the face of this league? We're gonna get on on every network for not being somebody from 40 years ago. Braun is one of the greatest players ever to play. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players ever to Play. Giannis is one of the great. Jokic. And you know what we do? We talk about Michael Jordan. All this superstar era is over.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, yes, this is true. And TV ratings are down. But I saw this this morning. That basketball this past year had 18 billion views across social media. Far and away the most people are watching it differently. The NBA isn't hockey. I talked about it yesterday, the first time in two years. You know what I'm not talking about on today's show? Hockey. We talk basketball. Every show like mine talks basketball. We played it. If we don't like pro basketball, we used to. If we don't like it now, we still like March Madness. We all shot a ball, Few of us shot a puck. The NBA is part gossip, infighting, drama, rumors. It's like those magazines at the cashier at every grocery store. The NBA is the Kardashians, plus People magazine, plus Us Weekly. Yes, they need to do some tweaking. Like baseball, they're slow to it. They need to shorten the playoff series from seven games in a first rounder to three, five. Make the games more urgent. 82 games feels long. How about 68? How about fine players, seven figures? Suspend them for two and three week periods without pay for load management, which is just egregiously, outrageously nauseating. NFL players play hurt every Sunday in blizzards. You have an ice cream headache and you have to sit out. Give me a break. It's gross. But the good news is the Knicks, the Celtics and the Lakers, the three biggest brands are now all good and they're all ascending. The number one player in this next draft is Cooper Flag from Duke. By the way, this next draft is a domestic draft. Lots of kids from Duke and Carolina. So yes, I think there's too many three point shots. I think they should cap it at maybe 15 or 18 per team. Then no matter where you shoot it, it's worth two points. Yes, I think they should shorten either the season or playoffs. But we talk basketball. They just signed an 11 year, $76 billion deal. If I sell my whole house and I get the bag on it and it goes down when you own it, that's a you problem. I got it. It was nice when I lived in it. They got the bag, they got the contract. Adam Silver's happy, the players are happy, the owners are happy. Do I think NBC overpaid for it? I do. Do I think Amazon overpaid for it? I do. But in the end, this is a sport that we watched it in high school. One of our the best sports movies, arguably, is Hoosiers. We still watch March Madness. Women's basketball has Caitlin Clark, and it's growing. The NBA is well financed. And love it or hate it, like the Kardashians, it's relevant. We talk about it all the time. And yesterday was the first time in two years this show and many others talked hockey, what you want to be in sports. Because everybody knows the NFL is the sun. Everything gets its heat from the NFL. Everything rotates around it. Get the NFL out of here and in England and. And the uk, get the English Premier League out. Everything is second place. So starting in second place, college football, I love it. Baseball on a heater. NBA, at least socially and culturally, very relevant. Yes, we talk too much about Michael Jordan, but Michael Jordan's the greatest basketball player probably ever. Michael Jordan was the coolest. He was the best dressed, he was the best looking. He was the most relentless. He went six for six in the Finals. It's okay. But this idea that we don't talk about Steph. Yeah, we do, all the time. I've done 500 segments on Steph. Well, we don't reward Jokic. He should have won three straight MVPs. He's just kind of a boring player. So was Kareem in his prime. Sometimes Biggs don't want to talk. Shaq's an outlier. The league's fine. Ratings are down. It needs to be tweaked. But when Michael Jordan left, the ratings went down 50%. And it wasn't about politics, it was about they missed Michael. Take the NFL out and look at how cyclical sports is. Boxing's dead. Horse racing's less relevant. Radio is not the water cooler topic it used to be. Soccer is bigger. World cup ratings are huge. Networks, Netflix, Fox, everybody's fighting to get the World Cup. What they're not fighting for is baseball. So everything changes. It's highly cyclical. The English Premier League in the NFL, those are different discussions, and everybody's chasing those. But tennis, men's tennis will never be as big as it was for the last 20 years. And golf will never have another Tiger Woods. That would scare me. The NBA ratings are down on tv, most of it on cable tv. Everything outside of talking Trump is down on cable tv, isn't it? It'll survive. Be sure to catch live editions of.

