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- [00:00]
Jason McIntyre
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
Colin Cowherd
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 CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC introducing the new Dell AI PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It helps do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, summarizing meeting notes, finding files, managing your schedule, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a new Dell AIPC starting at 699.99@dell.com how those ahead stay ahead Nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays and firing off a few bets on the game. All with DraftKings sportsbook. If you've never been on baseball before, it's easy. Just pick a guy to go yard, hammer some live odds mid game or just ride your squad. Hope for the best. So download the DraftKings sportsbook app. The code, as always, is heard H E R D. That's code heard. New customers 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly just betting five bucks only on DraftKings. The crown is yours.
- [01:28]
Alex Curry
Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny 467-369 In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 + age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gam.
- [02:02]
Colin Cowherd
Thanks for listening to the Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
- [02:22]
LeVar Arrington
Now let's get this party started.
- [02:23]
Jason McIntyre
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Happy Friday everybody. What is up? It's your boy Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. He is back on Monday. I know you're excited Boy, a lot of venom online yesterday for some of the takes. But hey, it's Friday. Hot take, happy hour in full effect. I'm joined on this beautiful Friday by Alex Curry. Alex, I know you're excited for your big leave that's coming up.
- [02:54]
Jim
Yeah, I'm excited. There's a lot. There's the unknown, you know, but we're one day at a time, so we're here today. We're going to have a great last day.
- [03:03]
Jason McIntyre
We are.
- [03:04]
Jim
I love that you were getting heat for your takes yesterday because that means that they were polarizing, which is what you want to do.
- [03:11]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I want to be loved, Alex. I just want to be.
- [03:14]
Jim
You're not going to be loved in this industry.
- [03:15]
Jason McIntyre
Although I'll say there was a story that dropped like eight minutes before we walked on a set. Oh, it is spicy. And we'll get to that shortly. I don't want to say LeBron versus Luca, but something's happening in LA and it does not look good for the King. We got a great show lined up, lot of exciting, fun guests. We'll do summer league stuff, little NFL. But we're going to start with the big debut last night. Cooper flag, the 18 year old phenom from Duke in his first NBA Summer League game. Now, I know everybody wants to draw dramatic, sweeping conclusions from a summer league game in Vegas. I'm just gonna warn you. Don't do that. Okay? The 18 year old Cooper Flag had an uneven game. Listen, this is what happens. What? Remember when Benyama last year came out in his first summer league game and was kind of awful and everybody's oh, he's not gonna. He's gonna be fine. That was two years ago. But Cooper Flag last night shoots 5 of 210 for 5 on threes. And all I hear is, well, I don't know. His shot doesn't look good. Jay. I. I didn't. Where is he? Elite. I'm like, guys, we saw him for a full season at Duke. He's elite everywhere. I mean, I just thought the overreaction to Cooper Flag shooting last night was goofy. Let me tell you what he does. Well. The guy's a winning basketball player. Should I mention, with 70 seconds left, he makes the game saving block on a layup attempt by a Laker guard. Just swats it out of thin air. And then guess what happens? He comes down on the fast break and Cooper Flag makes the game winning assist to a young nem Hard. Boy, did that kid look good. And the Mavs pull out the win over The Lakers. And somewhere along the line in the NBA mostly, we, we got to this. Hey, hey, if you're a jack of all trades, but master of none, I don't know, it's just. What are you elite at? Well, let me ask you guys, when Nikola Jokic came into the NBA at 20, what was he elite at? Anyone? Anyone? What about Giannis? He gets into the league at 19, this spindly young fellow from Greece. Hey, what does Giannis elite at, Jay? Hey, sorry. Length, okay? That's not an elite trait. That's not a skill that carries over. Like Giannis came into the league, he wasn't elite in anything. Cooper Flagg comes in more advanced than those guys. As an 18 year old, remember a month ago, he should have graduated high school. That's when you usually graduate high school, right? 18 and a half. 18 ish. He, he completed a season at Duke, was utterly dominant, and now is in the NBA Summer League at 18 and a half. Doesn't turn 19 until later this year. That's crazy. And all these people who are like Jason, he shot 5 of 21. Look at the form on his shot. Guys, take a timeout. Take a deep breath. He played 32 minutes last night, okay? This guy's been working for the last decade to get to this moment. As a young guy, of course he had butterflies. I will point out he shot 84% from the line at Duke last season. Okay? Three point shooting, you know, how you shoot free throws is a better descriptor of how your 3 point shooting could go. Cooper's going to be fine from three shot 38% of Duke. I don't expect him to shoot 38% in the NBA as a rookie, but he's going to be fine. I just think the overreaction and this whole, like, he's Andre Kirilenko. Can we stop with that nonsense? It's just goofy. People forget when it comes to the draft, it's not about what you are, it's about what you can be. I've tried to hammer this home in the NFL. I try to hammer this home in the NBA. Nobody cares about what Vijay Edgecombe is. As a rookie in Philly, he's drafted super high because what's he going to be in three, four, five years? We've got him on the rookie deal. What can he be? Well, I'm