Colin Cowherd (0:00)

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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. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, do we have a show today? Oh yeah. If you're not bringing your A game, this isn't the show for you. Live in Los Angeles, the home of winners, only winners. It's the Hurt. Wherever you may be, however you may be watching or listening, thanks for making us part of your day. J Mac, I was thinking about this this morning. Had a good night's sleep? I have a good night's sleep. Show cooks 50 here. So I'm watching a little of the Warriors Steph Curry against the Knicks. Here's Steph Curry on a bad ankle. Gonna be 37 in a week. Back to back. Goes to the garden. He's now 12 and one at the Garden. And you know the warriors are cooking. And by the way, Kaminga is all banged up. Wait till he comes back. I'm just saying, you. You've been poo pooing Steph Curry forever. I've been hearing this forever. The disrespect. But here's Steph Curry, 37 in a week. It was not that long ago. That Steph Curry dude has 32 assists in the last three games. 12 and one at the Garden. They finally got him a legitimate star. And every time he's had one clay in his prime or kd, he wins titles. His legacy is amazing. Titles before kd, two titles with kd, title after kd, with an older Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. And right now, since Jimmy Butler arrived, who leads the NBA in plus minus? Steph Curry. But he's had doubters, the SMH crowd, the Shake my head crowd. Y'all fall in love with your IG reels and your YouTube highlights and your hops and your handles. I like IQ and EQ and maturity and great off the ball and great with the ball. And he's strangely nuanced that he's flashy, yet nuanced and can be, like, almost on the edge of out of control, but always dependable in the clutch. He is a culture builder. Y'all love James Harden. For years, all I heard about is James Harden. James Harden was in the same draft as Steph Curry. How relevant is James Harden today? Oh, John Wall, the Bullet. He was the first draft after Steph Curry. He's out of the league. How about Derrick Rose? Good God. It was just a volcano of Derrick Rose love for a decade. He was a draft before Steph Curry. Where's he? Oh, he's out of league, too. No disrespect. I mean, Harden can play Derrick Rose. John, Walt, they got game. I mean, there were two point guards drafted before Curry in the draft. Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio. One couldn't shoot, one could barely play. It's been disrespect from draft night on. It's incredible, the disrespect. He had to be a Finals mvp, right? To justify he's in, you know, all time great stuff. All time great stuff. I mean, there's an argument, and I don't think it's wrong. In today's basketball world, he's the point guard starting in the. On the best starting five of all time. There's only one argument. It's Magic. It's Magic or Curry. Best two guys with a ball ever in their hands. Point guard. I mean, there's only a few certainties in the NBA. All time team. Michael's on it, LeBron's on it. We can argue about everything else. And one of the arguments is think how great Magic Johnson was. There's an argument in today's NBA, Magic, you know, got to be able to shoot the three would still be good, but the league is more athletic. Steph Curry is just really rare, disrespected, underappreciated superstar. I'm not even sure if there's another one in sports, I mean, because we all love and respect Josh Allen. Maybe Lamar Jackson kind of falls into that category where he's one of the greatest players of all time and still doesn't get the love. But I mean, Curry, think about this. Great knows great. There's an old saying about management. A's, people who are secure in themselves, A's higher, A's, B's, insecure. Hire C's. Go ask the great player. Who did LeBron James go after before he landed Luca? For two years, he was trying to lure Steph Curry to be a Laker or he be a warrior. And you go to the Olympics when it's all alphas. Jason Tatum had two points in the gold medal game. Who had four threes in the final three minutes? Who did the stars rely on? Who did the stars Gore? Hey, get it to staff. Let's bring in the closer. I mean, last night, games close late. Here comes Steph. 110 run, bad ankle, back to backs on the road. It's unbelievable. Yeah, I'll say this. Finally, that show that, you know, J. Mack doesn't like, refuses to watch. Wink, wink. Finally, Shaq delivered the truth last night. I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation. I played against Mike, played with Colby, played against him, with LeBron. They're all great, but you go, at some point, we're going to have to put Jeff Curry in that category. I'm not saying he is, but let's just have a conversation. That's right. That's right. Let's just have the conversation. I mean, it's unbelievable. A Basketball team in Minnesota took two guards in front of him. Anytime he's had a legitimate number two, Klay Thompson in his prime was arguably the best. No, not even arguably. He was the best catch and shooter player in the league. So Clay in his prime is a Hall of Famer titles, and then he gets kd, couple titles, and then he gets Clays out of his prime. They give him Andrew Wiggins, who's talented, but you can't really trust him in a big spot title. And right now, you start looking at these games, you start looking at the way this team is built. Kaminga's banged up that ankle coming back. I'm just saying, every single time you've given him a legitimate dude, he explodes. Dude's got 32 assists. And what's amazing