[Chris Finch]

The Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hey, it's Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe. No Rich, where we you get your podcast and of course on social media. That's Covino and Rich. All right, let's get into it. Virgin Voyages. This isn't just another cruise line. This is redefining what luxury travel means. First off, all in voyage pricing, over $1,000 in value. Wi fi, tips, entertainment, even dining at specialty restaurants. It's all included. No nickel and diming, no hidden fees. It's clear, simple and honestly how it should have always been done. And the cabins? Let's just say they're not your standard hotel on the water deal. They've got private terraces, virgin red hammocks, views of the open sea. It's a reset button for your brain. Now here's what really sets them apart. No kids. That's right, adults only. Everything. Food, entertainment, activities tailored to what you actually want. And the destinations you're looking at the Caribbean this winter and for 2025, 2026, they're hitting places like North America, Iceland, the Mediterranean. It's top tier travel for people who demand the best. Virgin Voyages isn't just a cruise. It's the future of adult vacations. Get on board. Book [e-mail] or contact your travel advisor with Amex.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Chris Finch]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Chris Finch]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[Chris Finch]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Nathan King]

We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's nonsense.

[Nathan King]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[J. Mac]

And they said we're finished, this is over.

[Colin Cowherd]

Not only is not going to work, you gotta get rid of those guys.

[Nathan King]

This is that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Chris Finch]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I'm watching on the video last night I'm watching some AI robot do these amazing things and it's like 90% human. And yet we still have grown men that collect baseball cards. Oh boy. Some of you just love romanticizing the past and I'm just not here for it. Nothing wears me out like Sports Guy reliving the good old days. Yes, you can occasionally bring up Michael Jordan and LeBron James in that debate, but there's so much great right in front of us. And I saw this five major college football programs, usc, Texas, Florida State, Nebraska, Missouri and several others are going to follow. They're canceling their spring game and they should. There's no need for it. Steve Sarkeesian was on with Kay Adams recently and said it's now a pro football format.

[Chris Finch]

Over the last two years we've played 30 games and that's a lot for college football. The development that's needed for these guys to get ready for the fall is a little bit different than it used to be. And so our approach is going to be a little bit more NFL driven, kind of more of an OTA style early on. And as we grow into more of the scrimmage formats in the second half of spring ball that I just don't know. Rolling the ball out, playing the game when we only get 15 practices is the best for us. But I think college football is changing right now and we need to do a great job as coaches of adapting to college football.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes, stop complaining about the nil. Stop complaining about the transfer portal. College football now looks a lot as it should, like pro football. General managers. Yep, everybody's hiring a general manager so a coach doesn't have to figure out the budget, salaries, a playoff format. Computers and sports writers aren't figuring out the national championship. We're not hinging on bad bowl games sponsored by Pop Tarts. The reality is you got to beat three or four great teams down the stretch to be a national champion. That's the way it should be. Now the NFL tweaks every year. College football so far behind and outdated, it has to make some seismic moves. More big games, a real playoff format, real free agency. Bill Belichick is now in college football. Chip Kelly left college, went back to the pros. Why not? They're the same thing. I'll just take the bigger check. There was always this big gap between college and pro football and my take was always why. The reason boxing died. It was potentially a billion dollar business and it was poorly run. College football's attendance and ratings were going down. That's why Fox and ESPN and the NBC stepped in and said, let's make it more NFL. Let's have two major conferences, the PAC 12. The games are empty. There's one or two programs that matter. Let's move the big conferences together. PAC 12. Why don't you join the Big Ten and make one super comfort and let's take Texas, Oklahoma and let's put them into the sec. That's not to say you can't make the playoff from the ACC or the Big 12 of the mountain west. But it's like grown up sports now. Free agency, playoff format, transfer portal. Every. You can either complain about stuff or put your arms around it and go okay, the world's changing. And I'm watching AI robots last night, some of you are collecting baseball cards and you're 49 years old. It's time to stop looking in the rear view mirror. This is the future of college football. Big games, playoff at the end, sometimes playing in bad weather. Physicality rules. I love it. And you know, it's like I watch the Dodgers defer these payments and people are complaining that the Dodgers are deferring payments to Shohei and Mookie Betts. Well, that it's legal. That's a you problem. Grow up. I mean, analytics in sports force old farts out of work. Like NBA people that don't put their arms around the three point shot. Unless you're Gregg Popovich, you get fired. And baseball GMs that don't pay attention to analytics. And now deferring payments, you're going to get fired. So spring football is a relic. It doesn't matter. What about the fans? What about them? Ratings were up this year. What about the fans? 90% of people that love college football do not go to the games. They watch it on television. And TV was better than ever. All right, so J. Mac's been on this heater for a while and I don't agree, but when I ran that clip and we went to a commercial, J. Mac was giddy. So he thinks Channing Fry is basically just taking a shot at Charles Barkley and Shaq on Inside the NBA, who constantly hammer the players. And here was the bike. Is Channing Fry taking a shot at Shaq and Charles?