here to tell you, Cooper flag to me. I look at him and I see a young Kevin Garnett. And I know everybody who's going to hear that and see it online is going to say, well, wait a minute. Kevin Garnett won an MVP. Kevin Garnett was leading the league in rebounds for four straight years. Yeah, when he's like 27, Cooper Flag at 18 is better than Kevin Garnett was at 18, period. I mean, you can look up the stats. Kevin Garnett's rookie year, he was fine. Cooper Flag will be better because he's more of an advanced player at this juncture. Now the question becomes, will he continue to improve the way Giannis, the way jokic, the way KG? Those guys improved dramatically. Guys like LeBron and Luka came in not as finished products, but they were different. Okay? Luka was like 21, 7 and 6 as a rookie. LeBron, I think, was like averaging 19 points, five boards, five assists. Those are otherworldly numbers. Extraordinary players, historic greats. I think Cooper Fly can get there. He's obviously not there yet, but can we please stop overreacting to him shooting 5 of 21 in what he called one of the worst games of his life? Here's Cooper Flag on his summer league debut. I just couldn't really get into a rhythm. You know, it's a different environment. You know, I think it's obviously very different. College, it's probably very different from what, you know, the real NBA is going to be like. I'm not necessarily worried, but obviously just not happy with how it went. But, you know, end of the day, we did get the win. Yeah, I mean, listen, the win matters, I'm sure, to those who care about summer league. And Cooper Flag obviously wants to start his career with a win. I'll just say I see a guy who does everything well at 18, and that, frankly, terrifies me. Winning and what he is, he's a winning player. I mean, don't let's not bring up the loss to Houston. That cost me a lot of money in the NCAA tournament. That was not on Cooper Flag. He's got to get the ball. And oh, by the way, just one last small thing for the basketball hoop. Heads out there. Go look at the reel of Cooper Flag last night. Every time he got in the lane, two, three defenders waiting for him. Not going to happen in the NBA, folks. You'll be surrounded by real NBA players like Klay Thompson, who you can't leave open, like PJ Washington, who becomes all of a sudden a good shooter. When he's around Luka and Kyrie, he's going to have NBA players around him. You're not going to be able to clog the lane. And Cooper Flags will Be dunking on a lot of people and have a really good rookie year. All right, I want to pivot now to a story that was just breaking right before we came on air about a fractured relationship between the Lakers and LeBron James. Now, if you've been paying attention for a couple weeks, it's been smelling a little funky in la. Things have not been trending well. And according to a big deep dive from Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne, LeBron James is pretty ticked off. And listen, you could see from his actions that he's not thrilled with what's going on. And according to the story, and Windhorst is a great reporter and I know him well. And Ramona Shelburne, they're good. They're buttoned up. This is top level stuff. This isn't transactional reporting that are handed to you from agents. This is stuff you got to fish for. And it sounds like the gist of it is, hey, Lakers, let's remember a few things here. LeBron picked the Lakers. LeBron dragged the Lakers out of the wilderness. Everybody wants to remember. Kobe's final game was awesome. It was the final five years before LeBron got there. The Lakers were a dumpster fire. They were. It was the worst stretch in franchise history. LeBron saved them. He pulled them out of that disaster, okay? And within a couple years, brought them a title. Got them Anthony Davis. Okay? LeBron saved the Lakers franchise. That's not hyperbole, that's fact. He saved him. And now as he ages into his 40s, LeBron is feeling like the love is not quite there anymore. And the focus is on the new shiny toy, Luka Doncic. And this article really articulates how there was a big wine and dine between the powers that be of the Lakers and LUCA and. And LeBron didn't get the invite. Maybe his got lost in the mail. And it was basically, how can we move forward? Here's our game plan, here's what we want to do. And it was like, LeBron was not an integral part of that. And you could see how he would feel salty. He was a second team, all NBA guys. He's the greatest player in the history of basketball. And he was awesome last year at this age, like, can we respect him a little bit now from the Lakers camp? They will certainly push back. Whoa. Well, wait a minute, LeBron, what are you talking about? Last year you want us to draft your boy, Bronnie? We drafted him last year. You wanted JJ Redick as head coach. We got him. So we're still catering to you, my guy. You're still in our game plan. But the problem is, things have changed since last summer. The Luka Doncic trade changed everything. Remember before the Lakers were like, oh, we can build around Anthony Davis going forward. As LeBron gets into his 40s, AD will be our centerpiece. Lakers had an opportunity to get younger and better, and they did that. And it's pretty clear there's some mending offenses to be done with LeBron. And Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers closely, he was on here yesterday talking about this relationship. LeBron wants him to spend all the picks. Here's Jovan talking about the issues.
- [12:47]
Jovan Buha
This is the first time you could say in LeBron's career he hasn't been the sole focus or the primary focus of his franchise that he's been on. Like, even with A.D. it was like, it was always LeBron trying to pass the baton to A.D. luka just came in and got the baton right. Like, I get it. He's a guy who's about to enter his prime, has already led a team to the Finals. But LeBron's just. I think the big thing is, like, he sees the finish line, whether it's another year, two years, and he wants to win that fifth ring. And it doesn't feel like the Lakers are going all in on this year's roster.