about Steph is that four as often as he has the ball and is the centerpiece, he's remarkably unselfish. I mean, for a guy that's so great with the ball, he's arguably the best player in the league. Off ball. I mean, there's all the sorts of nuance to his game beyond. Beyond the obvious stuff, beyond the damn, he's a good dude, plays with anybody. I mean, he. It's just very rare. Mean. LeBron's got this quality Magic did as well. So good with the ball, but also great off the ball. Finally, not. LeBron now is getting a little off the ball love. But I'm glad Shaq said it because I. I just think he's been so disrespected. Had to beat Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the final to justify his greatness. I mean, come on now. What are you watching? The games. So this is a big deal. So sometimes I get on tangents and I'm not talking for a show or a week. I'm talking for six years. I have been on a tangent for about six years and I know it's irritating, but offensive lines are really important. The final four teams this year in the NFL all had top 10 offensive lines. The top seven graded offensive lines in the NFL this year all made the playoffs. Seven for seven, all made the playoffs. The Chicago Bears had a defensive coach and the offensive line kept getting worse. Ben Johnson gets hired by the Bears. And I know last year the Bears were doing stuff with wide receivers at all. Front page of the Chicago Tribune. It was on all the websites. Receiver, receiver, receiver. This year, Ben Johnson, offensive coach. First two big moves. Two days ago, guard, Rams. Yesterday, guard Joe Tuney, Chiefs. Two experienced dudes. This guy gets it. The first thing he addresses is the O line. Two guards. You know who else pays guards? The Rams, the Chiefs, the Eagles. Offensive coaches get it. I like Mike Tomlin eight years now. Offensive line stinks. Go to the Super Bowl. It was all line play. And I don't trust Ryan polls the GM in the draft. He's had too many whiffs. I don't think he's terrible, but I don't trust him. This is easy. Jonah Jackson can play, Joe Tuni can play. Two starters and they'll probably go draft a tackle with their first pick. So it's just easier if you're not great in the draft. And the Bears I don't trust. Last year's draft looks like a mess. The Vilas Jones picket receiver years ago turned my stomach. Bottom line is great move. And by the way, Jim Harbaugh last year, Jim Harbaugh, everybody was like, oh, they lost Keenan Allen, Mike Williams got a receiver. What did what Jim Harbaugh do? Joe Alt Notre Dame tackle was great. What did Sean Payton do? First thing he did, he kept Russell Wilson, who he didn't love. He rebuilt the o line. Sean McVay takes over the Rams first big move. Andrew Whitworth, all Pro left tackle, Cincinnati. I mean, I know we all watch quarterbacks, but a quarterback's best friend is protection and push up front. This is a great day to be a Bear fan. I know it's not sexy. I know it's, it's not going to lead to sports shows and other networks, but the seven highest graded offensive lines last year all made the playoffs. Joe Burrow was arguably the best quarterback in the league last year. What was his o line ranked? 30th. He missed the playoffs. And last year, do you remember this? And, and I understand if you don't, but last year, Washington, we were all caught up in Cliff Kingsbury and Dan Quinn and a new owner and a new gm. You remember the first thing Washington did last year? Before they ever gave Jaden Daniels a snap in a big game, they went and got two offensive linemen free agency, right? So this is, this is what Washington did last year. And those don't make headlines, but the last couple of days, this is what offensive coaches do. It's what McVeigh does, Reed does, Ben Johnson. I mean, you start looking at Philadelphia and Detroit. I mean, the Rams were really good last year. And one of the reasons they got good by about Thanksgiving, they got hot before that is the offensive line got healthy. So this is really encouraging. I know it's not. It's Not a blaring headline to interior offensive linemen, but when you have a young quarterback, time to throw a run game, an extra half second is the difference between doing something like Washington did and. And, you know, doing something like Caleb Williams had to deal with in his rookie year with a defensive coach. J. Mac spitting it today. Steph Curry last night. Yeah, you are on fire. You love, you love Steph Curry. Of course, my favorite player of all time. It used to be Magic Johnson. Right. I love the flair and the passing. And then Steph Curry overtook him. He's been my favorite probably for, I don't know, over a decade. Isn't it interesting, though? So, you know, we kind of looked at the warriors, and their front office deserves credit because we kind of looked at them and it was a treadmill of nowhere. Yeah, it is amazing. I was down on them. Right, right, right. And we were waiting for Wiggins to be a two. He's not. We were waiting for Kaminga to be a two. He's not. When you slot it, now Steph Butler's a two, and now Kaminga's like, oh, he could be a three. Pods, he could be a four. Draymond still doesn't score much, but it is amazing what you do. It's like a pitching staff. When you put a legitimate two with staff, then the three and the four can be inconsistent, and that's why they're three and fours. It's like when you give LeBron, Luka, offensively now, you like Rui way more because Rui goes from. Instead of having to be a three offensively now Ruiz a four, and. And offensively, Rui can be a little hit and miss. But when Rui goes from three to a four, now Ru's a really