Rick Bucher (5:17)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (5:18)

His shot making against Detroit and Boston and I'm like, well you can't have stack rosters like those days are over.

Rick Bucher (5:26)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (5:26)

Do you view him now as a legitimate big time one?

Rick Bucher (5:31)

Legitimate big time one? Do I see him as a, as a guy who could possibly win a championship as a guard? That, that to me is the question because I've consistently said no. We've never seen a guy that size, that limited in athletic ability be able to be the best player on a championship team. But as you noted, we're in different times right now and there's going to be a guard led team that is going to win a championship this year by default. And I think some of it is just because of the way that the game has changed, at least for what we're seeing right now. It reminds me of a conversation I had four or five years ago with Sam Presti, the GM of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And he felt then that because of the way the game was being played, that it was being played more uptempo, faster, that it was no longer going to be a star driven league in terms of playing for a championship. That depth and versatility was going to be the key to be a contender. And I think that's exactly what we're seeing with all three teams. We're at all four teams, including New York. The reason New York is where it is is because Tibbs has come off of his. I'm only going to play five and a half guys. Having Mitchell Robinson in the rotation, Miles McBride getting, getting regular minutes, all of that has expanded their, their rotation and as a result they've survived to this point. So I've had to amend my perspective as I have had to a couple of times over covering the league where there is a big enough shift, where you say, you know what, we've never seen this before, but we may see it for the first time.

Colin Cowherd (7:17)

So I actually think OKC is going to. They're kind of built to give ant a little bit of trouble. They got length, they got versatility, they got a lot of guys, they have a lot of bodies. I think it's a seven game series. I'll take OKC home court advantage. Minnesota didn't have as much rest, has more rest Tonight, I don't think it matters with OKC's versatility, but I, but I do think Ant has been a big star slayer. It could be Luca, it could be LeBron, it could be Steph. This is what he's done. Durant and Booker. I think OKC is, is kind of built to give Ant a little trouble. What say you?

Rick Bucher (7:55)

I'd say that they're built to give him a lot of trouble and his performance during the regular season is a reflection of that. He averaged five points below his average against OKC, only shot 36%. They've been OKC has been without question the number one defense in the postseason to this point. As you said, they have a lot of different bodies that they can throw at him, but they can also kind of confuse the floor. And that's where Ant traditionally has problems, where he has to kind of figure out exactly what is the defense doing in these situations. It ha. It tends to make him tentative. So when I look at the combination of the two, along with the fact that I believe that OKC has had to play the Denver Nuggets did them a big favor. They've. They had to play consistently good to great basketball in order to get through that series. They've had to play playoff basketball. I would argue that Minnesota is a bit delusional in terms of the level of basketball that they've played. They've had two gentlemen sweeps and that might lead them to believe that they're playing great basketball. I haven't seen that and I certainly haven't seen it consistently over the course of a game. I think they've played hard, maybe 38, 39 minutes out of every 48, and that's not going to cut it against Oklahoma City. From a talent perspective, I believe that Minnesota can go toe to toe and I'm hoping that it'll be a seven game series. But if OKC makes short work of Minnesota, I will not be surprised.

Colin Cowherd (9:34)

So, you know, it's in. There's a lot of Yanis discussion and we don't know where he's going to go, but I said Denver feels like they're in danger of becoming the Bucs, where they have one great player and they get old and expensive really fast. And I said the other day, I said I don't think the warriors are. First of all, they've drafted two guys, Pods and Post, who can both play in that ecosystem. Butler and Curry's history is and Draymond. They're generally good playoff performers and Kaminga was good enough without staff that there is a market for him. I'm not sure what it is, but if they can get a big, that's reasonable. I don't think they're a championship team. I think Denver could be Milwaukee if they don't make moves. Where are you on the warriors in the Kaminga trade piece? Because we got, I mean, somebody said, oh, let's go get Brook Lopez. I'm like, timeout, we don't need another mid 30 year old guy. That's not the answer. Yeah, right. And they may have to give up Kaminga. They may have to give up Moody and Kaminga, another young, you know, fairly productive guy. Where are you on the warriors today going forward?