- [13:18]
Jason McIntyre
So now that's a decent point. LeBron's looking around, being like, are we better? Can we compete with Denver and Houston? I think deandre Ayton. I know the take yesterday did not go over well in the interwebs. Let's just be real, guys. Deandre Ayton at $8 million is a heist next year for the Lakers. Absolute steal. You take him over Rudy Gobert for 36 million in a heartbeat. All right, so the Lakers did get better. Obviously, Ayton's got a bit of an ugly history being a malcontent, but let's see if he shapes up with Luka and LeBron on the roster. And I gotta ask, this Bradley Beal thing. A lot of people are projecting the Clippers to get him. If the Lakers get Beal. I don't want to hear this. It's like Russell Westbrook. It's absolutely not. They're not even close to the same player. What? Westbrook's kind of an unhinged, I'm going to get mine, I can do it myself, guy. That's not Bradley Beal. Bradley Beal's never won anything, never been anywhere. He'll fall in line. I think obviously LeBron is upset with how things went. Remember, at the deadline, they could have got Mark Williams, which would have been good. Lakers nix that trade. I think in hindsight, we'll look back at that moment and be like, that was smart. Why? Because the Lakers are not going to be hamstrung for the next three, four, five years. They're able to build quickly around Luca, and I guess I can wrap up with this. The whole two timelines thing is difficult. You want to know, go ask the Golden State Warriors. Remember, after Durant left, they had injuries to Clay and Curry. They end up with a top five pick, and that's where they got James Wiseman and they also got Jonathan Kaminga. And those were two guys they thought they could build around going forward, but they had this old, old regime. Draymond green, Klay Thompson, LeBron. How do you merge those two timelines and get them on the same page? Now, the warriors, while they technically couldn't figure it out, they did figure it out because they got another title, but they didn't secure the long term with Wiseman and Kamingo. Wiseman got shipped out of town. He really hasn't panned out anywhere. And Kaminga is probably going to land elsewhere here in the next 10 days. So that timeline's done. It's difficult to thread that needle between young guys and old Luka, what, 26, LeBron 40. That's going to be immensely difficult. There are going to be some hiccups. I think they just. Lakers need to man up, get to the table, tell LeBron, hey, we can compete. DeAndre. By the way, LeBron, did you watch how OKC struggled against Jokic? Did you see how OKC struggled against Zubak? They can't handle Biggs. Then they got to go bigs, and their strength of guards and wings goes out the window. We've got Ayton. Obviously, he's not Jokic, but he can hang inside. He'll give OKC problems. Like there is a world where the Lakers compete, But I think LeBron just needs to be shown the love. And frankly, sometimes we all need a little bit of love, right? We have a phenomenal show today. And coming up next, okc. You know, I just mentioned them. They just signed another guy to a massive contract. But their title window, it's smaller than you think because of some dumb NBA rules. That's 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 hey, what's up everybody?
- [16:45]
LeVar Arrington
It's me, three time Pro Bowler Levar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up On Game. What is up on Game?
- [16:54]
Jason McIntyre
You ask?
- [16:54]
LeVar Arrington
Along with my Fellow Pro Bowler T.J. hushman, Zada and Super Bowl Champion. Yep, that's right.
- [17:00]
Colin Cowherd
Plexico Burris.
- [17:02]
LeVar Arrington
You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game, we're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on game with me, Lavar Arrington, TJ Huch, Manzada and Plexico Burris on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast from.
- [17:25]
Colin Cowherd
Introducing the new Dell AI PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lagging, creating live transitions and captions, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a new Dell AIPC Starting at $699.99@dell.com AIPC how those ahead Stay ahead 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 hi, it's the Herd. Nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays and firing off a few bets on the game. All with DraftKings sportsbook. As the season heats up, so do the bats, and DraftKings sportsbook has you covered with live betting, home run, props, odd boosts and more. Whether you're chasing dingers or jumping in mid game, Always action to be had. If you've never been on baseball before, it's easy. Just pick a guy to go yard, hammer some live odds mid game, or just ride your squad, hope for the best. No spreadsheets, just vibes dingers. So here's Something special for first timers new DraftKings customers. All you have to do is bet five bucks and you'll get $150 in bonus bets and you'll get it instantly. So download the DraftKings sportsbook app. The code, as always, is heard. H E R D. That's code heard. New customers 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly. Just betting five bucks only on DraftKings. The crown is yours.
- [19:48]
Alex Curry
Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler in New York. Call 877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG co Audio.
