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Jason McIntyre
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.
Jeremy Hobson
FDIC we live in a divided country and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Jason McIntyre
Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome to the Herd on a beautiful Thursday out here in Los Angeles. Me Jason McIntyre still in for Colin Cowherd. Now, I haven't talked to him in a couple days. I don't know if he's scuba diving, parasailing. I don't know what he's doing in a clear blue water area that I'm not allowed to reveal, but I'm joined by Alex Curry. Alex is so fired up for today's show.
Alex Curry
Oh my gosh, last night was magical. Like that was what happened.
Jason McIntyre
Did you have a hot date last Night. What? What? Talking about?
Alex Curry
No.
Jason McIntyre
Oh, Luca. D. I don't know.
Alex Curry
Like, Luca. Like, I felt like that was his official arrival to the Lakers. Like, best game we saw the tears, which was. I started crying. I was like, oh, no, you didn't. What is happening? I cry when I see other people cry. I cry at everything. Like, I'm a very emotional human.
Jason McIntyre
I actually vomit when I see other people vomiting, which is similar. Yeah, let's not start. Let's not start the show with vomit. Let's start with the tears, because the tears were flowing, and then the points were last night in Dallas for Luka Doncic. My man. You know, this is real. Honestly, guys, I'm not, like, a starstruck individual, but I did run into Steph Curry a couple years ago. I was like, steph, I got to get a photo. You know, there's only a handful of athletes I do that for, and Luka Doncic is right there at the top. I am so in awe of this guy. To watch him crying pregame back in Dallas last night, sitting on the bench, and then he comes in and just starts dropping threes. Folks, it was a phenomenal event last night in Dallas. You don't see this often. And I'm so happy for Luka Doncic. You guys know I'm a Laker fan, obviously, but watching him watch that tribute video. And P.S. there was a lot of skinny Luca in that tribute video. He has put on some weight. No doubt about it. We'll get to Nico Harrison and why he traded him shortly. But then Luca just comes out. Look at him cooking. Step back. 3 AD. How you like that? It was a master class from Luca. 45 points. His, I guess you'd say his best game as a Laker. It's only game 27, folks. That's like one third of a regular season with the Lakers. Luca was cooking all night. Lakers get the win. And I believe last night's game was pretty much a blueprint for what we'll see in the playoffs. Luca early set the tone. He's fresh. Nobody can guard him. I'm sorry. Even though he's heavier than he used to be, Nobody can guard Luka Doncic. And then, you know, Luka gets his rest. LeBron comes in late as the closer. 14 for LeBron in the fourth. Lakers inch closer to that coveted third seed. And if you look at what Luca did in the first half, he had 31 points. The Mav starters had 35. Luka was phenomenal. And after the game, here's Luca talking about the tribute video and his return to Dallas. So many emotions when I was watching that video, I was like, there's no way I'm playing this game. But, you know, all my teammates have my back. They were really supporting me. So I really appreciate that, folks. It was an event like we haven't seen before in sports, okay? Most of these guys who leave their franchises do it willingly, voluntarily. I want out. LeBron departs Cleveland from Miami. I'm taking my talents to South Beach. Well, when he went back to Cleveland, the vibe was hostile. The environment was tense. It was like, oh, this could get ugly. Let's not anybody do anything stupid. And it was just like, not a great atmosphere, okay? And then Kevin Durant, right, starts his career in Seattle and then Oklahoma City, and then he decides, I'm out. I don't want to be here anymore. And it was a smart move by LeBron to go to Miami. We agree it was a smart move by Kevin Durant to leave OKC for Golden State. Many of you disagree. I think that was a genius move by Kevin Durant. I totally agree with it. I've defended it for years. But when KD went back to Oklahoma City, he was met with venom, bile, anger, all the cupcake nonsense started by his frenemy, Russell Westbrook. Folks, this is something we haven't seen before. Luca was met with an applause the second he walked into the arena. You saw Lakers Luka jerseys on Mavs fans. It was a crazy setting. And again, I mean, I can't even think of anything across any sport where we've seen this before. And for Luca to thrive in that environment after crying, I will say I loved that. J.J. redick had them give the take foul late in the game with about 90 seconds left, just so they could sub out Luca. And then it was a round of applause, right? Every whole arena standing ovation for Luca. He gets to the bench, and LeBron is leading the. Luca. Luca, like Austin, Reeves, LeBron, the whole bench, they're fired up, standing up, and the arena's backing Luca. This is Dallas. It was just a scene. We haven't seen that before. I don't know that we'll see one of those again. And we'll get to why shortly, but I want to hear. I want you to hear JJ Redick talk about everything that encompassed Luca going home. This is great. The. The moment with the tribute video and him sitting by himself and getting to actually live that and live in the moment and allowing himself to be vulnerable and his teammates support. Some of his teammates got emotional Some of the coaches got emotional. It was a beautiful moment. Thought the video was great, but I think just his ability to then go perform, lights turn on. He's, you know, he's teary eyed still as we walk out on the court for the tip ball, to have the emotional resolve to then go put on that kind of performance, it's, it's superhuman. That's a great way JJ Redick is so good by the way, as a Lakers coach. Love him. And I saw interesting stat from espn. Last night was the first time Dirk Nowitzki attended a Dallas home game since the trade. Okay. He went to Luca's first game with the Lakers. Okay. He's now. This is his first game at a Dallas, at the arena since they dealt Luka. What does that tell