Rick Bucher (10:40)

I think they'll still be competitive. I think they'll be kind of where they've been, which is they're a play in team fringe grabbing that last playoff spot. But not necessarily or by any means, quite honestly, being a playoff contender. They're not going to fall off the cliff the way we saw the Lakers with Kobe toward the end. Because to your point, the supporting cast is a little bit better than that. And I just don't think that Steph and Draymond are going to stick around that much longer. I think we're going to see a year or two of them being very competitive or as competitive as they've been, and then it'll be time for the warriors to turn the page and go in another direction with Denver. I'm with you there in terms of if I'm looking at them, I clear the decks. I'm looking at, I've got Nikola Jokic and I am redoing the rest of that team. Even if it means that I have to sort of take a step back for a year or even possibly two in terms of restoring my ability to play for a title.

Colin Cowherd (11:43)

I want to go back to Indiana and the Knicks. Indiana plays fast. In fact, the last three years fastest pace team in the league. The Knicks, conversely, last two years are the slowest pace team. But again, I think the NBA, you know, the Knicks slow pace benefited them against Boston, may have hurt them a little against Detroit because they kind of played into Detroit's hands. But what do you see as you, you know, juxtapose these two. Fastest pace, slowest pace.

Rick Bucher (12:10)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (12:10)

And I think, I think the key to Indiana has been through the playoffs. They've controlled the pace of all the games they've played.

Rick Bucher (12:16)

Yes, they have.

Colin Cowherd (12:17)

Where do you think it lands with the Knicks?

Rick Bucher (12:20)

Physicality and the ability to control the tempo is going to mean everything. In that series, There's. There's no doubt about it. Indiana. I just believe that people are. Are really sleeping on how good they are. They are legit. Andrew Nemhardt, Aaron Neesmith, they just have a bunch of guys on the perimeter that most people don't know about who are legit players. And then Pascal Siakam, probably the most understated star that you can have. So it really is going to be a matter of matchups and pace. I have the Knicks coming out of that series, but I think that this is going to be a real dogfight. And again, this is what's kind of entertaining about these playoffs in general is I can't wait to see these first game ones. Much like some of the previous series. It's like, I think I know where these teams are, but the styles are so different. I need to see who's able to impose their will on the other team to really have a feel for which way the series is going to go.

Colin Cowherd (13:23)

So David Stern inherited the league from Larry o' Brien, and it didn't have star appeal. It wasn't dynamic. And so I understood he wanted collections of stars together. It. It was great for him. In fact. In fact, you know, the. The Duncan dynasty hurt them. Shaq and Kobe was great. The Bulls the best team ever. The. The stack Lakers or Celtics. But that's because he inherited a league that didn't have that. The 70s NBA was a collection of good players, mostly not playing together. Silver inherits the NBA off of David Stern's league, which is stacked rosters. So I've argued. This is finally with a new cba. This is Adam's league. This is exactly what he wants. Do you think it works Because Stern knew the 70s didn't work with all the parody. Do you think this works going forward?

Rick Bucher (14:19)

Yeah, but it's a brand. We're in a totally different place. I think what David Stern did. What David Stern needed to do was he needed to get America to watch the NBA. And the way to attract the mainstream audience in America was to have recognizable names and a recognizable team that everybody was interested in watching. And. But. But while dynasties have worked for the NBA, parody has not over the last 20 or so years. The fact is that they've never worked better than they did with Michael Jordan and the Bulls. It's been diminishing returns ever since. Still better than the parity years, but nonetheless not quite as good. The zenith was with Michael and the Bulls. What Adam has inherited is a league that is looking at it and saying, okay, we've We've gotten the most we can out of. Out of the American audience where. And we're never going to beat the NFL. Where can we expand in a way? Where's. Where is our sweet spot? And it really is globally. And so parody works on that. If you're. If you're selling a product to an audience that by and large isn't necessarily going to be watching games, and if they are, they're going to be streaming them, then you want an array of flavors. It's a little bit like having. They've been the convenience store, and they wanted everybody coming to the convenience store when David Stern was running it. Now it's like we want to appeal to everybody for everything. We got to build Target, we got to build our big box building and draw an audience that way, because that's our advantage over the other professional leagues in the United States. That's what Adam Silver is doing. So if I can sell a million OKC jerseys this year and I can sell a million Timberwolves jerseys next year, and I can get that global audience to be buying into all the different teams that I have, I have a better chance of expanding my audience than simply having everybody wanting to watch LeBron.

Colin Cowherd (16:34)

I'm going to take Indiana in six, OKC in seven. Where are you on that?

Rick Bucher (16:39)

That's not a bad. That's not a bad call. As I said at the very beginning, like, I'd like to see. I think OKC is coming out of. Out of the West. That's. That's probably my prohibitive favorite, and I'm leaning New York. But as I said, I would not be the least bit surprised if the Pacers pull off what I consider upset.