good four. Oh, yeah. Instead of a reach at three. So now Kaminga, because we've been waiting for Kaminga for years, could be looking at a Lakers warriors second round matchup. That would. That could. That's the kind of game that could break the Internet. Like Luca Butler, LeBron. I mean, Curry, just amazing collection of talent. If that happens in the second round, I'm sure the TV executives would love a Western Conference finals with those two. LeBron and Kirby. NBA is rigged. Hey, by the way, Zion, did you see see Zion last night? I did not. I mean, he was unstoppable. Well, no, he was. Lakers still won by 30 or 40 or whatever it was, but, oh, I mean, looked real. Yeah. I only watched the first half. Yeah. Fell asleep. Yeah. I mean, the Lakers season's really Going to come down to this. It really is going to come down to this. Health. Luka looks in much better shape. He looks in much better shape. And LeBron's obviously playing with a ton of energy. I think at some point, you know, it's like your new best friend, you know, at some point, LeBron's energy and Steph's energy will come down. Honeymoon phase. Yeah, I think. I think. I think we're in the honeymoon phase. I mean, I'm watching last night's honeymoon phase stuff, but there'll be a time when, you know, again, you get about 20, 30 games in with a new teammate. Like, like the warriors right now. It's the honeymoon fate. I mean, Steph is playing out of his mind. He's playing like, let's be honest, if Jimmy Butler's not on the team, does he take last night off? If they're not playing in New York, back to back off Charlotte, where he got hurt? Is it. It's possible. Steph's like, I'm not New York is why he played. Jimmy Butler's why he played. It's like, okay, I'm going to play this game. If they were battling for a 10 seed with no Butler and they're playing in New York first, then Charlotte, he's not playing. So the energy with the Lakers and the warriors and I. I gotta tell you something. I just got bits and pieces early Lakers last night because I had a bunch of stuff going on late. Here's what jumps out to me about the Lakers and being an executive in Los Angeles for any team, including an athletic director for SC or ucla. It's very unique in the country. I don't think there's any city like it. And it. And I'll tell you why. One of the things that makes it really hard in Los Angeles is our weather because it's Mediterranean. And every. I went, I had to do something last night. People are outside, they're having a good time. And it's forget the game last night. That game's secondary. What's really fascinating about the Lakers coming up next. And not just the Lakers, but why LA forces the Lakers to do things sometimes to an area of discomfort. Work sometimes didn't work with Westbrook to LeBron and the Lakers works other times. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app with AMEX. There's always a new experience to explore, from curating Perfect Vacation and chilling in the Centurion lounge before you get there trying out that new trendy restaurant thanks to priority notify with global dining access by resy and getting straight to the action at the big game with card member entrances at select venues with AMEX Platinum you can experience it all. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply Access to the card member entrance not limited to the American Express Platinum card. Learn more@american express.com with Amex. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience and it brings people together with more than 100 years of family owned expertise as America's original butcher. 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Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off site wide and for an extra $30 off, use the promo code herdherd at checkout. That's 50% off at OmahaSteaks.com and an extra $30 off with a promo code herd at checkout. You can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to 4 lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Cart has no cash access and expires in six months. It's Julie Stewart Banks. I'm doing a new podcast from Iheart Podcasts and the National Hockey League and I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always quotable Nate Thompson I wore nine NHL sweaters, and I have story after story to share. And believe it or not, I have plenty to say. And not just about hockey. Believe me, he does. Energy Line with Nate and JSB is the name of the podcast, and it's going to be. Well, it's going to be quite the ride. We're officially linemates, Nate. We're the Energy Line. We'll have plenty of folks join us. Current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers, and wait till you see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex. Okay, we'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what energy lines are supposed to do. Provide an emotional boost. How do you feel about all that, Nate? I'm vibing, Julie. I'm ready to roll. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So, as J. Mack will tell you, the safest bet in the NBA is take the Lakers in the first quarter, got off to a huge lead, blew out the Pelicans. You know, no Rui, no Reeves, no problem, didn't matter. LeBron was great. Luca was great. But, you know, it's funny, when I've been in California for eight, nine years, and I really like Los Angeles, and, you know, one of the things I've really learned is you have to be aggressive as a team. The Clippers have become stagnant even with a new arena. Nobody talks about him. The market's too big. There's too many things going on. The beach, the mountains, the weather. I mean, people are out walking around the beach last night. It's just. It's just the way it is in Los Angeles. And, I mean, the Dodgers win the World Series, and they go spend a $450 million in upgrades to their roster and $100 million in a clubhouse renovation. That's after winning a World Series. Like, that's the way it works. I mean, the Rams considered, hey, we may have to move off Matt Stafford. They moved off golf when he got to a Super Bowl. Harbaugh to the Chargers. Lincoln Riley. They steal Oklahoma's coach. You have to swing big in this town because there's too many premieres, too many red carpets, too many things going on. And it forces organizations, especially the Lakers, to be hyper aggressive. I mean, they took a big swing on. On Anthony Davis. Work. They took a big swing on Westbrook. Didn't work. They took a big swing on J.J. redick. Everybody criticized him. J.J. redick, not experienced, kind of an ego. He's been absolutely fantastic. When you watch this team offensively, you can see the game preparation and, you know, I think it's hard in this town that you are forced. You can't be the Cincinnati Bengals and just stay in draft order and don't take a big swing. I mean, LeBron's playing out of his mind. And I do think there's a honeymoon period for a staffer or LeBron. With a new guy, you're kind of showing off, but it's just the status quo doesn't work here. And I think LeBron is completely energized now because if, and even LeBron, you can kind of lose him during the football season. You forget about him if you're not viable. And, you know, the Clippers, a desperate organization. They build a new basketball arena, but they're still clinging to Kawhi and James Harden. And that, that story's over. Nobody's interested. And I'm watching the Lakers briefly last night, and it's just there's such. They reinvigorated the franchise, the team. And I'll say this, I have been critical of the Lakers front office before because there's been some misses. But I appreciate the effort. Like, you know, even the way it's funny, you remember when they got Mark Williams, the Charlotte center, in a trade, and then the next day his doctors, the Lakers doctors, said, nah, it's not going to work here. And Charlotte's like, what do you mean? He's healthy. He just played. I honestly think what happened, I honestly think this happened. I think the Lakers took a big swing on it. And then, you know, they don't have a. They don't have a scouting department quite as big as the Warriors. You know, the Bus family is not as wealthy as a lot of these big owners. I think the warriors or the Lakers did a little digging on it and started making a few calls. A little more digging. They took a big swing. And I said, ah, yeah, well, our doctors don't like him. I don't think that's the craziest theory out there on why they made it and then suddenly why they. They moved off it. But I appreciated the effort. J.J. redick, I appreciate the effort. And you know, again, you can make big swings that are stupid. Trading away Luca for AD in one first round or a Max Christie, that's just a dumb move. But there. One of the things I've. I've. I've over and over I've said I love the way the Philadelphia Eagles do business. I mean, Carson Wentz was having an MVP season. Yeah. We're going with Nick Foles. And Doug Peterson wins the Super Bowl. Yeah, we're moving off him. And Chip Kelly had a winning season. It's not a good fit. And I think in Los Angeles, it's just different. The Dodgers could just rest on their laurels. Nope. They went and spent $450 million more. And they're renovating, which is, by the way, a beautiful stadium. They're going to renovate it, make it even better. And I think it'd be in an executive in Los Angeles. You have got to stay on your toes. I said it with Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers. I said, you just can't do another coordinator. You're getting lost in this. This is not San Diego where people go to the games. Philip Rivers wins 10 games, and that's good enough. That is not good enough here. And so the JJ Reddick swing, unbelievable. The Luca swing, unbelievable. And even the Westbrook move, that didn't work. It's what LA forces you to do, and it's what the Lakers do. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the third line news. All right, Colin, let's start with the Raiders. Listen, we know they need a new quarterback, right? Well, new GM John Spitek, it sounds like he's got options whether it's the draft or free agency. And now Max Crosby has chimed in on recruiting a certain quarterback. Take a listen. The first year off in Achilles is one of the hardest things to do. You've seen it happen with Kirk. Kirk had a down year. It happened with Aaron. I mean, he struggled, like you said early on, but he got better as the season went. I think with all the doubt and all the negativity around Aaron Rodgers, oh, he needs to retire, things like that. You know, he's getting caught by the Jets. I think he's going to come back. I think he's going to have a big year this year, and I hope it's in. In our town. Yeah. What do you think there, J. Mac? Well, interesting. Last time Max Crosby was pounding the table for someone, it was Antonio Pierce. Yeah. How'd that work out? Yeah. Remember, he was like, in the owner's ear. I won Antonio Pierce here. Him and Devonte Adams, like, I think they took the owner out to dinner and they were like, we need to keep Pierce. Yeah. That's why now he's going in. We need Aaron Rodgers. Yeah. Okay. You know Pete Carroll better than anyone. What do you think he wants? You think he wants Aaron Rodgers? I, I, I think Pete would like a veteran presence in