[Channing Fry]

Nostalgia is killing the NBA. The 90s basketball. Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was. Every great player, whether that's Ant Wemby, Braun, you know, step this, that, this, that. You know, they compare them to a month 40 years ago. The rules weren't even the same. Nobody celebrates these new people. So why the would anybody want to be the face of this league? We're gonna get on on every network for not being somebody from 40 years ago. Braun is one of the greatest players ever to play. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players ever to play. Giannis is one of the great Jokic. And you know, we do we talk about Michael Jordan. All this superstar era is over.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so let me start with this. We don't celebrate LeBron James. We haven't celebrated Steph Curry. And Kevin Durant, of course we've celebrated him. But the bigger picture with Barkley. So I've always felt this NFL media is tough. NFL Media criticizes rookies, they criticize coaches, they criticize players. It's very similar to the way the media in the UK treats the English Premier League. It's vicious. And our football media is grown ups and they're tough and they hammer everybody. Our basketball media, college and pro, is very soft and. And overwhelmingly tries to curry favor with the stars. Barkley is the only. Barkley and Shaq and that show are the only show that holds players and load management accountable. By and large, the NBA media, because everybody's trying to curry favor with, you know, Rich Paul and he's very, very, very talented. And they're trying to curry favor with the stars and the top agents. Very little critical media. I've stopped bringing on certain NBA reporters who are good people, but it's all fluff. Everybody's great. Well, let's address load management like. Like baseball's got this problem too where too many of the reporters are romanticizing baseball. Tom Verducci, who I think is brilliant. Verducci was the first guy to say there's steroids all over the sport. Verducci was also the first guy to say the game's too slow. Too many pitchers, three and a half hours. It takes sometimes a strong opinion from a very notable person to push back on a sport. And I think Barkley and Shaq are the guys that are like, why aren't you playing? Why are you rest? I want a show that is hard and has teeth and bites into the players. We can't. They're not PR firms. My job isn't to be a PR guy. Barkley's the opposite of that. Now, is Barkley too critical? Certainly can argue that. But if you take that show out, ESPN mostly fluff, mostly pro player, pro NBA, everything's great. And it's not. I'm not saying everybody on ESPN is, but the broadcast sometimes feel like it's owned by. It's owned by the teams. It's like, guys, it's okay to criticize players. I think Barkley and Shaq provide. They're the outlier. They're the dogs on TV that criticize players. Now, J. Mac, you think the opposite.

[J. Mac]

Yeah, I do. Come on. The reason these guys want to sit out is so they're rested for the playoffs. Why? Because you got these guys on tv every night there's NBA games. Well, he doesn't have the rings, he doesn't have a championship. He's this, he's that. Well, why would I want to play in January and February when all that matters is the playoffs? And if I can win a championship. These guys have bashed Curry and Klay, the Splash brothers. They blast Kevin Durant like he's like a bum. I mean, they're like, not counting Kevin Durant's championships in Golden State. Well, he doesn't really have a title.

[Colin Cowherd]

He joined the war.

[J. Mac]

Like, that's the crap.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, that's a little over the top.

[J. Mac]

That's the nonsense they say. I've tuned them out. Obviously they're entertaining and fun, but you've heard the phrase young snakes have the most venom, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

You've heard that.

[J. Mac]

Okay. There's so many good young players in the league right now that have accomplished more than Michael Jordan did in his first five years. And we don't give these guys any props. We're like, oh, Anthony Edwards, come on.