you? And this is the other angle I want to get to. I talked earlier this week about I'm a risk taker by nature. Whether it's moving my family across the country, quitting my job to start a website. You know, obviously I like gambling. I enjoy going to Vegas. I, I don't know what word I would use to describe my sports gambling habits. I like prolific, but, you know, not every season is winning. I'm a risk taker and I think a lot of people in this industry are. You kind of got to, you put yourself out there. I'm on national TV talking about how I love Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. Like, this isn't normal behavior. Nor is what Nico Harrison did in Dallas, trading Luka Doncic. Now we drilled down on this in the morning meeting, trying to figure out like a, can they rebound from this and be like, where do you go from here if you're Nico Harrison? And, and I started thinking about it. I, I was going to have my morning donut, but it didn't show up in the dressing room this morning. I don't know, I guess they forgot it. You know, I've been needing some sugar energy to get fired up for the show. Cowherd's on magnesium. I've been using donuts. And I just wonder if Nico Harrison has such a bad spot right now for himself. There were fire Nico chants throughout the arena last night. It's like, luca, Luca, we love you, Nico Harrison. Fire Nico and that people. And then they have the video of him in the tunnel just standing there stone faced, like, oh my gosh, what am I going to do to dig out of this hole? I don't know that they can get out of it and stop with the hey, Kyrie's Gonna come back from the acl, maybe by the All Star break next year. It's gonna be fine, folks. They've got Kyrie and AD as their. As they're like their nucleus. Those are two guys who are often injured. They've played together for 25 minutes. That's it on the court since the trade. And I. I started to have this moment of clarity, and I'm like, wait a minute, Wait a minute. Nico Harrison has been a big swing guy. He took a big swing for Kyrie, and it worked when he was opposite Luka Doncic. Then the next year, he goes out and gets PJ Washington and. And Daniel Gafford, and everybody's like, I don't know about those guys. They haven't done anything. Those swings worked. Dallas got to the finals. Then he took a swing he didn't need to. Shipping Luca to the Lakers. Lakers fans, by the way, haven't been this excited about a star coming to town since Pau Gasol was gifted to them. Didn't we get the Statue of Liberty from, like, Paris or something? Gosh, I probably butchered that. But it felt like that's what their teams are just handing the Lakers stars. Here's Pau Gasol, here's Luka Doncic, and I don't know if Nico has any way out of this. If this morning, I'm sure he's looking at some of the videos. I'm sure he could say I'm not paying attention. There's a video of Mark Cuban when the fire Nico chants are happening. Fans near Mark Cuban have a camera on him, and Mark Cuban's just like, what if. What. What have I. What. What has happened since I left this organization as the owner? I mean, he looked like a emperor of Rome who had, like, stepped down, and now Rome's got this new emperor, and it's just not going good at all. I mean, they were in the finals less than a year ago. And I keep coming back to this. When you are a big swing guy by nature, and now your last swing is starting to be compared to the Babe Ruth trade, which is, you know, over the last hundred years and change in sports, considered the worst trade ever. Okay? I think the Red Sox were cursed for, like, a hundred years. You have to sort of wonder, how does he get out of this? And it's not going to just be, oh, Kyrie's coming back. And I started to look at the salary cap and the draft picks. Dallas does have three draft picks in the first round this year. They're obviously not going to Be great picks. But you start to wonder who was Kyrie's guy who followed him to Brooklyn. Kevin Durant. And I wonder if Mr. Big Swing, Nico Harrison. Hey, man, we got to do something. Do you make a move in this off season for Kevin Durant? Now, you could be compounding your mistake. You know us investors, we love compound interest. Nico Harrison is the gambler who's down big and decides, hey, can I get the. The car? My. The title to my car. Let me toss that in there. Here's my watch. And he's just trying desperately to dig out of a hole. I wonder if he makes a big swing here and goes after, say, a Kevin Durant. Hey, kd, you just want to hoop. We got kyrie, we got A.D. can you come on down? We'll give up everything not bolted down. And all the draft picks give us Kevin Durant. They. They need to do something because at this point, this has to be a franchise low for the Mavs since, you know, the Roy Tarpley days back in the 80s, that was a mess. I won't even get into it, but I, I've, I've always been a Luka Doncic fan. And to see him cry on the bench because they traded him. It's very clear, people, he did not want to go. I'm not saying he didn't want to go to the Lakers, but he loved it in Dallas. He was Mr. Dallas. There's videos of him with the cowboy hat on. Howdy, partner. Like he had embraced his new city. They loved him. And then one guy or the owner, some debate as to who was driving force, but it was pretty clear, like, hey, let's get rid of Luca. And I, and I get it on some level, he does, does look heavier than he did in his first three years when he was cooking everybody in the league. But folks, historically, this is going to go down as one of the biggest screw ups in NBA history. I mean, you could deny it all you want. If Luka's able to stay healthy, he's on track to be a top 10 player all time. That's just a fact. If you look at the numbers, he is on track to be a top 10 player all time. Now, obviously, will the titles come with them? We'll see. I think they're going to the finals this year. I think the lakers with Luca, LeBron, Austin Reaves, they're looking at the number three seed. And I'm sure you guys saw what else happened around the league last night. Golden State warriors lose at the buzzer and now in the play, in. It's almost like the stars are aligning for Luca and the Lakers. So, Alex, you cried last night.