Colin Cowherd (16:58)

All right, Rick Bucher, as always, buddy, great seeing you.

Rick Bucher (17:01)

You got it.

Colin Cowherd (17:03)

Yeah. I mean, yeah, not all dynasties work for the league. You know, the Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker dynasty didn't work. And it wasn't really a market size that Duncan was sort of personalityless. Manu was off the bench, and it was just. They weren't high draft picks, you know, Manu, I think, was second round Tony Parker end of the first. And Duncan's nickname was the Big Fundamental. It doesn't scream Tom Cruise or Denzel. He was the big fundamental. So I've said this. Alabama's dynasty, I didn't think helped college football. It made it too regional. You know, you're not going to get a dynasty in a small market. In baseball, I think the NFL, it doesn't really matter. I say that I do think the Chiefs have a big enough brand? They're in the middle of the country. I don't think Jacksonville as a dynasty would be great for the league. I don't. I think they're. They're not as popular as the Buccaneers or the Dolphins in their own state. So I'm not even that popular. In their own town, they tarped off the upper deck and portions of it. So I do think in the NFL you don't need New York. In baseball, you do need New York. In the NBA, you don't need New York. I don't think Utah OKC being the reigning dynasty in the NBA would necessarily help. But don't forget, remember this Jordan against the Jazz. Is that still today the highest rated NBA Finals? It may be. So Utah's got a basketball brand. It almost feels collegiate. As does OKC with their fervor. And it's a small town. We'll see how it plays out. One more herd the herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand, whenever you'd like. Summer is almost here, and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now, what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. 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Caitlin Clark in Fever against Chicago drew 2.7 million viewers. It's the most watched WNBA regular season game in 25 years. You know, don't listen to the grifters out there that want to make this like a racial story. The bottom line is her game pops. She's a combination of Steph Curry and Jason kidd. She's making 60 foot passes and 29 footers. Frankly she has. She plays a little bit like a guy. We've never seen a woman shoot 28 footers. Her passing. It looks like an NBA Jason kid in his prime. It's just a different looking game. Doesn't matter if it's Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen. They both look different. They play. I don't care if it's Morgan Wallen or Beyonce. They both sell out a tour. Who cares? People want unique, they want different. Her game pops. Well the racial component, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Cheryl Miller did it was her game. Cheryl Miller. What were the discussions for years about Cheryl Miller? Could she play in the NBA? She was their first star. Like Cheryl Miller was like. That was a discussion. Well, she beat Reggie one on one in the backyard. So this whole thing when I watch her play, it doesn't look like anybody else. The WNBA has always had this fan base before Caitlin Clark where the people who are fans knew everything about the league and then other rest of sports fans didn't know anything about it. Very niche, very garage band, very independent movie fan base. But she play, it just jumps off television and people want to make this into anything other than that. I called her a year and a half ago. I said she's Taylor Swift in tennis shoes. Is Taylor Swift the most talented musical artist? No, but she does something emotionally she's good enough and she connects with people. And is Caitlin Clark the best player in the league? Well, she's the best guard. Asia Wilson's the best player. Some people just pop. I mean Lamar Jackson cannot win a playoff game. I'm sorry. When he's on, I can't turn the TV off. Josh Allen can't get to a Super Bowl. I can't turn the TV off. Too many people are trying to divide in MySpace. She's dynamic. 60 foot passes. It's Jason Kidd, 28 footers. It's Steph Curry. The only other player in my life in the WNBA that felt like this women's player, and there's been a lot of great ones, is Cheryl Miller. And it was her game. It was just different. We had discussions back then. People did. I think she could. Think she could play in the NBA. Whether she could or not. It was a discussion. And you look at Caitlin Clark's range, it's NBA range. She is a better shooter from 27ft than most of the NBA. And when you add that to a league that was already growing, that's what it is. People are. I mean, the rivalry is great with Angel Reese because it was born in college, like Magic and Bird, so that helps. But Angel Reese is a really good player and a great rebounder. She doesn't jump off the tv. She's a really good player, and the league's got a bunch of those. But 2.7 million viewers regular season, most viewed gave ever in 25 years. Here's J. Mac with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline news.