[Colin Cowherd]

But isn't that what PR firms do? Isn't that what team.

[J. Mac]

I'm not asking for fluff. I'm just not asking to rip guys every night for what they haven't accomplished when they're like 24, 25. Luka, by the way. Luka first five years in his, by the way has done more than any other player.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now lamar Jackson's won 77% of his games. I have to literally defend him weekly. He gets eaten alive by everybody.

[J. Mac]

January, you got to defend him because he always shows up and, and, and kind of poop.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, but my point is, I defend Lamar. I feel like I'm in a small group of defenders because he wins 76 of his games. But there's no national concern that we're too hard on Lamar Jackson. It's football. Deal with it. You're going to get criticized if you're a quarterback.

[J. Mac]

Well, wait a minute. He's awesome. In the regular season. We've been, we said that in nausea. What happens in January? Tell me, where are the results?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, where are the results from. And Edwards, he's like 24 years old. Lamar's. Lamar's 20. No, Lamar's full time MVP. Lamar's 26. Lamar has been ripped day one to now.

[J. Mac]

Well, he wins the MVP every year. We expect the best player to win championships.

[Colin Cowherd]

And Ant is one of the best players in the league and is certainly in the MVP consideration. And we're worried that he's getting too much criticism. I would agree.

[J. Mac]

That's a great question for Chris Finch. Is Anthony Edwards getting too much criticism?

[Colin Cowherd]

We crush quarterbacks. It's part of the game. We crush politicians. It's part of the game. Why can't NBA stars be crushed?

[J. Mac]

I think they are getting crushed by one show.

[Colin Cowherd]

Unfair one show. Be sure to catch live editions of.

[Chris Finch]

The Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, sometimes you get lucky. It is the greatest road win in the history of regular season. NBA last night, Chris Finch and the T Wolves. First time ever a team is trailed by over 20 entering the fourth and one and you scored 41 points in the fourth against the number one rated defense. So I want. When you go into the fourth quarter, you, you were Belichick meets Andy Reid meets Red Auerbach. What did you tell? What do you tell a team you're getting housed against an excellent team? What did you tell your team?

[Chris Finch]

Well, I mean, first of all, I think you just, you have to have that competitiveness in you, you know, and we have a lot of competitors and our team's fighting and we've had a couple comebacks like that. Not quite as big, but you've been.

[Colin Cowherd]

In a lot of close games.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, we've been in a lot of clutch games, but it was really the young guys, the rookies who brought us back into that game. And sometimes you just need that young energy. It's the third time we played Oklahoma City in four games. We played them the night before and so just they brought the juice and made a couple plays. And full disclosure, Colin I. At about 10 minutes on the clock, we were down 19. I was almost going to pull the two remaining starters and then I thought, oh, let me just see what happens here over the next minute or so. And then I think we got an anwan and kind of cut it to 16. And then you think, well, maybe we'll see, you know. And it just kind of snowballed from.

[Colin Cowherd]

There, by the way, Oklahoma City. Now let's play the clip. Chris, despite winning a little fired up after, he may be a little lighter in the wallet in a couple of days. Here's Chris after the win last night.

[Chris Finch]

It'S so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. You know, they really do. They foul. They foul all the time. And then, you know, you can't really touch Shay and it's, it's a very frustrating thing and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try to play through it. And, you know, we, we just eventually were able to get downhill and force, you know, force the issue ourselves and we're rewarded for it.

[Colin Cowherd]

So J. Mack has been on this all season. He has been on this all season. I defend sgi defend Karl Malone. I defend James Harden. I don't think you get that whistle in the playoffs, and I think that's problematic. You, Carl Malone didn't, Harden didn't. SJ won't. But there are players that do create contact. Luca, by the way, is phenomenal at it. But you obviously feel strongly about this. Were you sending a message? What was that for?

[Chris Finch]

I mean, first of all, I would. Thanks for bringing it to attention, everybody. But more to the point, it's like they're very physical defense, which is, I mean, they've done a great job building their defense there. They swarm you. And there's an adage when you're playing defense, like, hey, if we're physical and we're fouling all over the place, they're not going to be able to call them all.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's Jerry Sloan with the Jazz. The late Jerry Sloan.

[Chris Finch]

Yep.