- [20:26]
Jason McIntyre
Back here on the Herd. Very fun stuff coming up. Marlon Humphrey, the Baltimore Ravens cornerback, will be dropping by next hour. Oh, we'll be asking him probably some tough Lamar Jackson questions. Or maybe not. But I highly recommend that LeBron story. We just talked about this LeBron Lakers rift. I wonder if Luca feels like he's caught in the middle like a lover's coral. A spat. The word microaggressions appears in the article. Gosh, I love a good microaggression. All right, I want to quickly pivot to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Congratulations, guys. You won your championship. When do we start tearing the team down? Folks, this is staggering. So they win the championship, obviously win game seven, Tyrese Halliburton gets her. Blah blah blah. This is what they've done since the finals. They inked 26 year old SGA to a four year, $285 million contract. That's crazy money. Obviously he's the MVP of the finals. MVP of the season. He's young. Understandable. Then they inked chet Holmgrid, who's 23, to a five year, $250 million deal. Okay, there will not be a math question at the end of this. I'll just give you the answer then. Yesterday they announced Jalen Williams, aka J Dub, got a five year, $287 million deal. He's only 24 years old. So in the span of 10 days, 12, whatever. They signed $822 million of contracts to three players. 822 million to three players now because they're signing them early and they don't. Contracts don't all kick in immediately. They will not be in the luxury tax next year. So they're fine. They could repeat. I don't think they will, but they could. However, in the 26, 27 season, just with those three players, they will be over the luxury tax and over the first and second apron on three players. Now, obviously they have a billion draft picks and they have salaries. They can move. It's probably going to be okay, but the NBA wanted this crap and I'm just telling you, I'm calling it crap. I'm sorry. I think this is horrible. The way the Celtics built an amazing team and had to instantly tear it down because of the one injury and avoiding the luxury tax and second apron and repeater. It has made this, this new NBA where the days of, hey, let's build a, a Kobe and Shaq, a tandem that brings us rings. Oh, wait a minute. We gonna have to tear it down in a minute. Well, that kind of stinks. Hey, let's build an awesome team, a Michael Jordan type Bulls team. Is it gonna last three years? Because you just got to tear it down instantly. And I don't like this at all. I'm just telling you guys, the NBA over the last 15 years, we were spoiled, okay? You would go into free agency and be like, oh, where's. What's gonna happen with Kawhi? Where's he gonna go? What's Kevin Durant doing? What's LeBron doing? That stuff's not happening anymore. We're not seeing any of that now. You could say, well, Jake, we're gonna see it. There's no sign that this is on the horizon. And that's where the NBA got super interesting stars leaving teams, stars staying, whatever. It's boring. It's not that interesting, frankly. Is there anything sexy about OKC keeping their three stars? They're not polarizing at all. They're not like driving a wedge between the fan base and, and other fan bases. Nobody cares. Like, oh, okay, see, won the title and they're keeping everybody in there. Oh my gosh, they're paying everybody and they have draft. It's not fun and exciting. We heard Chris Haynes, a respected reporter, say that this new CBA kind of killed free agency. And then I look around free agency, I'm like, what's happened? Oh, Kevin Garnett, sorry, Kevin Durant got traded to the Rockets. What's been the second biggest deal? Miles Turner going to the Bucks. Because that doesn't really move the needle at all. It doesn't really help the Bucks. It hurts the Pacers a little, but that's not like a sexy move. And I just, I know some people will disagree and everybody wants their stars to stay in their towns, but, like, that's not fun and exciting. What made the NBA fun was player movement. And I think you need to get back to that. And OKC signing these three guys to $822 million of contracts. Like, what? What do we even do? They're going to have to tear this down in like two years. So, hey, let's build it up. Sign the guys to the big deals and then we can move them. I mean, this Devin Booker move, where he signed a contract, he's going to get 72 and a half million dollars for the next couple years. We talked about this yesterday. It's like, how is that good for anyone other than Devin Booker? It's not good for the Suns. It's not good for the rest of the league. Can we get Devin Booker to, I don't know, the Miami Heat? That would be interesting. And I just, I know OKC signed their guys and OKC fans are happy, but for the rest of the league, it's just not fun or exciting. And I'm sure you guys are gonna hate that, but that's how I feel. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no.
- [25:49]
LeVar Arrington
Turn on the news.
- [25:50]
Jason McIntyre
This is the Herdline news.
- [25:52]
Jim
J. Mac, I think the other interesting thing we kind of touched on yesterday is just the mentality after you get paid like these, this OKC team that won a championship, all these guys were playing on the rookie deal.
- [26:03]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [26:03]
Jim
Now they're all like, like some of the highest paid players in the league, which is insane.
- [26:09]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [26:10]
Jim
So that's going to be something interesting to keep an eye on too, just to kind of.
- [26:13]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. Jalen Williams at like $8 million is fine. Jayla Williams at like 50 million.
- [26:19]
Jim
It's like insane jumps for like all the guys that they paid. Okay, let's start in the NFL though. Dak Prescott season ended prematurely last year after tearing his hamstring in week nine. And the team, they missed him, they finished seven and 10, missing the playoffs. With Cowboys training camp set to open on July 22, Dax spoke to where his health stands ahead of the 2025 season.
- [26:39]
Jason McIntyre
I'm healthy. Yeah. I'll be full go for camp. I'm healthy.
- [26:43]
Mark Medina
Yeah.
- [26:43]
Jason McIntyre
Look, I think soon here I'll probably.
- [26:45]
Mark Medina
Get an official sign off from Doc, but I'm healthy.