the room. I mean, I think if, you know, I don't think Pete wants to give away all that draft capital for a quarterback. He's not going to get Cam Ward. They're not selling, you know, they're not selling off that many pieces. So I, I think there's, I think Aaron's very attractive, and I, but I, But I think the other thing is Pete's going to control the organization. I mean, you know, Norm Chow got a little big for his britches, and Norm Chow left usc and Pete Carroll made sure Russell Wilson. It's kind of my team, my culture. See you later. Like, Pete's going to run the show. This is going to be Pete's culture. Well, based on that, that's not a good fit. That's. I don't think, I mean, I think Aaron's good enough, and I do think Pete will allow Chip Kelly to just run the offense, but this is going to be Pete Carroll's franchise. By the way, you think Chip Kelly wants, I don't know, combative Aaron Rodgers? I think Chip Kelly is all about ball. He doesn't love recruiting. That's why he left college football. Like, Chip Kelly's all about football, all about schemes, play design, play calling. He doesn't want to do anything nonsense with the NCAA and recruiting. That's why I've always said I think Chip Kelly's actually a great NFL fit because he does not like all the college nonsense and the parents and the nil. He doesn't want to deal with any of that. Stu Kingsbury. Kingsbury, maybe not a great head coach in Arizona. I thought he was fine. And then goes to Washington as the OC and just crushes it. Yeah, maybe that's Chip Kelly's future. He's. Yeah. I mean, I think Chip was a great college coach. I don't think there's any, I mean, I mean, awesome at Oregon and awesome at Ohio State. I mean, Ryan Day. Ryan Day. Ryan. You know, if you go look at Ryan Day in Ohio State, you could argue the Michigan game plan was Ryan Day trying to prove how tough they were. Oh, that's good. All the playoff games, that was, those were, those were Chip Kelly's games. But Ryan Day wanted to prove, hey, I'll beat Michigan now. Ryan, you haven't beaten Michigan. I, I, When I watched the Michigan game plan, that did not feel like Chip Kelly's Game plan. I, I hadn't thought of that. It was almost like Ryan Day has been hearing for three years that Michigan's tougher and more physical. Well, we'll show you who's tougher. That's right. Nobody pushes the Buckeyes around. So Ryan, he took over that game and they were, they were bad. But when I watched the playoffs, I kept saying, this feels like a Chip Kelly game. Is that he just, he made. Chip Kelly has a way of making you think and doubt yourself. Multiple formations, motions. He's a matchup guy. He's constantly making defensive coaches think. You look at all the quarterbacks Chip has had. Most of them have had some mobility, right? Mike Vick in Philadelphia, Will Howard at Ohio State. Marcus Mariota. Wasn't that his guy at work? Yeah. He needs someone, wheels he likes. I don't know that that's Aaron Rodgers. Not at this point. No, it's not. So is it, I don't think. Is it Justin Fields? I, I, I don't know. I don't know. I, I, I, I think the Raiders are in a tough spot. Daniel Jones, so, so let's just say no, no former NFL quarterback told me to keep an eye on Daniel Jones and the Raiders. And this was like, I don't think that, I think you heard it too. I don't think it's crazy. But again, I better get a team friendly deal. Like, Daniel, I saw you, you stole money in New York. I better get a team friendly deal. Next story is Fox NFL insider Jordan Schultz is reporting that Darnold and the Vikings are in contact regarding a possible short term extension. Schultz says the $40 million franchise tag was way too steep for Minnesota, but they want Darnold back at the right price. Now this is another situation, like if the Vikings say, hey, Sam, we like you, how does 20, 25 mil a year sound? And if Darnold says no way I could get more. All right, Sam, go for it. Enjoy Vegas or the Giants. I think it would be, I, I think Sam Darnold would say, if you said, listen, Sam, we'll give you a three year deal, third year team option. We'll give you two years because we're not paying J.J. mcCarthy. Daniel Jones will probably leave. So let's go, let's go. 29 million to 32 million, two year deal. I think Sam would stay. I really, I really do. Because I think Sam's a smart enough kid to realize there are not a lot of coaches in the NFL that are better for quarterbacks than Kevin O'Connell. And there's no other Justin Jefferson in the league. So Sam's been. I mean, it's really easy when you've been treated poorly and poorly coached. Man, it is. And then you get a taste of the good life. It is hard to go backwards. It's amazing. You sit in first class a couple times, you can sit and coach your whole life. You sit in first class a couple times, all of a sudden you go past row six and you start looking back and going, man, I miss, I miss the extra legroom. Why are you staring at me when you're saying this? Daggers into my eyes as you say this for some reason, just saying, yeah, no, no, I'm with you. I, I, I'm starting to think Darnold probably stays in Minnesota. And Colin, it's not the worst thing in the world if you're paying your backup 25 mil and you're starter or nothing. If Darnold doesn't win the job, yeah, you need a good backup in this league, as we've seen quarterbacks go down all the time. Final story. Colin is the king, the greatest player in NBA history. LeBron James became the first to hit 50,000 points in the league. He came in needing just one point and got it on his first shot at triple from the wing. LeBron finished with 34, 8 and 6. He's 40. Okay, here's