[Colin Cowherd]

Would just be so physical they can't blow the whistle all night.

[Chris Finch]

And all credit to the league. You know, about a year ago, they decided that they were going to allow more physicality into the game.

[Colin Cowherd]

Kind of liked it.

[Chris Finch]

We like it too. And we're a defensive team and we benefit from, from that. But then, and when you have a player on the other end, Shay, who's so crafty and so hard to guard and he, he's able to slow the game down in a way where everything's focused on him. So all the, all the contact is kind of accentuated. I, I, it's, it's, it is a very tough mental, you know, trap that you have to fight through with your players because you want to be able to match physicality. When the game is physical and you can't do it around a player like Shay because he's so crafty.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, there players. Jokic is one, SGA is one and Luke is one. It doesn't matter what the pace of the game is. Yes, they played at their pace.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, I mean, the guy selling popcorn. Selling popcorn at their pace.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so Ant's an interesting player. What is so Ant, I was surprised today. I knew he was like top 10. He leads the NBA in three point shots made. What? And I've complained about this. I want Ant being dynamic. I also understand, like Wemby shooting to me, too many threes, but I understand the game and the analytics. As a coach, what is the dividing line? The line in the sand on. Okay, I want you to shoot threes, but you can beat guys off the dribble and be dynamic. Do you fight with that?

[Chris Finch]

Well, I think I get asked this question A lot. Like, what's the number of threes you'd like ideally, like Anthony to shoot? I don't really have a number. I just want good ones. And he's done. I think largely the ones he's taken this year are good. He came into the season trying to up his volume because as crazy as it may sound, I think for the first time he gained full confidence in his shot. He's always been able to make it. We've always been preaching, hey, this is something you really do. You need to trust it more. And I think he started the season on such a hot streak that he kind of relied on it maybe a little too much.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Chris Finch]

And then since Christmas time, he's really gone back to attacking more. I love his shot balance. Right now he's attacking more. His free throws are up as a result, but yet he's still shooting good shots and making him at a high clip. So I think he's, you know, kind of mastered it right now. We've seen a few more of the Anthony dunks and spectacular plays going to the rim in the last month and a half.

[Colin Cowherd]

You didn't want to necessarily move off Cat, but it's the cba. It's the reality. So you bring in Julius Randall. A little ball centric for me, but he's a bit more of an initiator that can get ant good looks. Carl Anthony Towns isn't.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So it works out. But the new cba, I mean, here's my theory on the Luca trade, and you tell me if I'm wrong. My theory is it was. It was different. When you pay a guy 35 million, so a billionaire goes, that's a lot of money. But, you know, quarterbacks in the NFL are making 60. If I got to pay a guy 75 million now, it's like, that's more than Patrick Mahomes. That. That's. That's double Josh Allen. That's double what LeBron made in his prime. I'm going to consider everything. Conditioning's bad, bad defensive player. So I. I didn't buy it was just Nico the gm. My take is this new cba, the Stars won, but I think billionaire owners now are like, wait, wait, wait, wait. 75 billion is a number that is so punitive if the players hurt or isn't in condition. So my take is the players think they won, the Stars. But I think billionaires look at that number and think, that is double Aaron Judge and they play twice our games. And that went into the Luka trade.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah. I would Agree. I would agree with that. I think now in the new CBA landscape, you really have to decide, like, you know, obviously who you're going to marry going forward. There's amazing talent. Luke is an amazing talent, and that's their decision. I'm not going to comment too much on that.

[Colin Cowherd]

He'd been hurt a lot.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah. But I also think when you get to this point with the. With these salaries, it really limits your ability to continue to construct teams around that star without it being further punitive with the double apron and now just being able to escape those areas of the CBA to kind of readjust, which is what we had to do so we could continue to build around Anthony.

[Colin Cowherd]

Had to move Carl, Anthony Towns.

[Chris Finch]

And so it's like the tax code right now. I mean, trying to figure out the tax code. I mean, it's so complicated. And a lot of these teams are now having to kind of pivot quickly to set themselves up for four or five years down the road, which is, you know, an interesting place to be when you're roster building.