- [26:49]
Jim
He needs to have a strong season. Dak is officially the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. He doesn't have the playoff success. He's 2 and 5 but hasn't won a divisional round. The Cowboys in general haven't had the playoff success. They haven't made the NFC Championship game J. Mac since 1995. That's 30 years. They have the longest NFC Championship game playoff drought. Last time that they were in it is when they won the Super bowl in 95. That means every other team in the NFC has gotten to the championship game over the count since the Cowboys have last been there. I'm not buying Cowboy stock until. Show me something.
- [27:27]
Jason McIntyre
Will Dak Prescott win another playoff game with the Cowboys?
- [27:33]
Jim
I mean they got a lot of new this year. Their first time head coach. Right. They did get him another weapon in George Pickens, but he's a bit of a. We've heard.
- [27:41]
Jason McIntyre
We don't know what he's going to be yet. We don't know what he's going to contract.
- [27:45]
Jim
How is he going to be a number two behind CD Lamb too, like. And he's going to have like 10 times the amount of spotlight on him now that he's a Cowboy.
- [27:53]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [27:53]
Jim
Opposed to when he was a Steeler. So like everything's going to be picked apart. Yeah. It's interesting. I. I mean I, I don't know.
- [27:59]
Jason McIntyre
If the Dak will win another playoff game in Dallas.
- [28:02]
Jim
Whoa.
- [28:02]
Jason McIntyre
He's probably only got two years left. I mean they're making the playoffs this year. I don't think so. And then next year.
- [28:08]
Jim
No, I mean Philly Commanders. I mean I, I think they finished what, third in the nfc.
- [28:13]
Jason McIntyre
In the division?
- [28:14]
Jim
Yeah, in the division.
- [28:15]
Jason McIntyre
Probably not going to cut it given Vikings, Packers, Lions, Bears could be in the mix. Rams, diners, tough.
- [28:21]
Jim
Yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't. I don't either. Which is. And again, first time head coach.
- [28:26]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [28:26]
Jim
Like there's a lot of shy who said that he's still developing like just weird. A lot of weird energy coming out of Cowboys camp. So again, I'm not buying stock. I'll believe it when I see it. Okay, let's move to la. Crazy story from the Chargers where off Season Edition. Najee Harris apparently suffered an eye injury on the 4th of July. According to his agent, Harris has a superficial eye injury after a fireworks mishap. But the expectation is that he'll be ready for the upcoming season. The Chargers have declined to comment on the matter. Now he's not the first and he's not going to be the Last of fourth of July. Oh, accidents. I mean, remember when Jason Pierre Paul lost his index finger and part of his thumb in a. Fireworks. I just. I don't. When are people gonna understand it is not safe to play with fireworks? Especially when you use your hands for your career. Like, again, like, it's not totally clear what this eye injury is, but if you lose any part of your vision, that's your career. A superficial eye injury, what does that mean? I don't know. That's what they're like. And the Chargers aren't commenting on it. And they only signed him to a one year deal. So, like, your future is not guaranteed past the season. Plus, the Chargers, they drafted Hampton out of North Carolina. Like, it's. They already have their future. They're already thinking of their future.
- [29:51]
Jason McIntyre
So the San Francisco Chronicle had a story about this. Yeah, it happened at like 12:20, you know, like that early morning. I'm guessing there was some partying going on. One of the guys in the crew lost a couple fingers.
- [30:06]
Jim
That's what I'm saying.
- [30:06]
Jason McIntyre
But I hear superficial eye injury, and I'm kind of like, you. I don't know what that means.
- [30:10]
Jim
Did it brush your eye? You can't see it. Like, again, if you lose any part of your vision.
- [30:15]
Jason McIntyre
So wait, it's July 11th. This happened six days ago. If it was superficial, just come in front of the camera. I'm fine. I can't wait to get ready to start the season. They're like, hiding.
- [30:27]
Jim
What are you going to do?
- [30:29]
Jason McIntyre
Superficial.
- [30:30]
Jim
Superficial.
- [30:31]
Jason McIntyre
The fun story is this. Not that this is funny, but yesterday I guess this started to blow up online and it was in certain pockets and there were some text threads going around here. Naja Harris might have lost an eye. And it's like, okay, well, we got to wait. And I guess one article prompted Schefter and others.
- [30:48]
Jim
Yeah.
- [30:48]
Jason McIntyre
To finally hit up the agent. And they were like, okay, here we go. But like, it almost feels like they were trying to hide this story.
- [30:55]
Jim
Definitely.
- [30:55]
Jason McIntyre
But it just got out somehow.
- [30:57]
Jim
Definitely. I mean, what. What is a superficial eye injury? Anything to your eye you can't see if you can't. If you don't have your full vision in a job where you need your full vision, like, that could be your career.
- [31:10]
Jason McIntyre
Stop messing around with fireworks.
- [31:11]
Jim
I never fireworks. I had this fear. Like when people told me things when I was young, it like stuck with me. And I grew up in an all wood house, and my mom was like, fireworks could burn down the house. So in my mind, I equated fireworks with our house burning down. So I was like, never wanted to do it. We had a fireman who lived on a block, so, like, he would do the fireworks on the block growing up. But I never. I don't like things that are. That are dangerous. Like, I'm afraid of knives. I don't like sharp items. I don't like fireworks.