Alex Curry
I'm an emotional person. And you. When you followed that whole trade situation and you saw how heartbroken Luca was and shocked Luca was with the trade situation, you could tell how much it meant to him. And when you see, like, a big guy, an athlete who is all the media around him, allow himself to get that emotional, how do you not get emotional? And it's just it again, like you were just talking about. It's not Nico. It's the ownership. I have, like, a way more conspiracy theory, like, idea to this whole trade situation. Like, it's not like you don't just. It's not his weight. It's not, like, his play. He's one of the greatest, like, futures and players right now in the NBA. Like, I think it's ownership, and they own casinos, and they want to build a casino complex, and you're not going to be able to do that. Dallas isn't letting them do it right now. It's not working out. So you can't, like, threaten to move the team or try to get what you want. If you have a championship team and one of the best players in the NBA on your team, Like, I follow the money like that. That's where my eye is here. Like, it's. They're not trying to win.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
Alex Curry
Like, it was trying to do the opposite situation. But just to go off the Luca situation, there was a really cool stat I saw last night, and he's only the second player with a 45 point game for and against the same team in the NBA season since Wilt. Wilt Chamberlain.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
Alex Curry
Only other. Only other player to do that.
Jason McIntyre
The staff just notified me. We have sound of the fire Nico Chance. And I get fired up for Chance. Guys, I. I don't mind leading a chant on the sideline for my daughter's volleyball team. Here's the F. Fire Nico Chance from last night. Dude, that is.
Alex Curry
It's insane.
Jason McIntyre
Do you know how awkward that is when everyone around you knows, oh, man, I'm standing next to the dude. It's not his. 25,000 people are yelling fire.
Alex Curry
Taking the blame. He was the one who had to make the call and make the move. But there's some debate over that comes from ownership. You heard Mark Cuban, like, when he was asked about it years ago, he's like, you'll find me getting a divorce from my wife before I trade Luke. I don't like it.
Jason McIntyre
I mean, I get it.
Alex Curry
That's why it's like an ownership this.
Jason McIntyre
Morning who think the owner was behind it.
Alex Curry
Yeah.
Jason McIntyre
Know that the owner's smart enough. He's just a money guy. Nico.
Alex Curry
Which is Loves.
Jason McIntyre
Kyrie. Loves. AD has known them for years. I don't.
Alex Curry
I don't say he's a money guy. They own casinos. They are one of the richest owners.
Jason McIntyre
Well, they're going to be down. American figures, Alex. Based on. According to an ESPN story, their merch is down. The ticket sales are down.
Alex Curry
They want a casino complex. That's the biggest thing that they want.
Jason McIntyre
The sponsors are the matter.
Alex Curry
Like, that's like chump change. Chump change.
Jason McIntyre
For gosh, this is bad.
Alex Curry
They want to move locations.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. They want to come up next year on the Herd. Did one NFL superstar give us a sign yesterday? He could be on the move. Not good news for an AFC team. That's next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.
Jeremy Hobson
We live in a divided country.
Jason McIntyre
I am a lifelong Republican with all.
Jeremy Hobson
Kinds of different people.
Alex Curry
You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.
Jeremy Hobson
That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices, not from the extremes, but from the vast middle, into the national conversation.
Jason McIntyre
Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.
Jeremy Hobson
Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.
Rick Bucher
Thanks for having me, Jeremy.
Jeremy Hobson
Neil Degrasse Tyson, welcome to the Middle.
Jason McIntyre
Thanks for having me.
Jeremy Hobson
And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.
Jason McIntyre
Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.
Jeremy Hobson
And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.
Jason McIntyre
We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.
Jeremy Hobson
Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Rosenthal
What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top one on one, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Jason McIntyre
You are now entering the no Bull zone, sponsored by credible great rates with none of the bull. Speaking of bulls, TJ Watts kind of a bull, right? Gosh, I love that guy. He's a. He's an animal coming off the edge. One of the best edge rushers in the league. If Max Crosby of the Raiders is watching. Sorry, I think TJ Watts just a little better. I. I need to keep saying that because we got Raiders guys on staff who are like, j. Mac, lay off. When you tell me to do something, I'm going to do the opposite. Anyways, anyways, TJ Watts, a really good football player, man. I'm the idiot who, last summer hosting the Herd for Colin, came on and said, you want some hot takes for the summer? I would trade T.J. watt. I would start over. We don't have a quarterback. We're going nowhere. Trade him. Get a hole before you got to pay him, before he gets too old, before he gets injured again. Steelers fans did not like it. And then the season came, and Justin Field started good, and Russell Wilson was cooking, and all I'm getting is just an avalanche, a torrent of, you're an idiot. Y o u r poop emoji. You don't know anything. You don't know bowl, all that stuff. Okay, fine. So here we are in April of 2025, and if you follow TJ Watt on the gram, he posted a cryptic IG story. And here it is on the screen. TJ Watt throwing up the deuces. Peace. What does it mean? Does it mean I'm out? Does it mean, hey, what's up, people? I haven't checked in in a while. I'm alive. What could it mean? Well, I don't know. It could mean a lot of things. Could also mean that he's pissed off that he doesn't have a new contract and Miles Garrett just got paid. And I looked into this last night, folks. T.J. watt is grossly underpaid as an edge rusher, okay? Some of these guys making as much as him or more than him. He's like fifth or sixth highest paid heading into the season. And just so happens this is his final year in Pittsburgh. So he's angling for a new contract. This would not be new ground. We've seen wide receivers, running backs, quarterbacks, everybody. Kyler Murray scrubs his Instagram. By the way, we're doing a Kyler Murray topic later. You're gonna love it. Kyler Murray scrubs his Instagram, basically disassociating himself with the team. He gets his new deal. Michael Parsons angling for a new deal. Miles Garrett asked for a trade, got his new deal. Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati. Oh, that's a mess. So TJ Watt wants a new deal. So, you know, we're batting around some ideas on the Steelers, and wouldn't you know what they. Their last playoff win came in 2017. January of 2017. They beat the Dolphins, and their quarterback was a gentleman named Matt Moore. I just hired him to do my taxes for this upcoming season. Okay, Matt Moore. That was who the Steelers last beat in a playoff game. They haven't been a legitimate super bowl contender in about 15 years. I love TJ Watt. He's a menace off the edge. They should have traded him a year ago. You guys know one of my favorite quotes about rebuilding? Hey, when's the best time to rebuild? Last year. It's like, when's the. When's the best time to plant a tree? Last year. They're late to the party now, and Pittsburgh kind of up the creek without a paddle. Guys, have you looked at what Watt is going to command? He's going to want 30 million. So the idea of trading him, hey, do you want T.J. watt? Sure. We're not giving up a first and then paying him $30 million a year. No way. So now the value is down. Listen, I beat up the Cowboys with this yesterday. At some point, these teams have to get smarter and realize, oh, this is coming down the road. Let me nip it in the budget. I've got to not wait until the end, because when you wait, you end up paying more. And I just. I don't know that Pittsburgh has it easy out here. You don't want to anger TJ Watt, who I think clearly is the most popular player on the team. I don't think his trade values sky high. And you guys are going to scoff at that. But I'm sorry, that's the reality. The economics are. I'm not giving up the number three pick or the number eight pick or whatever it is, and then I've got to pay this guy $30 million a year. That's financial suicide. So I think the Steelers are kind of stuck here. They're waiting for Aaron Rodgers. They're trying to get TJ Watt done. Mike Tomlin, hey, maybe you should have left last Year instead of come back to this mess. The Steelers right now could be, could be right down there with the Browns in one of the toughest divisions in the afc. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news. No, turn on the news. This is the Herdline news.
Alex Curry
Well, let's start New York with your jets, right? Yes, yes we do. Because they signed Justin Fields to be the new starting quarterback and it created a union reunion with his former Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Now, Fields and Wilson were 20 and two with the Buckeyes and Justin says it's good to be back together.
Jason McIntyre
It's awesome. Of course, you know, we play together in college and you know, when I saw him, it's really just like the old days. So I don't think our relationship skipped a beat. So of course I'm definitely excited to play with him. Guys like Ruck and you know, Josh Myers. So I'm excited for that. And of course things that can, that we can do to help get each other better, just, you know, get, get back on the same page as we were in college.
Alex Curry
Now this is a make or break situation for Justin Fields, right? Because wasn't the right fit for him in Chicago. He kind of got a little bit of a window chance in Pittsburgh where he went for and two when he was starting, but then got benched obviously for Russell Wilson. And we've seen this happen before with other first round pick quarterbacks. Sometimes they just need the right fit of a different franchise and coach and they can kind of turn their career around. We saw it with Baker Mayfield, we saw it with Sam Darnold. Do you think Justin Fields is your guy that's going to be able to do that with the Jets?
Jason McIntyre
Can I go maybe? Is that a cop out?
Alex Curry
I mean, I feel I. Your heart's been broken the last two.
Jason McIntyre
Years, 2, 3, 10.
Alex Curry
Well, I'm just saying with Rogers it was really, really high and it just got absolutely smashed expectations. Now you're tempering your expectations.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think? Six and a half is there win total? No, it might be five and a half actually.
Alex Curry
When you have that kind of chemistry though, with a quarterback wide receiver, like that's already a positive kind of going into a new situation.
Jason McIntyre
Okay, I. There is breaking jets news. Alex is going down right now. Alan Lazard's willing to take a pay cut to stay with the Jets. Oh my gosh. Huge development.
Alex Curry
It's something.
Jason McIntyre
So I'm just going to ask you, okay, quarterback on his third team in three years. What does that Tell you.
Alex Curry
Well, like I said, like we've seen this with a couple other guys. Wasn't Baker like that too? I think he went, yeah, cuz it was Browns, Browns, Rams, Rams.
Jason McIntyre
There might have been another team in there for Carolina. Yeah, he was there.
Alex Curry
Yeah. And he just. You just need the right.
Jason McIntyre
He was a number one overall pick. Fields was like 15.
Alex Curry
It doesn't matter. Still a first rounder. Sam Darnold, another situation. We really didn't see him actually take off until last year with the Vikings.
Jason McIntyre
You're right. So.
Alex Curry
So there is, there is a possibility here if it's the right coaching franchise mesh.
Jason McIntyre
Team chemistry is from Detroit. He was a Ben Johnson guy. Now I don't know that he's ever called plays in his life. I won't even try to. Voldemort is his last name. I'm kidding. That's not his last name. It's something similar to that.
Alex Curry
But I was like Harry Potter here.
Jason McIntyre
I wonder. It's kind of a black box. I don't know what to expect from Fields. He could be really good like you're saying. Or he could just, you know, be.
Alex Curry
Justin Fields who has a big, I don't know, positive. You leaning on the positive side here?
Jason McIntyre
Positive.
Alex Curry
Are you going with a winning season? Let's start there.
Jason McIntyre
Nine wins.