LeBron and his accomplishment. Obviously, the first thing comes in my mind is like, where I'm from and, you know, just picking up the game when I was a little kid and just having a love for the sport and was hoping that someday I'd be able to play at the highest level, and I've been able to do that and really enjoy, you know, really enjoy my career. So it's definitely Islander. It's pretty cool to see that. It just, I hope everybody's appreciating it. It's really crazy. It's, it's. Listen, it's tough for me to think of a league without LeBron at this point. He's been dominant for what, 20 years? People just forget this. Like, I loved MJ. Everybody loved MJ. But MJ retired and did baseball. Then Jay came back, and then Jay went to Washington. Michael's career was moments of brilliance and a lot of turbulence. I mean, he came into the league, he couldn't get along with coaches. He was running through coaches. He got Doug Collins. He liked him. They couldn't win. He couldn't beat the Pistons, Celtics. Then Michael had that Phil Jackson run, and he went and did Baseball and Michael came back for, came back, lost to Orlando. Then he went in another three year run and he went to Washington. Michael's career was not as linear as people think. LeBron's just, I mean, it's just like the only bad spot for LeBron was his first team. That's the only time LeBron hasn't, hasn't won. His first team that was inept in the front office, inept in ownership. And he still got them to the finals when he was 22. Yeah. And they got, I think swept by the Spurs. A great spurs team. But it's interesting, it's the opposite of Jordan. The only time LeBron has really struggled as part of a unit is the first team since then when LeBron has taken control of his career. Miami, Cleveland, Los Angeles. He is over delivered. Yeah. You know how a lot of these child actors kind of really struggle later in life. There's, it's so many of them from show TV shows in the 80s. Yeah. Because the fame in an early age and money, it just distorts you. This guy was on the COVID of Sports Illustrated, I believe, at 16 years old. But you know what? Never got in trouble with the law. But that, that doesn't happen a lot in sports. Bryce Harper's a world class. He's a great guy, great husband, lived up to the expectations. LeBron James. And you know why? Because sports gives you a purpose. You're not some Hollywood weirdo who does a couple of movies and has nothing but spare time on your hands. In sports, it gives you a purpose, it gives you a direction. You're part of a community. It's not just you making movies. It's not you writing scripts or directing. It is you being part of a community. You have to be accountable to coaches, your teammates, the trainers, yourself, the diet. So I think sports is something you don't. You know, there's a lot of these young stars. Very rarely do we look at a 16 year old and go, that's going to be a superstar. It is a lot of pressure on a tv. There's Phil Mickels. Back in the day, it mattered like that. That was everything. Yeah, I got it in the mailbox every week and you open it up and you read it. Can you imagine at 16 and now here we are, what, 24 years later and he's still on top of the sports world. I mean, a big knock on LeBron, which was silly as, you know, China. That was that China thing. Like he's a businessman, you know, he wanted to make sure it was all good. Like, take a deep breath, everybody. This guy doesn't get in trouble. This guy is. It's. Anyways, son had a great bucket last night. You see Bronnie with the score in traffic? Yeah. What? What? What? Whatever. What you got. You got problems. I'm not gonna say anything. He scored. He's averaged like 23 in the G League. Whatever. That's a fact. Bad topic. J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd lie news. You know, I'll tell you, losing has value. The New York Knicks can't beat the good teams. Why that has value. Live in la, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, 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 7, 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have 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 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. With amex, there's always a new experience to explain. Explore. 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Has no cash access and expires in six months. It's Julie Stewart Banks. I'm doing a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts and the National Hockey League and I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always quotable Nate Thompson. I wore nine NHL sweaters and I have story after story to share. And believe it or not, I have plenty to say. And not just about hockey. Believe me, he does. Energy Line with Nate and JSB is the name of the podcast and it's gonna be, well, it's going to be quite the ride. We're officially line mates, Nate. We're the Energy Line. We'll have plenty of folks join us. Current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers. And wait till you see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex. Okay, we'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what energy lines are supposed to do. Provide an emotional boost. How do you feel about all that, Nate? I'm vibing Julie. I'm ready to roll. Listen to EnergyLine with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, Will, do you ever get overwhelmed by how much science happens these days? Constantly. I'm like, ah, there's so much science, I can't keep track of it all. Then it's a good thing. Our podcast part time Genius is counting down the 25 greatest science ideas from the past 25 