- [31:43]
Jason McIntyre
Like, life is good.
- [31:44]
Jim
I don't like it. I don't need to.
- [31:45]
Jason McIntyre
Okay, how about this? Do you do at. At amusement parks, do you do the scariest rides? Yeah. Okay.
- [31:50]
Jim
Love roller coasters.
- [31:51]
Jason McIntyre
Thrill.
- [31:51]
Jim
I definitely love the thrill. Like, those are tested, though they're a.
- [31:56]
Jason McIntyre
Little safer than fireworks. By the way, this was labeled as a high grade firework.
- [32:01]
Jim
Yes.
- [32:01]
Jason McIntyre
What are we talking, like an M80? Like, I don't know, guys.
- [32:05]
Jim
I don't know.
- [32:05]
Jason McIntyre
Just going forward, people, be safe, be smart. Let other people mess around. You watch it. Yeah, watch from a safe.
- [32:12]
Jim
You use your hands and your eyes for your career. Yeah, it's just. It's heartbreaking, honestly. But let's finish in the NBA, where Steph Curry is entering his 17th NBA season and has been fielding questions about his NBA future. At 37 years old, Curry has two years left on his current contract and recently told the Athletic that he doesn't know how much longer he has left, adding that he's taking it two years at a time, obviously referencing his contract. But this is kind of like what we've seen LeBron do with his last few contracts, the one year with the player option. So you kind of get to gauge where the team is at after a year. I mean, Golden State's chances this season, all their major pieces are coming back. They picked up Jimmy Butler last season. We saw potential there when everyone was healthy, but they haven't made any real big moves this off season yet. Maybe we're hearing they'll add Al Horford, but we haven't heard anything yet. And right now, the warriors odds to win the NBA title are middle of the pack. They're plus 2500. They're tied with the Hawks.
- [33:19]
Jason McIntyre
That's tied with the Hawks.
- [33:20]
Jim
Yeah. That's literally tied for 10th best or middle of the pack. Like, it's.
- [33:25]
Jason McIntyre
Whoa.
- [33:26]
Jim
There's not.
- [33:27]
Jason McIntyre
I mean, they won Game 1 in Minnesota, but Curry got hurt, and otherwise they win that series.
- [33:32]
Jim
I know.
- [33:33]
Jason McIntyre
I don't know how they would have fared against okc. Probably would have lost, but a.
- [33:36]
Jim
Because they haven't done much right now.
- [33:38]
Jason McIntyre
Wait, they have the same odds as the Hawks? Yeah. That's wild.
- [33:42]
Jim
Yeah.
- [33:42]
Jason McIntyre
I'm bullish on the Hawks, but not that bullish. I guess they're in the East 10th best. But this whole taking it two years at a time. It's interesting because in that LeBron article, LeBron was upset the Lakers didn't come to him with a contract offer as like an extension. So I wonder if Golden State would do that with Curry. I just different though.
- [34:02]
Jim
I like it because you have to remember, like Golden State was a dynasty for eight years. They won, what was it, four titles in eight years in something. Something around that like. And he was, he was the face of the franchise. It's different. It's different when you are and have always been the franchise. So I think he might be treated a little differently. Warriors, Steph with LeBron and they drafted him.
- [34:29]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, he's like, I guess maybe if Giannis came over via trade.
- [34:35]
Jim
Yeah.
- [34:36]
Jason McIntyre
Then you start to build around Giannis and you phase Curry out, which isn't right.
- [34:40]
Jim
Again, I think there would be a respect factor of like, where do you want to go? Do you want to go somewhere else? Do you want to stay here?
- [34:45]
Jason McIntyre
Well, you would think that, but the ladies aren't doing that with LeBron.
- [34:48]
Jim
Different, though. Different. This is like someone who like made your franchise what it is.
- [34:54]
Jason McIntyre
Well, LeBron got the Lakers back to.
- [34:56]
Jim
What they were, but like he also is one with two other franchises and he's been a bunch of other places. And it's new ownership. Like you also have to remember the Lakers. It is new ownership. He signed on with the Buss family, which is like family friendly deals. This is a completely new situation. Almost a new team with the Lakers since LeBron signed on, as you mentioned. Like once they got Luka mid season, everything changed. And then this offseason, it's new ownership.
- [35:26]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, 37.
- [35:28]
Jim
37.
- [35:30]
Jason McIntyre
I could see him playing to LeBron's 40.
- [35:31]
Jim
Like he's still. Yeah. I mean the way he played, the way he plays the game, like he. It allows him, I think, to play shooters.
- [35:37]
Jason McIntyre
Have a longer look at that. Oh my gosh. Highest career points per game post 35. KD LeBron Curry.
- [35:44]
Jim
Yeah.
- [35:45]
Jason McIntyre
That's incredible.
- [35:46]
Jim
It's great. I mean I. I hope people I. He's one of my all time favorite players. Obviously. He's my cous. We shared the last name, so. So by the way, it's so funny.
- [35:54]
Jason McIntyre
That's after 35. So Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, they were all done by 35. Yeah. Like non factors it different Elite.