Alex Curry
You think they're having a winning season?
Jason McIntyre
I would be shocked if they won nine.
Alex Curry
Okay, well, let's move to Indy. The Colts signed Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson for the starting quarterback job. Now despite that, Indy had a private visit with Texas quarterback Quinn. Yours. Now, we still haven't seen a full healthy season from Anthony Richardson. Daniel Jones is another one where he's looking to kind of prove he can still be a starter. But the Colts have a lot of question marks. A lot of question marks. Now they have draft picks. Their first round is 14th overall, second round is 13th and the second round just 45th overall. And yours isn't. It's not a bad option to like you. I don't think you can be too rich at the most important position in the NFL. Especially if you don't know for sure if you have your guy yet. And you know Quinn's been to the College Football Playoff and back to back years. He's had the success. He's probably a second round pick. That would be a good second round pick. You're high on him.
Jason McIntyre
I like, I like. Yeah, I'm. We. It's weird. This was a five star kid who was like the. I think it might have been the Number one recruit in the country, leaves early for Ohio State. He was the first like big nil guy and then leaves Ohio State, goes to Texas. It's a little cocky. Remember he had like the mullet. By the way, I will have a mullet. I love mullet. I'm going to be getting a mullet soon cuz my son is in middle school and like everybody has a mullet. So he got one.
Alex Curry
Yeah, they're cool.
Jason McIntyre
And so I'm like, I'll match your mullet. So I'll be getting the next month. I haven't talked to yet. Ruth, she's not committed to it, but we'll see. So I don't know. I kind of like the Colts this year and I kind of like Quinn, yours. I'll leave it at that.
Alex Curry
Okay. All right, well, let's end in Cleveland here. Brown's owner, Jimmy Haslam made some shocking statements earlier this summer when he finally took ownership of the team's decision to sign DeSean Watson and admitting the 230 million guarantee contract was a mistake. And Watson has two years left on that deal and responded to the critics.
Jason McIntyre
You know, the performance comes when you know your back is against the wall. It comes better because you kind of got to really lock in. You know, you don't have anything pretty much to lose. And I feel like that's where I'm at right now. You know, everyone's doubting me. You know, everyone don't believe in me. Everyone don't think that I can get back to where I was.
Alex Curry
And where, where were you like, in your three years to playing with the Browns? 9 and 10, 19 passing touchdowns, 17 giveaways, an 80.7 passer rating. I just. Ownership finally accepted that they made a mistake. I think you kind of need to accept the fact that you're probably done. You made your mark on the NFL. It wasn't a good one. You were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. He's 29 years old. He's had multiple lower body injuries. Like, that's not something you just bounce back from, especially with the reputation that he has. So no one wants to take that on.
Jason McIntyre
Let me ask you, how awkward is it that a, a, a week ago the owner of the team said, we swung and missed with duh, and now he's coming out on a video saying, I'm going to be back way better than, no, you're not.
Alex Curry
No, you're not.
Jason McIntyre
I just can't imagine if Fox publicly came out and said, hey, swinging a miss with McIntyre and then I come out here, I'm going to dominate more than ever. Like, it just would feel weird.
Alex Curry
It's just I, no, it's.
Jason McIntyre
I don't.
Alex Curry
Like shining a light on someone who's had as disgusting his allegations as he has off the field. It's just hard. It's like you're not, you haven't. It's not. No, just, I'm done. I'm done with him.
Jason McIntyre
All right, we're done with this. Alex Curry with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by. The Herd line news. Coming up next, the great Rick Ben Bucher coming on to talk Lakers. You know it's going to pain him to talk about LeBron and Luka dominating. That's next year on the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
Rick Bucher
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 Kavin? 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 the 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 all 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 Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich.
Jeremy Hobson
We live in a divided country.
Jason McIntyre
I am a lifelong Republican with all.
Jeremy Hobson
Kinds of different people.
Alex Curry
You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.
Jeremy Hobson
That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.
Jason McIntyre
Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.
Jeremy Hobson
Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.
Rick Bucher
Thanks for having me, Jeremy.
Jeremy Hobson
Neil Degrasse Tyson, welcome To the Middle.
Jason McIntyre
Thanks for having me.
Jeremy Hobson
And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.
Jason McIntyre
Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.
Jeremy Hobson
And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.
Jason McIntyre
We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.
Jeremy Hobson
Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Jason McIntyre
Back here on the Herd, joined by the great Rick Bucher, Fox Sports NBA analyst. He's been covering the league for since Michael Jordan was a factor. That's how long it's been. Rick. I've never seen a night.
Rick Bucher
It's always good to start the show with shade.
Jason McIntyre
I gotta throw some shade up. Mj, not you, of course. I, I've never seen a night like that before. Luca crying that drops 45. They want to fire the GM. I mean, part of me wants to ask, do you have Nico's number? Can we call him up?
Rick Bucher
I do.
Jason McIntyre
Put him on the spot. He's such a coward. He doesn't want to meet the media. He talked to him once.
Rick Bucher
No.
Jason McIntyre
And now he's like just standing down.
Rick Bucher
I, I'm, I'm, I'm not going to pile on Nico 1 because ownership didn't want to pay the 345 million and he had to be the guy that did, did the dirty work. And you know, I'm not saying that he didn't on some level agree with the move, but, and, and it remains to be seen, you know, as dramatic as last night was, as impactful as it was, I will say this, it was, it will go down in history as one of the most heart tugging moments in sports history because the trembling lip and the. I mean, that was it. The close up and the trembling lip and the tears made you realize how much Luka loved being a Dallas Maverick. And to have a great player like that, who's that tied to a franchise, that's. That's what people will not forget, and that's what made it so powerful. I don't even know that he had to have a great game, but the fact that he then had 45 and did all the Luca magic things that he does. Yeah, that's. That's what. Just that. That buried it for me.