years. That's right, Mango. We're talking animals in a paper called Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans. This was actually the title of the paper. They all discovered that, much like humans, chickens are attracted to symmetrical faces. Got it. We're talking medical miracles. He's an endocrinologist who found a way to stimulate insulin producing cells using, wait for it, the saliva of a Gila monster. There's no way to make that not sound crazy. We even talked to some of the experts behind these breakthroughs. It's a week full of fact packed stories you won't want to miss. So listen to the part Time Genius countdown of the 25 greatest science ideas of the past 25 years. Starting Monday, March 3rd on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Purdue and Illinois have their sights set on a statement win before Tornie time. Tip off is at 8 Eastern on Fox. So watch some Warriors, Knicks and Steph put on a show. That's what Steph does. But you know, it's interesting, you know, we've said this before, there are sometimes losing is good. Losing in Indianapolis, got you Andrew Lock. Losing in Cleveland, got you LeBron James. You don't want to be like meatball fan that you know, you're outraged. There's positioning sometimes, you know, not necessarily tanking, but giving reserves a chance to play in a rich draft, to move up the draft. Like that stuff matters, right? And the New York Knicks have built a good roster, but losing their own three against the Celtics, Owen T2 against OKC, 02 against the Cavs. And it's actually not terrible because there's now lot and they probably they're not going to beat when Kaminga comes back. I mean I know they didn't have Cat last night. The Knicks can't beat the good teams. They're not going to beat him, especially in a series. They can't beat them in a one off forgetting the series. And that's great in a way because there's 100% clarity in the building that they're good and some nights very good, but they're not great. They have smartly and aggressively built a very strong roster. Got OG from the Raptors, good move. They stole Brunson from the Mavs. Great move. They got McHale Bridges from Brooklyn, I love that move. They got Cat from Minnesota, he's a quirky player. Good offensively, pretty weak defensively, but for the time being it's a good move and they're on pace. The New York Knicks, a fun team to watch with great energy, play their arse off. Not as good this year defensively, but it's a good roster. Smartly, aggressively built and they're on their way for their best season in 12 years. The city's into them and should be. They're a fun watch, don't blow it up. The chemistry is good but they got to do what the Lakers did. You know, LeBron and AD were good. They actually won a title and the Lakers moved off it. Lakers moved off it. Okay, that's what they got to do. And I think it's Giannis. My take on this you'd probably have to move Cat. You'd probably have to move og. You do not, you do not trade Brunson, all right? I, I, you're gonna have to move Mikhail Bridges or an OG in about five first round picks. Jalen Branson, I love him. We all love Jalen Brunson. I don't think he's a one, even though it feels like there are nights he is. But in the end, I think he's closer, in my opinion to Jimmy Butler than he would be to a Steph Curry. I, I, I, I, I think he's closer to a Jimmy Butler than he is to a Luca or LeBron James. He's a really good one a or a two. I don't think he's as good as Anthony Davis. And Anthony Davis to me is the best two ever. So I think they got to make a move for Giannis. Everybody in the building, though, knows it's a good team. It's like what the Raptors did for years. The Raptors were excellent for years and Kyle Lowry was their guy. They had a Mark Gasol, they had some nice players. They were very good team. And then, then they added Kawhi Leonard and won a title. Now, and Toronto's always been considered a well run operation and, and, and everybody loved Kyle Lowry and everybody loves Brunson. This is not hate, okay? It's just the reality of if the best players in this league are LeBron and Giannis and Jokic and staff, then Brunson's probably a 1A. And I, I think where NBA franchises go to die is when everybody in the building is arguing, well, we're great. No, we're not. Yes, we are. And then people, like go off into their own camps. Executives can be incredibly selfish. Not just players. It's all about survival and job retention. Everybody in the Knicks building knows they're really good. They're not great because they don't really have a true superstar. Now you could say, what about the Celtics? Well, you guys all keep telling me Tatum's the third best player in the league. I think he's closer to eight, but he's very good. But Brown and tatum are both 1A's and they both play excellent defense, so you can get away with that. It's not like you always have to have a superstar to win. It helps. The 1970s NBA, there weren't a lot of superstar teams. There was a different champion every year. You don't have to have a Jokic or a Giannis. But I do think now that Luke and LeBron are together and Butler and Staff are together, and you start looking around and Brown and Tatum are together, and all of a sudden you start looking. Evan Mobley's together now with Donovan Mitchell, and OKC's got Chap Holmgren, who's an offensive star with SGA, who could be the second best player in the league. You got to have another guy and so don't blow it up. But losing does have a little bit of value. So I saw this this morning. I was encouraged by this. I was encouraged by this. Now, Brock Purdy, according to