The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Prime Cuts

Episode: NBA Teams HAVE To Tank, NBA Players Are TOO Good Now, Crazy Sports Gambling Stories
Date: February 21, 2026
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guests: Danny Parkins, Art Manteris

Episode Overview

This episode features Colin Cowherd in conversation with Danny Parkins and legendary Las Vegas bookmaker Art Manteris. The discussions cover three pillars: the prevalence and necessity of tanking in the NBA, how modern players' skills may be “too good” for the game’s own good, and fascinating stories from the world of high-stakes sports betting. The tone is candid, insightful, and often nostalgic, with both humor and pointed critiques.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Necessity of Tanking in the NBA

• Tanking as a Path to Relevance:
  Colin opens with the current state of NBA tanking, contextualizing it within America’s “distracted nation” and how major events, dynasties, or significant team rises draw much-needed attention to the sport.
  • Colin: “Dynasties actually make much more sense now than they did in the 70s when we were less distracted. And I’m okay with tanking if the rules currently disallow big sweeping trades...” (04:15)
• Limited Pathways for Team Improvement:
  The NBA's salary rules and trade complexity force bad teams to rely on the draft, thus incentivizing tanking.
  • Colin: “The only way to go from bad to good is the Spurs. You tank and get Stefan Castle. You tank and get Wemby…” (04:20)
• Tanking and Fan Buy-In:
  Colin argues that small-market fans like Utah understand and tacitly support the long-term approach if it promises a top pick.
  • Colin: “I think the Utah fans almost have a collegiate feel because it’s a smaller market… if you ask them, you can get the number 2 pick or number 14, they would take the number 2.” (07:24)
• Anti-Competition Argument:
  Danny counters that outright tanking is “anti-competition” and defies the essence of sport.
  • Danny: “It is anti competition, it is anti sport… these are sports, man. It’s an entertainment product. Well, you can’t have the games mean nothing.” (05:30)
• Proposed Fixes:
  • Preventing teams from picking in the top 4 two years in a row (Danny, 21:30)
  • Tightening “pick protections” and reforming trade rules (Danny, 24:07)

2. NBA Players Are “Too Good” Now – Style & Evolution

• Talent Level Is Astounding:
  Both agree that, despite structural issues, NBA talent is at an all-time high.
  • Danny: “KD and Steph and LeBron not only are still here, they’re all still awesome. They’re ambassadors… they love hooping.” (09:02)
• “Broken Game” – Too Many Threes:
  Danny asserts that players’ skill levels have “broken” the game: it’s too easy to shoot threes, making the style monotonous.
  • Danny: “They have broken the game. They’re so good at shooting threes… it makes it less exciting… it’s become a jump shooting contest.” (09:09)
• Loss of Artistry & Physicality:
  Colin laments that the stylistic artistry, physicality, and unique midrange and post play are being lost.
  • Colin: “We have taken all these art. It’s the one sport of artistry. It’s the artistry sport and we’ve taken the artistry out of it… What do we like about the NBA playoffs? It’s physical.” (13:02)
• Potential Solutions:
  • Move or eliminate the corner 3 to change spacing and shot selection (Colin, 13:56)
  • Experiment with rules during the in-season tournament (Danny, 15:17)
  • Adopt a trapezoidal lane or other format changes, inspired by international or college ball (Danny, 15:29)
  • Reduce games played per season and add expansion teams to balance talent, scheduling, and health (Danny, 17:57)

3. Comparing NBA Reform to Baseball

• Baseball’s Rule Tweaks:
  The hosts admire MLB’s openness to experimentation (pitch clock, banning shifts) and suggest NBA should be similarly bold.
  • Danny: “They needed a basketball Theo Epstein—someone to exploit the rules, then fix them for a better product.” (15:29)
• Obstacles to NBA Change:
  The NBA’s financial cushiness and historic lack of tradition sometimes lead to poor or experimental decisions (e.g., changing game balls, uniforms).
  • Colin: “When the money’s good, people… are absolved of change.” (18:44)