- [36:02]
Jim
It's different now because everyone takes such like intense care of their bodies by what they eat, how they train, how they work out the off season regime. It's, it's just a different lifestyle now, which is why we're able to see these athletes play into their 40s.
- [36:18]
Jason McIntyre
Alex with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news. All right, coming up next, we're going to Vegas. Did Cooper Flag live up to the hype last night in Vegas? We'll talk about that next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
- [36:38]
Colin Cowherd
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- [38:07]
Jason McIntyre
Welcome back. Great game last night from Cooper Flag. I know the shooting numbers weren't there, but we're going live to Vegas right now to talk to Mark Medina, who covers the NBA. He was courtside for Bronnie versus Cooper Flag. We'll get to the Bronnie Lev aspect of it in a minute. But Mark, I want to start Cooper Flag. Your first impressions, not talking to people, just you watching the game courtside in Vegas last night?
- [38:35]
Mark Medina
Yeah. J. Max, similar to what you just said. Yes, he didn't shoot the ball well. 10 points, 5 of 21 from the field didn't make a 3, but he had a complete game all the way around. Six boards, four assists, three steals, one block. Love this competitive juice. I think the fact that he was able to defend in multiple positions Move really up and down the court pretty fast. It's a lot of good signs to come. And even with it being summer league and you take it for what it's worth, it's got Mark Cuban pretty giddy. I mean, he was talking about how he has a step back shot that reminds him of Dirk Nowitzki. He has a lot of competitive juices like Kobe Bryant. So yeah, the shooting wasn't there, but everything else was. So this is just the, the beginning of what should be a pretty fun career to follow.
- [39:20]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. And this is what's difficult about the Cooper Flag discussion. Everybody wants to say, well, wait, Dirk Nowitzki, he's not there. Well, obviously he's 18. It's not about what he is now, it's about what he can be. I've said Kevin Garnett, but hearing you talk about Mark Cuban gushing about Kobe, I mean that's, that's next level stuff. We don't normally hear that. Is this just your typical hype machine or is there a lot more behind this?
- [39:47]
Mark Medina
Well, Mark Cuban always likes to feed the hype machine, but I think there is some context. He made it clear he's not comparing him to Kobe Bryant. They have completely different games. Kobe, he was very much having a scores mentality even though he had a balanced game. Cooper Flag is pretty much all around. Where Mark Cuban came up with the Kobe idea was just more of his trajectory. Even though we know Kobe Bryant as this five time NBA champion, one of the best players ever in the league, it took him a while to develop. He got drafted out of high school, but he didn't start most of his games his rookie season. So he became a very special player. But I think Mark's point is because Cooper Flag is on a team with Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, he's not going to have the same kind of pressure as most number one picks have to carry a franchise and be that franchise savior right away. He can kind of grow organically as well as lean on all those players as mentors. And so that's, that's where the comparison lies. The game itself is completely different.
- [40:50]
Jason McIntyre
So let me ask, it looked like they wanted him to handle a lot last night and he did. I mean, I know the Lakers double teamed him and were really physical with him, which is a little while. But where do you anticipate him playing? Obviously it's just one summer league game, but I thought all the talk about him maybe being a point guard was goofy, but the way he played last night, you know, and we have positionless basketball now. You play with multiple guards. If Max Christie Clay and Cooper Flag start in the back court, there's no point guard per se. But do you think he starts? I thought he would come off the bench as a rookie, at least for the first half of the season.
- [41:25]
Mark Medina
I think it's all fluid, but I don't want to be surprised if he starts because we have to keep a few things in mind. One, Cooper Flag's really good at a lot of good things. One, to Jason Kidd is trying to make him feel comfortable with running the offense and really make him feel empowered to allow him to make decisions on the court without any fear of making mistakes. And three, Kyrie Irving is not going to be with the Mavericks to start the season. He has an ACL injury. You never know timeline specifically at this point, but most players are coming back from ACL injuries. The previous season is just do not come back until middle of the season. So it's inevitable that he's going to have a heightened role. So even when you add in the fact that they got d' Angelo Russell in the off season, he's a really good point guard, they have a lot of good depth around him. They're going to really lean on Cooper Flag to fill a lot of different roles.
- [42:14]
Jason McIntyre
Actually, you're right. D' Angelo Russell probably starts at point, but my gosh, that's not going to be for long. All right, let's move to the other side of the Mavs Lakers game last night. This is Bronny James. I know sample size is tiny. The Bronnie I've watched so far in the summer league, whether it was versus the warriors and whatever that California thing was, I see a totally different player. I'm not saying he's a starter or a six man. He just looks like a much, much better player than he did last year.
- [42:43]
Mark Medina
Yeah, I completely agree. Much different player. Obviously California Classic looks mega Summer league. Much different comparison than an actual NBA regular season game. But I think that from what you saw last year and Bronnie's summer league debut, you've seen a lot better shooting. You see Bronny hitting some shots here to open the night. He's a lot more aggressive, he's a lot more decisive. He was really getting into it with Cooper Flag, trying to size him up defensively despite having that size disadvantage so much that I think that he did force a turnover. The officials called him for a foul, but I think that he got a steal. So what this means for next season, who knows? He didn't get a lot of playing time beyond that debut with LeBron James opening night. But there is a pathway for him to at least be at the end of the rotation because he has a great practice player. He's all about the right habits, and he doesn't have any kind of sense of entitlement. Even though, you know, LeBron is his dad, he is very coachable and is someone that really tries to, you know, chip away at his different weaknesses. But the biggest thing that he's trying to really lean on with his calling card is defense.