[Colin Cowherd]

I want to throw this at you that when before, I kept saying about a month ago, just get Jimmy Butler with staff. I don't care what analytics say. He has the emotional intelligence. He'll work with Draymond and staff. And Kerr is that if you're a little squirrely or young, it won't work there and that he's intense, but it'll work. And it has worked. So I want you to talk about this. Julius Randle, by the way, has worked better than I thought with ant. I didn't think it would work. I thought he was too ball centric, and I think ANT needs the ball, but it has worked. So I want you to talk about the warriors and Jimmy Butler. Butler has a reputation that he's tough. Everywhere he goes, he wins. What is it about him? Did you think the Warriors. Did you think it would work as well as it did?

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, I felt it would work. I did. I think, you know, Jimmy high basketball iq, he fits their basketball culture. He doesn't need the ball, and when he has the ball, he's looking to make his teammates better.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's very intentional.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, he's very intentional. He can get to the line, which is something that they struggled with, which helps you control games. And, you know, he's a perfect partner alongside Draymond because of the defensive flexibility, the toughness, the rebounding. And he will immediately understand, as we've seen, you know, how Steph plays and how to make, you know, how to kind of jive with that, with the playmaking. You know, he's just waiting to find Steph. He's a lot like Draymond in that way, but then when needed, he can step up and make a shot. And the. The admirable thing. Not only does he win everywhere, his numbers go up in the playoffs, which you don't often see.

[Colin Cowherd]

Unheard of. Yeah.

[Chris Finch]

So we're done with him for the season. For that, I'm glad. Hopefully we can keep them behind us in this race coming down the stretch, but they are going to be a problem, so.

[Colin Cowherd]

And I like to ask you these Mass Macro League questions, and I'll get back to Ann Edwards at the end, but I thought JJ Redick had a moment this week and he said the quiet part out loud, which is, we're going to run the offense through luka. I think LeBron wanted to run the offense through AD, but he doesn't. He's not a playmaker. I thought when LeBron was in his prime, even Kyrie had to be off ball. LeBron was just the best player I'd ever seen. D. Wade relinquished it very quickly. Four practices in, you run the office and. But I do think JJ touched on something that people haven't said out loud, which is. No, it's. We'll save you for your spurts. From somebody who knows the game on such a micro level. LeBron's always been a fascinating player because you'd love for him to play off ball, but he's so damn good at beating people to the basket. How do you think Luka LeBron will look going forward? Ideally, because sometimes your greatest gift is a burden. And I think LeBron, sometimes he is the ecosystem. Yeah, it just has to run through him. But when JJ said that, I was like, man, he said the quiet part out loud. Do you think it's problematic? How do you think it'll look?

[Chris Finch]

Well, I think sometimes when you're a coach, you have to say the quiet part out loud so there's clarity in your team, you know, and it's not always comfortable. You know, Luka's grown up playing with the ball in his hands his entire life, just as LeBron has, you know, and the key will be how they divide those minutes and they'll stagger them just enough so they all get their own usage. And I think we've seen early on when Luka tries to overly defer, you know, that's when he.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's not his game.

[Chris Finch]

It's not his game. And he was turning it over and he was a little bit uncomfortable. And I think that all comes from a good place. They're trying to accommodate each other right now. I think they'll all get to a point where they'll say, you know, I got to be me. But I do believe that because they're both so such exceptional passers and they're wired to make the right play almost all the time. That's what I love and really admire about LeBron, is that he makes the right play.

[Colin Cowherd]

He always has.

[Chris Finch]

If it's a cut, if it's a path, you know, if it's a drive or a run in transition, he's going to do it. And Luka's learned that too. You know, when he gets doubled, he makes the right play all the time. He doesn't force it anymore. And I think that kind of mentality gives them the best chance to be really successful with each other.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think the NBA has always been a players league since Spencer Haywood. Right. Like you can go back to where the players had a real say. I have no problem with it. And I like Adam Silver. I think he's very bright. He didn't want any more work stoppages. I think the money train is flying. But I do think sometimes he's a bit of a permissive parent. David Stern was a barker. He would not allow load management. This thing's gotten out of hand in my opinion. The players now make so much money that they have so much control. And again, I'm not bothered by it. That's who we go to watch. But I think the all star game's a prime example. Stars don't want to play it. There's nothing you can do. You have ant and is the most dynamic player in the league. Are there eggshells you have to walk on with a superstar player? They're not firing him. If you go on a four game winning streak, is it tough for you, Chris, knowing that you have one of the four Seminole players in this league that people buy a ticket to watch?