rumors, was offered $45 million was the offer the Niners made. And that is exactly what he should be paid. 12th, 13th best quarterback in the league, $45 million. If he had a bad defensive coach and a bad set of weapons, he really would be Mr. Irrelevant at quarterback. But he doesn't. He has Kyle Shanahan, arguably after Andy Reid, the best play designer in the league. George Kittle was the number one rated tight end on PFF. Juwan Jennings was the 13th best tight end or a receiver. And they won six games. And he's also had two elbow injuries and one elbow surgery. So there are things here. He's not a big athlete. He's a moderately sized quarterback with a couple elbow injuries, one surgery that last year has a great play designer. But they were missing their star running back and they won six games. So is my hope 45 million feels right. If you go look at his splits against elite playoff teams, they're not very good. I mean, Josh Allen's the MVP. He's making 44 million a year. 45 million feels right. So. And again, too many fans think contextualization is hate. I've never hated Dak Prescott. What I tried to always do with Dak Prescott was contextualize it. He is not to be paid close to Mahomes because he's not close to Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. I mean, I don't think he's as good as Jalen Hurts. And we've all sort of had some questions about Jalen Hurts. Jalen Hurts does a couple of things extraordinarily well. What's Dak do extraordinarily well? Now he has a second lower body injury. Never been a great spin it guy from the pocket. You can't pay him 90 million bucks. You can't take, you know, you can't pay him that. That's his salary. That's his. What is that 90 million this year. Now they're going to rework it. It'll probably get down to 50 or 55 or 60. But too many fans confused context for hate. Nobody hates Brock purdy. Good kid. $45 million to Brock Purdy. I don't know what happened in the last year that became an Insult. So what? $45 million for the last guy picked in the draft who has a losing record and bad splits against playoff teams with two elbow injuries, one a surgery and 45 million is an insult. And I love Sam Darnold, but I'd struggle paying him 45 million. He's bigger, he's got a better arm, he moves better. And he was a first round pick and I couldn't pay Sam. 45 million. So here was Steve Young on Rich Eisen this week on why the deal will eventually get done. It gets done like it has to get done. There's not alternatives out there. He can threaten, he can, he can move around, he can do all the things you do and he can process as well as anybody. So in that way, you know, quarterbacks are so hard to find that Brock has done enough for sure to go out and get, you know, and get paid and get, and get it done. Now I will say this. I don't think quarterbacks are as hard to find today as they were 15 to 20 years ago. I mean, you found Brock Purdy is the last pick in the draft. So I don't think, I think Kyle McCourt at Syracuse who will get drafted in the second or third round is going to end up being a franchise quarterback for somebody. I mean, you got Kirk Cousins was a fourth round pick. There's a lot of good quarterbacks out there. Never been more good young quarterbacks. Never been more great quarterback. Coaching Rachel Nichols in studio if you feel like owning a home's out of reach. No, it's not. Call 804 Rocket. Go to rocket.com Rocket believes the American dream should be available for everybody. Call 804-ROOK-HIGHT-2 next. This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glaser Podcast. On a more serious note, I'm still thinking about that commercial with Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg hating on each other. Because when you listen to the reasons for hating someone or something, you realize just how stupid they really are. There is too much hate in this country and it's gotta stop. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, call it out and you can learn more by following at. What's up with hate? What's up everyone? Julie Swearbinks here along with former NHL player N Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us. Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, Will, do you ever get overwhelmed by how much science happens these days? Constantly. I'm like, ah, there's so much science I can't keep track of it all. Then it's a good thing. Our podcast, Part Time Genius is counting down the 25 greatest science ideas from the past 25 years. That's right, Mango. We're talking animals in a paper called, quote, chickens prefer beautiful humans. This was actually the title of the paper. They all discovered that, much like humans, chickens are attracted to symmetrical faces. Got it. We're talking medical miracles. He's an endocrinologist who found a way to stimulate insulin producing cells using, wait for it, the saliva of a Gila monster. There's no way to make that not sound crazy. We even talked to some of the experts behind these breakthroughs. It's a week full of fact packed stories you won't want to miss. So listen to the Part Time Genius countdown of the 25 greatest science ideas of the past 25 years starting Monday, March 3rd on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Mark Seale. And I'm Nathan King. This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The Five Families did not want us to shoot that picture. This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seale's bestselling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Cahn, Talia Shire, and many others. Yes, that was a real horse's head. Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.