- [43:54]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. And that's why, you know, in our morning meeting, I was like, hey, is there a world where, you know, Bronny fashions himself as, like, a TJ McConnell? And I know some people scoff and be like, come on. No way. T.J. mcConnell? Yes. He had, like, 18 points in a quarter of the NBA finals. That's veteran T.J. mcConnell. I'm saying a young one who's an energy guy coming off the bench. Give me 10 to 18 minutes a night. You don't need a lot of shots. I want 94ft of defense, harassment, energy. Can't. Can he be that guy as, like, a number nine or ten guy in the rotation?
- [44:30]
Mark Medina
Well, J. Mac, I don't see that right now because of his skill set, but I remember even before he got drafted, talking to some executives about what his trajectory could be. And they all acknowledge the unknown, but they said the very worst, that because of the intangibles I talked about and his professionalism, work ethic, that he could carve out a pretty good career being an end of a rotation guy, because you need good practice players. You need guys that don't cause problems when your playing time is sporadic. And I think the third point is that they didn't want to necessarily put a ceiling on specifically if he could be a rotation guy or not, because a lot of times players in those positions, they always overachieve because of their work ethic and practice habits. So, you know, let's be clear. No one's mistaking that Bronny could have an all star kind of caliber career. But as far as, you know, where it ends up, being the end of the rotation or being part of a rotation, coming off the bench, it very well could happen depending on how disciplined he continues with his. His work habits and his attitude. And so far, so good.
- [45:37]
Jason McIntyre
Let me ask. The Thunder just locked up SGA Chet and J Dub for $822 million worth of contracts. Mark, I don't know who you're listening to, but all I heard leading up to free agency was this could be the wildest, craziest free agency since 2019. There's been like no movement. It was a Kevin Durant, Miles Turner. That's it. Nothing else spicy. Interesting. Did this new collective bargaining agreement kind of kill free agency? Because even though the Thunder are retaining all their guys, they're going to be in the second apron and the repeater and all that stuff in a few years and they'd have to dismantle this thing the way the Celtics are. So I don't know. There's a lot there. Your thoughts on free agency and what's happening because it hasn't been as exciting as anticipated.
- [46:26]
Mark Medina
Yeah, I mean the NBA indirectly eliminated free agency once they allowed players to become eligible for supermax extensions before the end of their contract actually expired. And the thought process was with that was allowing teams to have a better opportunity to retain their stars number one and number two, to avoid the scenario when star players are playing the final year of the contract, there's a lot of oxygen sucked out of the room as far as in the locker room. The uncertainty on if he's going to stay or not and how that final season could dictate things. But as a result of that, you're not having these elaborate free agent pitch meetings that we're used to seeing with star players. You're not seeing those star players decisions create a domino effect with the rest of the role players once free agency starts in early July or late June. So yeah, all the actions already taken care of well before that. And really what's happened with these extension talks is even if a player has a misgiving or a team has a misgiving, 9 times out of 10 they sign the extension for the player because of the money for the team because they can solve that problem later when they have to. It's much easier to have some level of commitment now and deal with any potential tough choices later down the line.
- [47:45]
Jason McIntyre
All right, last one. We got about a minute left. Devin Booker just signed a two year deal, basically paying him 72 and a half million dollars for each of the next two seasons. I'm happy for Devin Booker. I'm sure he's going to buy a bunch of new cool cars. But I'm going to ask you, is this a terrible contract or an awful contract? Because it makes no sense for the sun. I mean none.
- [48:11]
Mark Medina
J Mac, you can disagree all you want here. I think it's actually a good contract. I mean look, this Phoenix Suns have not been well run in the last few years because of the top heavy roster and the construction around their star players. But I think Devin Booker has shown this past decade since entering the league that he's not a, you know, stat filling guy on a bad team. He's a winning player. I think it's very telling. When he was on the Olympic team last year, Steve Kerr described him as my favorite kind of FIBA player because he can score, he can defend, he's very amenable to different roles. And so again, there was a lot of different issues with injuries, roles with everyone else on the Suns. I think Devin Booker was really the beacon of consistency everywhere else. So, yeah, they have a lot of questions how they build around Devin, but I think that it was a no brainer to secure.
- [49:00]
Jason McIntyre
All right, good disagreement to wrap up on Friday. All right, Mark Medina, enjoy the rest of summer league. Cooper flags up again this weekend. We'll talk to you soon, buddy.
- [49:09]
Mark Medina
I appreciate you guys.
- [49:10]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. All right, strong Devin Booker take. All right, coming up next, yesterday we did a six pack of NBA teams. Today is the six pack a sixer of NFL Super bowl teams. This is an iHeart podcast.