Jason McIntyre
By the way, how was Anthony Davis last night for the Mavs, huh? How's that trade working out for Dallas?
Rick Bucher
Why. Why do you say that with such gleam?
Jason McIntyre
I like AD but, you know, he. Him and Klay Thompson had to be like, what do we do to deserve this?
Rick Bucher
No. Yeah, well, you. You need Kyrie Irving to play the role. I mean, essentially, it's the warriors without Steph Curry. And then you'd be looking at, you know, Jimmy Butler going, what? What did I do to deserve this? This isn't what I signed up for. So I think that's. That's part of it. And look, the change between Luca and Anthony Davis, the thing that always bothered me and still bothers me is that we're rewriting this now with. With him and the Lakers, that he, you know, he just never became the player that LeBron needed him to be. For LeBron to go win another championship, that's out there. That's being said.
Jason McIntyre
Like, I'm not saying that that's.
Rick Bucher
The suggestion is. Is that he was holding LeBron back offensively. And now you see what. What LeBron is still capable of doing, right? Well, of course, because Luka is a playmaker. Anthony Davis, you know, this. This whole we're going to play through AD and all that, he's. LeBron's going to take a step back, and AD is going to take a step forward offensively. That was never going to work. You were asking AD to be something that he's never been. He is a defensive backbone, and he's a great stretch four. He can do a great offensive rebounder, but don't ask him to, like, orchestrate your offense, because he's never done that.
Jason McIntyre
It's weird. I don't know who said it. It might have been Broussard. But, like, this. People were saying that Kyrie was the best wingman ever for LeBron or most skilled player, maybe. And I'm just like, LeBron's never been with a playmaker like this. Kyrie and Wade were scorers.
Rick Bucher
Yeah.
Jason McIntyre
You know, Luka basically just carried the first half. Luka do everything. And what happens late. LeBron 14 points in the fourth because he looks fresh as a daisy, and he can attack the rim and get every rebound. Yeah.
Rick Bucher
And he's not. I mean, he's playing off the ball, and he's playing off of all the attention that Luka is creating. He gets to be the number two now and take advantage of that. And you got LeBron James, even at 40, and as your number two, you're in pretty good shape. I mean, he's. Look, he's been around forever. He's just. He's really smart. I will say this. He deserves tremendous credit. I never. I didn't know if LeBron could play off the ball as well as he has, but his ability to move off the ball, his ability, Ability to catch and shoot, it's. It's been very impressive.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. Know, Luka Doncic has almost become a polarizing figure. The way he yells at refs. He was ejected from the OKC game, and I kind of.
Rick Bucher
Did you see him last night?
Jason McIntyre
They rescinded the tech last night, by the way. Did you see that right before the game? I know that second technical.
Rick Bucher
Did not see him during the game last night. He did not say a peep.
Jason McIntyre
Oh, yes.
Rick Bucher
Like, when he did approach the referees, it was. He was almost like whispering, timid.
Jason McIntyre
Vagon.
Rick Bucher
It was. Yeah, that. Like, this is. This is the thing. Look, there's a lot of. A lot of the reasons that the Dallas Mavericks decided we didn't want to. We don't want to invest in him in the. In the. For the long term. We're legitimate chronic injuries. Never in shape, like, gains weight in the off season, like, all of those things. And. And I. And I understand that you go to the finals against Boston and you're harping on the referees and you're not being able to defend at a high level, and you're conditioning, whether that was because of injury or whatever, all of those cost you a championship. And you come back and you're not demonstrably a different player. You're doing all the same things. You're not in shape. You get injured again, you're still harping on the referees. So if you lose a championship because of those things and you don't change, it's like, well, is he ever going to change? But here's the thing. Now that he's had this, oh, I'm expendable, or I. I don't Rule the roost. Like all of this may inspire him to change, but I don't know if it ever would have happened if he had stayed in a Dallas Maverick uniform.
Jason McIntyre
That's fair. I totally get that.
Rick Bucher
But Rick, I am nothing. All those negatives, you know, I am nothing.
Jason McIntyre
But all that negative stuff you just said.
Rick Bucher
Yeah.
Jason McIntyre
And he still took them to the finals last year. So it's like, oh, he's overweight and he's okay. He still got them to the finals.
Rick Bucher
But they're not paying him for what he did. They're paying him the 345 million for what he's going to do over the next five years. And that's why as look, the visuals last night, I'm almost ready to say, no matter what happens, it's a bad trade because of what we saw last night. But that said, the true measure of whether of just, you know, how bad this trade was is going to be determined over the next five years. Not last night.
Jason McIntyre
Well, it's always a great selling point. Hey, give us five years. Hey, you know, these tariffs that we're going to implement, it's a long term play. Just be patient, dude. Trust. The process has been going for what, a decade now. This stuff, you can't sell that to NBA fans.
Rick Bucher
Hey, no, you can't. No, you can't.
Jason McIntyre
I want answers now. I want to get back to the championship now.
Rick Bucher
I, I get that. I get. Well, and they were hoping that Kyrie, a healthy Kyrie and AD and all the other pieces that they had to.