4. Sports Gambling – Stories from Art Manteris

• Early Days of Vegas Sportsbooks:
  Art recounts the chaotic 1980s—few regulations, house rules, or operational standards.
  • Art: “It was chaotic in those days. There were very few house rules, very few operational standards...” (33:09)
• The Cat-and-Mouse with Big Gamblers:
  Dealing with “runners” (bettors making wagers for high-rollers) and recognizing betting patterns.
  • Art: “There would be certain tip offs if you believed somebody was a runner… My longstanding statement to my staff was, well, either this guy has ESP or he’s working with somebody else.” (37:10)
• Referee Tells and Scheme Tracking:
  Gamblers going to great lengths—including spying on officials like Earl Strom to predict betting outcomes.
  • Art: “He had somebody following Earl Strom to determine what city he was flying to.” (39:35)
• Inside Information & Ethical Dilemmas:
  On occasion, Art would learn sensitive information (e.g., Pacquiao’s shoulder injury) before big fights and grapple with the morality of possessing knowledge that could affect betting lines.
  • Art: “It absolutely is a dilemma… there must be a very clear separation between participation in sports ... and gambling on sports.” (41:28)
• Gambling's Growing Role in Sports & Industry Concerns:
  Art critiques how deeply sports leagues have partnered with gambling interests, confusing messages to athletes.
  • Art: “They tell their players and their staffs, coaches… how they must stay away from gambling, how evil gambling is. And yet they’re signing these partnership agreements… It’s going to continue to cause problems until there is a day of reckoning.” (44:00)

5. Sports Betting Scandals

• Monitoring for Fixing & Donaghy Case:
  Art regrets not catching the Tim Donaghy referee scandal but praises Vegas’s role in identifying past point-shaving schemes.
  • Art: “The Donaghy scandal… was very upsetting to me... Today, it’s far different… prop betting and in-play wagering has become a very fun, enjoyable pastime… but on college sports it should be rolled back.” (46:19)

6. Notable Upsets and Bookmakers’ Dilemmas

• Tyson vs. Douglas (1990):
  Art declined to even book the famous fight where Mike Tyson lost—seeing it as a mismatch—but later learned of crucial inside factors affecting outcome.
  • Art: “I didn’t even book that fight. I thought it… wasn’t a competitive event... In retrospect, Buster Douglas... fought the fight of his life.” (49:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tanking and Dynasties:
  • “Dynasties actually make much more sense now than they did in the 70s when we were less distracted.” (Colin, 04:19)
• On the NBA’s Evolving Game:
  • “I think one of the biggest problems with the sport is actually counterintuitive and it's that the players have gotten too good.” (Danny, 09:09)
• On Rule Changes:
  • “I would tweak the three-point game, make it more situational, make it more about contact and physicality.” (Colin, 19:35)
• On Sports Gambling’s Ethics:
  • “There must be a very clear separation between participation in sports… and gambling on sports.” (Art, 41:28)
• Bookmaking Anecdote:
  • “He had somebody following Earl Strom to determine what city he was flying to.” (Art, 39:35)
• On Prop Bets:
  • “I am a strong, strong advocate of the industry doing away with prop wagering on college sports or on… individual athletic performance.” (Art, 48:41)

Timeline & Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Summary | |-----------|----------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:00 | Tanking & Dynasties | Colin’s opening argument on tanking, dynasties, TV, trades | | 05:30 | Tanking’s Impact on Fans & Competition | Danny’s anti-tanking argument; Colin’s Utah defense | | 09:02 | NBA Talent & Style of Play | League talent at all-time high, but threes dominate | | 13:02 | Loss of Artistry in NBA | How style changes have “taken the artistry” out | | 15:17 | Rule Changes & Experiments | Ideas for experimenting with new basketball rules | | 17:57 | Expansion & Scheduling Fixes | Adding teams, reducing games to benefit league health | | 32:27 | Vegas Bookmaking War Stories | Art Manteris joins, tales of early sportsbook chaos | | 37:10 | Detecting Runners | The "cat and mouse" between oddsmakers and bettors | | 39:35 | Earl Strom Officiating Betting Anecdote | Gamblers tracking refs to exploit totals | | 41:21 | Insider Info & Ethical Conflicts | Pacquiao-Mayweather injury dilemma, boundaries in betting | | 44:00 | Gambling’s deepening role in pro sports | Art’s critique of leagues’ mixed messages | | 46:19 | The Donaghy Scandal & Prop Bets | On referees, spotting scandals, and prop bet risks | | 49:55 | Tyson-Douglas Upset, Bookmaking Decisions | Behind the scenes of one of boxing's greatest upsets |

Takeaway

This episode paints a vivid and nuanced picture of sports today: NBA’s structural quandaries, the paradox of hyper-skilled players, and the shadowy, fascinating world of Vegas bookmaking. Cowherd, Parkins, and Manteris spar thoughtfully on issues of competition, entertainment value, business incentives, and integrity—offering listeners both candor and nostalgia, with stories and quotes that stick.