Jason McIntyre (26:42)

All right, let's start with the Raiders. Got a lot of Raiders fans out here, Colin, and understandably so. They're excited. They got Ashton Genty with the sixth overall pick. They got Geno Smith as their new quarterback, and your guy Chip Kelly is the new OC Interesting on Ashton Genti. Remember in at Boise, he had that upright backfield stance where he would just stand up and kind of look like. I think they were comparing him to Michael Myers character In Friday the 13th who chased people with a knife. Well, Chip Kelly has got him to tweak it. And here he is talking about Genti, talking about his new backfield.

Colin Cowherd (27:16)

Look, what's crazy is, man, Chip Kelly, he comes up to me the first.

Rick Bucher (27:21)

Day of rookie mini camp.

Colin Cowherd (27:23)

He like, you play basketball like you ever play basketball? I'm like, yeah, I played basketball. Like, you know, I could dunk all that. He's like, okay.

Rick Bucher (27:30)

He was like, show me how you would guard me.

Colin Cowherd (27:32)

Like, he acting like he holding the ball. He like, show me how you regard me. He holding the ball. Like, act like you holding the ball. Then I'm, boom. I'm like, I'm here.

Rick Bucher (27:40)

Like I'm.

Colin Cowherd (27:41)

You know. And he was like, that's exactly why you got to be down in your running back stands.

Jason McIntyre (27:47)

There he is standing up.

Colin Cowherd (27:49)

Right, right, right.

Jason McIntyre (27:50)

I mean, listen, it was funny at Boise State. I get it. But I think Chip Kelly's on to something. You've probably got to well get into more of a stance like a running.

Colin Cowherd (27:59)

If you're standing and I told you to run, you need a step to start running. Yeah. If you're leaning forward in the chair that basketball is called the chair stance. You don't need a step, you are running. So the truth is you get off to a quicker start. Crouched, overstanding and that. And also he's already a small running back. Crouching makes him harder to see for safeties. So like it. There's an aesthetic to it as well.

Jason McIntyre (28:27)

Yeah, it's interesting. Genti, I don't know what to make of him. Colin Kit again, he was like a transformative player in college football. I just Is he gonna really pop and be like a Barry Sanders? I mean obviously that's a crazy.

Colin Cowherd (28:40)

I think he's going to be really good. I think it was great running back class and every single scout I talked to had Genty above the class. They liked Hampton a lot as well. But I, I, I didn't talk to there were. I talked to one executive in the league who I respect who thought he was the best player who thought because of Travis Hunter having to play both he goes you have to pick what he has. He goes if you are telling me positionally what player is best at his singular position he said I would take Ashton Genti and it by the way everybody else I talked to had him like 4, 3, 6. Yeah. So I think he's going to pop. Pete Carroll knows personnel, so does Chip Kelly. I think he's going to pop.

Jason McIntyre (29:21)

So I'm just curious this, this offensive skill position guys right. They got Genty in the backfield. Their receivers are Jacoby Myers, Trey Tucker and then the young kid Jack beach. Tight end is Bowers. Yeah it feels like they're going to be defended in a box because they don't have really a stretch the field guy unless you think that's Tucker. So I, they could be easy to defend if that makes any sense.

Colin Cowherd (29:43)

Yeah, I, I think any team. Yeah I mean I, I don't think they're a great team but I think they will be so much better at quarterback and so much better at running back popping and head coach. I, I think they're, I said, I said this last year if the Vikings finished fourth they didn't. It would be the best fourth place team ever. The Raiders last year and they were as bad as any team in the league at quarterback. Gave the Chiefs fits twice. They will be the Raiders if they finish 4th will easily be the best 4th place team in the division. I don't think there's any question in the, in the, in the league.

Jason McIntyre (30:21)

Let's stick in the afc. Talk about another rookie. And that's the Jags trading up for Travis Hunter, the second overall pick. Now that gives Trevor Lawrence a pretty nice weapon on the outside to pair with Gamebreaker Brian Thomas Jr. Hunter and Lawrence are now practicing together and Trevor Lawrence took to the podium to break down his thoughts on Mr. Hunter.