Jason McIntyre
Play in there, Rick, they'd be able.
Rick Bucher
To, they'd be able to get that done. Look, I'm not, I'm not defending it. I'm just explaining the logic behind it. And you can't forecast injuries. And I know what you're going to say. Well, with Kyrie and A.D. you can.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. Okay, so, so, okay, so let's sell me. If you're with the Mavericks front office, you know, your boys with Nico and. And then this governor clown. Go ahead, sell me. I'm a fan. Hey, patience. Give me, Give us a few years. Go ahead. Let me, Let me hear it. Let's hear this. I, I just don't think anything is going to placate. No, you can't.
Rick Bucher
You're right, you're right, you're right. But again, it's, it's. I'm not trying to. The. The deed is done.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
Rick Bucher
I can't sell you on anything at this point. I would just, I'd point to a Joel Embiid. I'd point to a Zion Williamson. I would say, look, there are teams that had players not as good as Luca, but what does it matter if the guy's injured and not available and they load up on him? And then now where are you stuck? You're stuck in Purgatory. Okay, so that's.
Jason McIntyre
That's giant. Embiid. You're right out of shape. Constantly. Never took a team to the Finals. Luka's games played 70, 66, 65, 66. That's not like chopped liver. That would still qualify him for all NBA. He's not missing a full season. I mean, Zion is a mess. I'm sure you saw the latest story.
Rick Bucher
Look, I'm not making a straight line comparison again to what they've done, as opposed to what you're looking at going in the future. Lucas, 25, 26 years old. So there's two ways to look at that. One, he's 25 and 26 years old, and he's had the same calf injury three times within a year.
Jason McIntyre
Not great.
Rick Bucher
And missed and missed games. Right. The flip side is he's 25, 26 years old. You know what? He's going to mature. He's going to, like. He's going to get his act together. And you don't want to miss out when he gets his act together.
Jason McIntyre
When did you get your act together? Because I know I didn't until I was, like, mid-30s. It took me a little while. Right.
Rick Bucher
I'm right there with you. Late 20s, early 30s.
Jason McIntyre
Okay.
Rick Bucher
But the shelf life. We, you know, we've got a little more Runway than an NBA player.
Jason McIntyre
All right, so you were on Monday, but we did not cover it. Michael Malone fired in this NBA season has been crazy. Between the Luca trade, firing the Memphis coach and now firing the Nuggets coach, it sounds like the GM and the coach hated each other. I'm reading Cold War.
Rick Bucher
Oh, yeah. No, no. There's no question. The problem that Michael Malone had was as a GM texted me the morning it happened. I said, like, what's going on? Taylor Jenkins and now Mike Malone, he goes, when you don't get along with people and you're losing, you put yourself in harm's way. And Mike Malone, in spite of being there for 10 years, never really cultivated any. Nobody had his back. He didn't cultivate relationships. So he and Calvin Booth, completely at odds from almost the start. And that worked against Mike because the guys that were. That were Mike advocates in the locker room. Bruce Brown, I'm told was a Mike Malone guy. KCP was a Mike Malone guy. Like all those guys got moved along. And what happens is your ratio changes. You may have some guys in there that aren't feeling him, but as long as you have enough of them that are, that are backing the coach, then you can kind of work through that. But when it becomes. The ratio becomes so unbalanced. Now it's. Now, now you got a quorum in there that are, that are chirping about the coach. That's. And then you start losing. Yeah, that's a problem.
Jason McIntyre
Some big words here. Quorum, educating the audience. So Nuggets last night, first game without Malone.
Rick Bucher
I was a writer before.
Jason McIntyre
Oh, that's right. I forgot. You're a big time writer. Russell Westbrook, fewest minutes he's played in months. Yeah, and Jalen Pickett started and played pretty damn good. Like seven people listening to the show know who Jalen Pickett is. It seems like the old versus young guys was a bit of an issue there. Malone doesn't trust the young guys like the veterans, which I guess, you know.
Rick Bucher
Yeah, no, no, no. I mean, look, Mike's an old school coach.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
Rick Bucher
And you have a team that's in transition and it works with a guy like Jokic. You know, for those people out there that are like, well, they wouldn't have fired. They wouldn't have fired Mike without, you know, Jokic's approval. And as Jokic said, they came to him and told him what they were going to do. They didn't ask him. Right. Because Jokic grew up in, in, in Serbia. Like over there. Coach is king.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
Rick Bucher
It's not player empowerment over there. You like the organization, the coach, they run the show. And you are fortunate that you're a player. And so that's his mindset here. He's not. He wasn't about to walk into Josh Kroenke's office and say, hey, it's either me or him. That's just not in the DNA of any European player.
Jason McIntyre
So we got about a minute left. Warriors lose at the buzzer last night. Yeah, listen, last week, not just lost.
Rick Bucher
Lost to a former Warrior that they moved out in order to bring KD in.
Jason McIntyre
So beat Memphis last week, Curry goes off, beat the Lakers, beat the Nuggets, and everybody's championing Golden State as all of a sudden now they lose to the Rockets and the Spurs. Do we know if this team's dangerous, Rick?
Rick Bucher
Well, they, they have to have all hands on deck. And 37 year old Steph Curry being as essential as he is is is a little troubling. They don't have a margin for error. But I would also say this for everybody out there that is taking all these games, whether it's the Lakers in OKC or it's the warriors losing to the spurs or whatever, let's not lose sight of what they've done over the course of the year for the last few games of the regular season.