[Chris Finch]

Well, I mean, it's, it's the reality of our league. You know, coaching is the ultimate middle management position in our league. So you have to have a relationship with these guys. You have to understand, fortunately for Anthony, he's wired in the right way. He's highly coachable, he cares, he competes, he's about the right things. And you know, we all know that it's a players league and that's what's the beauty of it. And of course, these guys are amazing and people should come to watch him play all the time. You know, I do feel that, you know, with the All Star Game, it's kind of gotten to a point where everybody's scratching their head. They don't know how to make it better. For me, I would just lean into the fact that it's an incredible fan fest weekend. There's a lot. There's a lot at stake. I do think if, you know, having been the coach last year there, the players did show up with the mindset or some of them showed up with the mindset to want to compete. But if you have half the players who don't want to compete and half that do you know, you don't have a chance to have a competitive game. So I do think, like, they're. They have to rethink that maybe they just like kind of go away from the game even and just have more events with more player interactivity with the fans, which is really what people want.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. You know, I think the NBA, I said this earlier, outside of the NFL, which is the English Premier league of the uk, is that everything's cyclical. I mean, boxing was huge. It's over. Tennis just had three extraordinary players all in their prime playing at the same time for 15 years. We'll never see that. I mean, that you have to go back to, like Connors and McEnroe and Borg. Yeah. And do you worry, do you worry, though, the league is getting international to a point where I guess I'll ask this. The league doesn't have a face of the league. Does it need one? Do you believe that would fix, like Caitlin Clark, Literally one player from Iowa fixed a lot of the WNBA problems. I always say this in politics. The Democrats were lost. Obama showed up. Suddenly the conservatives were lost. Trump shows up. Now Democrats are the bottom line. Sometimes a singular personality changes the direction of a political party of a league. You know, pre. Pre Magic and Bird, NBA was kind of a mess.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Like they had a drug problem. If I said to you, let's solve this ratings problem, Chris Finch, what do you think it is?

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, I don't think it's a face of the league problem, Colin. I think there's a lot of good stars. I mean, there may, you know, there may not be a supernova out there right now just to drag the league along. I do think that the game is in a great place in terms of its competitiveness. Games like last night, it looked like.

[Colin Cowherd]

Game seven of the Western Conference. I mean, you guys were. It was incredibly intense.

[Chris Finch]

And there's so there's you're never out of a game. I mean, these games are wild. The variance in the league with the three point shooting and the pace and just kind of never out of the league. Right now that one thing I've said about the All Star game is like we see such great spectacular plays from these guys going against each other every single night that you don't need to see it in an All Star Game. You know, we see such amazing plays and on a nightly basis. I do think there can be some thought into the schedule. I'm an advocate for less games same. You know, obviously people are going to have to give up money to make that work and for the betterment of the game. I think it's worth considering. You know, I might not have a job when I walk off this set, but. But I think that that's a way to kind of increase the, not just maybe the participation of the league's best players on a nightly basis, but also to kind of draw focus to maybe three games a week as a nice rhythm. And we can look back and say, hey, what happened in the NBA this, this week? Because everybody's kind of played a bit of a balanced schedule and I think that way we, you know, we can highlight some of the great plays. Sometimes when there's so many games, we can't watch them all, we can't see it all, and it becomes, you know, a little bit of white noise if you want.

[Colin Cowherd]

So if I instead of asking you who's the best team in the league you've played, if I asked you, Chris, who would you not either conference. Who would you not want to play in a series?

[Chris Finch]

Well, I mean, Cleveland kicked our tail twice. I mean, I think they're, I think.

[Colin Cowherd]

Their efficiency is insane.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah. And they are complete. You know, there's a lot of good teams in the league, right. The west is just loaded top to bottom, but teams that I've been super.