Colin Cowherd (30:44)

He's got a lot of juice, like he can, he can run all day. A lot of energy. I love it. Good energy, always stabbing guys up, just bringing juice every day. And like I said, high motor can just go. It's like a kid just runs around all day. He doesn't get tired, it seems like. So you can't have enough of that. And then as far as just talent, I mean kind of speaks for his self ball skills. Run after the catch. He's very explosive. Just didn't realize how explosive he was in and out of cuts. You know, he's impressive to watch and we've got gotten to connect a couple times. It's only going to keep getting better and better. You know, we've only worked together for a couple days now, so we got some time to really dial in on the details. Another reason I want Travis Hunter to play offense, you got to validate that Trevor Lawrence contract honestly. Like, you got it, you got it. Now listen, at this point he hasn't earned the money. At this point, he hasn't been worth it. It's somebody I always said this about Dak. The reason the George Pickens move works. If you're going to pay Dak that kind of money, you got to get something out of it. You got to get good numbers out of it and picking a short term works. So I think Trevor Lawrence and I was a huge fan out of college. I think it's fair to say he's been a big disappointment. I think he's, I think he is what he is and what he is just isn't good enough when C.J. stroud's in your division.

Jason McIntyre (31:50)

Well, when you compare it to like Andrew Locke, you know, a generational talent, yeah, you've been a letdown. But regarding Lawrence Collin, like he's been pretty solid. He just hasn't been otherworldly. I mean how many coaches does the guy had? Like what great receivers has he had? Like again, he hasn't been put in a position to succeed and ask for the contract. I thought you always said with contracts, you're paying for what you think he'll deliver in the future, not his past. And like, I think he could easily be a $55 million. You don't think so?

Colin Cowherd (32:20)

Well, he's been dinged up. He hasn't won a lot of big games.

Jason McIntyre (32:23)

He had to come back against the Chargers.

Colin Cowherd (32:25)

He's got to be honest. It's probably arguably the weakest division in football, and you can't let C.J. stroud come in and own it. Who came into a terrible organization last year, had the worst O line in the league and won the division again. You put him in the AFC west or NFC North. Trevor Lawrence is finishing fourth. So you gotta add context to all this stuff. He, at this point, and I'm a fan, has not been worth the money. And I think he's a great kid.

Jason McIntyre (32:55)

Who do you think has been better so far? And who do you think you would trust more going forward? Trevor Lawrence or Jordan Love?

Colin Cowherd (33:02)

Jordan Love. No.

Jason McIntyre (33:06)

Wow. Okay. All right. My fair. Not even gonna argue that. That's crazy. But let's go to baseball college. We haven't talked Dodgers in a minute and they're kind of on the struggle bus. They got a home run from Otani last night, but they still lost to the Diamondbacks. And LA now has a first four game home losing streak since 2018. Dave Roberts addressed the skid afterwards. It's hard to start, you know, games behind, you know, before you're taking it bat. And I think the last week we've been.

Colin Cowherd (33:36)

We have given up runs in the first inning.

Jason McIntyre (33:38)

So it's just, you know, we got to throw up that zero and kind.

Colin Cowherd (33:41)

Of get a chance to get the game going.

Jason McIntyre (33:43)

But it does show something about our offense that we continue to fight. You worried about your guys?

Colin Cowherd (33:51)

Diamondbacks have a good batting order and the Dodgers can't get anybody out. It doesn't. They've had. They've. They can get ugly like everybody else. Baseball soldier long. They're fine when they're healthy and their pitching comes back and Ohtani starts pitching, they'll be fine.

Jason McIntyre (34:04)

One of my buddies out here compared them a little bit to the Boston Celtics who won the title last year, had a stack roster, everybody loves him. And then Boston kind of went through the motions. Didn't even win the east in the regular season and now got bounced in the second round. Is there a parallel there? You think Dodgers and Celtics.

Colin Cowherd (34:22)