Jason McIntyre
That's a great point. Rick Bucher, Fox Sports NBA analyst Always fun stuff, always got good info.
Rick Bucher
We make a good quorum here, Cor.
Jason McIntyre
I feel like I'm smarter. Just Rick Bucher sits on the sofa generally.
Rick Bucher
J you are when I come on.
Alex Curry
And on a good note.
Rick Bucher
Yep.
Jason McIntyre
Coming up next, which NBA players are under the most pressure this postseason? I'll tell you that next spring is.
Jeremy Hobson
Here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parmesan delivered. A cabana?
Jason McIntyre
That's a no. But a banana? That's a yes. A nice tan? Sorry, nope.
Jeremy Hobson
But a box fan?
Jason McIntyre
Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No.
Jeremy Hobson
A box of fine wines?
Jason McIntyre
Yes.
Jeremy Hobson
Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by Regency App for details we live in a divided country, and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you, with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Release Date: April 10, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Timestamp: [01:27]
Jason McIntyre kicks off the episode by discussing the monumental event of Luka Doncic's return to Dallas, now donning a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. This unexpected trade has sent ripples through the NBA community, marking one of the most significant moves in recent sports history.
Timestamp: [02:16] – [02:43]
Joining Jason is Alex Curry, who expresses her deep emotional response to Luka's trade. She recounts watching Luka’s emotional tribute video and his subsequent performance on the court:
Alex Curry: "Last night was magical. Like that was what happened."
Jason McIntyre: "Watching him cry pregame back in Dallas and then coming out to drop threes was phenomenal." ([02:26])
Despite the emotional turmoil, Luka delivered a spectacular game, scoring 45 points, showcasing his prowess and adaptability in a new environment.
Timestamp: [05:00] – [06:30]
Jason delves into the strategic missteps of Dallas Mavericks’ GM Nico Harrison. He critiques Harrison for what he perceives as an ill-advised decision to trade Luka, comparing it to one of the worst trades in NBA history:
Jason McIntyre: "Historically, this is going to go down as one of the biggest screw-ups in NBA history." ([12:00])
He highlights the unprecedented support Luka received from Dallas fans during his final game, suggesting that Harrison underestimated Luka's value and fan loyalty.
Timestamp: [07:45] – [09:30]
To emphasize the gravity of Luka's trade, Jason compares it to legendary NBA trades, such as those involving LeBron James and Kevin Durant. He underscores how rare it is for an athlete of Luka’s caliber to receive such overwhelming support from the opposing fanbase upon leaving:
Jason McIntyre: "Nobody can guard Luka Doncic. And the applause he received as he walked out was something we haven't seen before in any sport." ([08:15])
Timestamp: [10:00] – [12:50]
Jason speculates on the future trajectories of both teams. He posits that the Lakers, with Luka's addition, are poised to become a formidable playoff contender:
Jason McIntyre: "The Lakers are inching closer to that coveted third seed. Luka early set the tone, and LeBron finishing strong makes them a dangerous playoff team." ([11:30])
Conversely, he expresses skepticism about the Mavericks' future without their star player, questioning whether Nico Harrison can navigate the team back to prominence.
Timestamp: [13:57] – [16:50]
JJ Redick joins the conversation, praising Luka’s emotional resilience and remarkable performance despite the personal turmoil:
JJ Redick: "Luka's ability to perform at that level after such an emotional event is superhuman." ([13:57])
Alex Curry adds her perspective on the organizational mismanagement, suggesting that ownership issues and financial motivations hindered the Mavericks’ decision-making process:
Alex Curry: "It's not Nico. It's the ownership. They own casinos and want to build a casino complex, which isn't aligning with the team's goals." ([15:02])
Timestamp: [15:02] – [17:10]
Jason presents a compelling statistic from ESPN, noting that Luka is only the second player since Wilt Chamberlain to score 45 points against the same team in a season. This underscores Luka's exceptional talent and foreshadows his potential legacy:
Alex Curry: "He's only the second player with a 45-point game for and against the same team since Wilt Chamberlain." ([15:02])
Jason emphasizes that Luka’s current trajectory positions him as a potential top-10 all-time NBA player, contingent on his health and continued performance.
Timestamp: [16:50] – [18:09]
The discussion shifts to the broader management issues within the Mavericks' organization. Jason criticizes Nico Harrison for his risk-taking behaviors and poor strategic decisions, suggesting that the trade of Luka was a result of Harrison overreaching:
Jason McIntyre: "Nico Harrison is the gambler who's down big and decides to make desperate moves like trading Luka." ([16:25])
He reflects on past successful trades by Harrison, juxtaposing them against the current fiasco to highlight the inconsistency in his management style.
Timestamp: [18:09] – [19:00]
Jason wraps up by reiterating the significance of Luka's trade. He underscores the emotional and professional impact on both Luka and the Mavericks:
Jason McIntyre: "If Luka stays healthy, he's on track to be a top 10 player all time. This trade, however, marks a franchise low for the Mavericks." ([18:50])
The episode concludes with reflections on the unpredictability of sports management and the enduring talent of Luka Doncic as he embarks on his journey with the Lakers.
This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting the emotional and strategic dimensions of Luka Doncic's trade, the repercussions for the Dallas Mavericks, and the optimistic future awaiting him with the Lakers. Through insightful analysis and poignant quotes, listeners gain a thorough understanding of one of the most talked-about events in recent NBA history.