[Channing Fry]

Impressed with when I've 90s basketball, Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as clean as y'all think it was. Every great player, whether that's Ant, Wemby, Braun, you know, Steph, this, that, this, that, you know, they compare them to a month 40 years ago, the rules weren't even the same. Nobody celebrates these new people. So why the would anybody want to be the face of this league? We're going to get on, on every network for not being somebody from 40 years ago. Braun is one of the greatest players ever to play. Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players ever to play. Giannis is one of the great Jokic. And, you know, we.

[Colin Cowherd]

Do.

[Channing Fry]

We talk about Michael Jordan, all this superstar era is over.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, clear shot. It appears to me, at Barkley inside the league. Does Barkley bother the players?

[Chris Finch]

I don't think so, no. I think, I mean, I would say most people thoroughly enjoy that show for what it is. It's part of the fabric of the NBA. It's. It's. It's irreverent, it's entertaining.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think it's a comedy show.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah. I mean, it should. They should have a disclaimer for entertainment purposes only. So. But, I mean, it's, you know, it's. It's part of our league. I mean, it's. It's baked into our league, and we love that, but it's. I don't think it's bothered. There's some things here and there. I think it's gotten a little personal. It's added a little spice, you know, I know in the playoffs last year when they had Draymond on and he.

[Colin Cowherd]

Was going at Rudy, I thought Draymond was a little over the top.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah. But it, you know, it added some spice, and it was fine. It all went away quickly. But no one's overly bothered by it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay. Jmac thinks it's the. It's the fall of the Roman Empire here. He just drives him crazy. I, I, I do think at some point that's a great line. I consider it almost is. Ernie is the ringmaster. It's got almost a pro wrestling feel to it. They make, you know, sexual jokes. It's like, there are certain shows that break all the rules. That's the show on TV that breaks all the rules. I mean, they swear. It's. It's innuendos about relationships. They're calling certain women in certain cities overweight. I'm like, this is totally inappropriate. And it kind of works.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So. And. And to your point, everybody kind of gets it.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's great seeing you.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah. Appreciate it.

[Colin Cowherd]

You got.

[Chris Finch]

Didn't you.

[Colin Cowherd]

You got a technical, like, three weeks ago.

[Chris Finch]

I did.

[Colin Cowherd]

And you're not a real. You don't bark a lot.

[Chris Finch]

I bark a lot. Yeah. I just try to.

[Colin Cowherd]

Did you drop a. Was it a word?

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, bozo.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, you called him a bozo?

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, Bozo.

[Colin Cowherd]

You called it, Ref. Okay, I'm the referee. What'd you say?

[Chris Finch]

I said you're a bozo.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's kind of what you would say before you. And he just teed you up for that.

[Chris Finch]

I think it was. I had been complaining for a lot.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, you've been complaining for a while.

[Chris Finch]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So did you drop a word before Bozo?

[Chris Finch]

Might have. Definitely after.

[Colin Cowherd]

Great seeing you.

[Chris Finch]

I appreciate it. Thanks.

[Colin Cowherd]

Chris Fitch off the craziest win NBA history last night. Come back on the road and beat okc.

[Channing Fry]

Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, here's the thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers, and so many other fascinating people, like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd.

[Colin Cowherd]

I love writing more than anything. You're left alone, you know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon. Go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on.

[Channing Fry]

And actor and comedian Jack McBrayer.

[Colin Cowherd]

The most important aspect is the collaboration with people that I like, I trust are talented. That has been the most amazing gift to me about this crazy business that we've chosen. Meeting these people who have such diverse talents and you're able to create something together.

[Channing Fry]

Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chris Finch]

Hey everybody, what's up? This is Questlove, and every year we do special programming in February for Black History Month. Now especially important this year as we gear up for some new conversations. So the team and I compiled some clips from the show that are worth revisiting. In part one of the celebration of Black History Month, we're listening back to Moments with Chris Rock, Solange Prodigy, Ben Vereen, Jennifer Lewis, Angela Rye and Gina Yashore. Listen to Questlove supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show, and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, entertainment, sports, and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondence and contributors. And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[American Express Representative]

Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here. And Eating While Broke is back for season four every Thursday on Black Effect Podcast Network. This season, we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories. On the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London, and Carrie Harper. Howie turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch eating while broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your favorite shows, come hungry for season four.