No, I, I don't. I. I think. I think you. I think you have to look at baseball and just the really good Teams with the really high payrolls, they're all aiming for September. That's what they care about. They want to be healthy in September. They just want to get through. You know, they're just trying to get through it healthy, get your arms healthy. I don't take anything from it. They've just, they've fallen behind and they can't get anybody out. J. Mac of the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news I saw. This is interesting. So in the history of the NFL, I don't remember a quarterback room that was weirder than the Cleveland Browns. So it's Deshawn Watson who's hurt, nobody likes and won't play. Two rookies drafted Dylan Gabriel and Shador Sanders, sort of a cast off, who was a whiff in Pittsburgh, didn't do much in Philadelphia. Kenny Pickett. And the likable aged Joe Flacco who's at the end the twilight, the very twilight of his career. But he wins more games than you think. And he's got big size, big arm, really good for the locker room. So it, it just. To me. So they have OTAs in a week. They just had minicamp. And I saw a story this week I thought was odd where Kenny Pickett will take first team snaps. And I thought timeout. I don't think he's as good as Flacco. Recently he hasn't been. He's been. Kenny Pickett's been bad as an NFL quarterback against good teams. Like not even backup bad can have him in the building bad. And I, I'm going to also. I'll lay it out there. There are five quarterbacks for the Browns. I'm going to argue Flacco starts, Shador Sanders wins the job. The one thing I've always said about Shador Sanders is he didn't win a lot in college. But if you look at the ranked opponents they played and he had a terrible O line, 19 touchdowns, four picks, completed 70% of his throws for almost 300 yards a game. He was a good big game player. He couldn't win because he was overwhelmed and running for his life with no run game. This whole Kenny Pickett story, the hard part about this story is I think the owner who wanted to draft Baker Manziel and sign Deshaun Watson, I think the owner, like Shedeur more than Stefanski, wanted to draft him. That's why they drafted Dylan Gabriel two rounds before, so they wouldn't have to draft and get into the Shador sweepstakes. But I Dylan Gabriel is not going to get cut at OTAs and neither is Shedeur. Jeff Schwartz talked about the Brown situation and he's probably right. There's just not enough reps calling. Unless Shadur is that good early on, he's that much better than Flacco, which he probably won't be in practice. Right. Flacco's done this a long time now, so you basically would have to give him the job saying, hey man, we just see so much of practice. There's not a lot to see in games yet. We'll give them jumps. I think early on it's probably Flacco, Pickett. Whoever wins that job and then the primary backup will just be the winner of the Sanders Gabriel. Well, if that's the case, Shador Sanders is a much better pro prospect than Dylan Gabriel. So my money is Flacco beats out Pickett and then Shador is the backup and becomes the starter very quickly. The other reason that Shador is safe is that the owner likes him because we're not talking about the Cleveland Browns with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson and the Steelers brand without Shador Sanders. So it's really weird. You never have this many quarterbacks around. You know the kid they drafted, Dylan Gabriel, I showed you a picture last week. I just, I don't think he's a starting NFL quarterback. I don't think Kenny Pickett is. And at this point, Deshaun Watson's not. So to me, Flacco and Shador Sanders are your options. So that's my bet. Flacco wins the job, Chadoor wins the backup, and you don't have to like Shador Sanders. But if Deion would have never spoke, would have never said the things he said during super bowl week, there's no way Shador Sanders drops past the middle of the second round. You don't have to love him. But a fifth round quarterback is viewed solely as a backup. I can't believe everybody in the league thinks he has no chance to be a starting quarterback. I just don't believe it. Go look at Chadoor's numbers against ranked teams with a pretty modest supporting staff. On the O line in the run game, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio Apple. 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 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich?

Rick Bucher (39:36)

We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world.

Colin Cowherd (39:40)

We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture.

Rick Bucher (39:45)

Stories that, well, other shows don't seem.

Colin Cowherd (39:47)

To have the time to discuss.

Rick Bucher (39:49)

And the fact that we've been friends.

Colin Cowherd (39:50)

For the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right?

Rick Bucher (39:53)

So check us out.

Colin Cowherd (39:54)

We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say.

Rick Bucher (39:59)

I'd say the most interactive show on.

Colin Cowherd (40:01)

Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and.

Rick Bucher (40:05)

Rich live on Fox Sports radio and.

Colin Cowherd (40:06)

The iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kovino and Rich.

Rick Bucher (40:13)

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Colin Cowherd (40:14)

And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Summer is almost here, and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now, what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan? Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some French fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels, clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered, don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. 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Everything you love about the ultimate driving machine Electrified it's hard to figure out. Too many people you know want to get. You know, they want to create this Caitlin Clark Drama that doesn't really exist. The reason she just broke a WNBA ratings record. And it's interesting what pops in America. I'll give you an example. My son started playing Minecraft, you know, back in about 2014. And the movie, if you take out Minecraft, the movie right now from Hollywood, it's been a terrible year. Like Minecraft is saving Hollywood, like Oppenheimer and Barbie did a few years ago. So Minecraft started in Sweden and my son was on it like every day. He and his buddies were on Minecraft from Sweden. I can't explain it. I think Caitlin Clark, her only comp is Tiger Woods. People were not watching golf and then Tiger woods doubled the numbers. I mean they were watching the Masters and Jack and Arnie, but like he brought a whole new audience. And now you could say Michael Jordan. But Michael Jordan took a few years. You know, people forget this about Michael Jordan. He won a Natty at Carolina his first year. He stayed in college for two more years. He didn't get, he wasn't winning championships his last two years. So you kind of forgot about him. I remember when he didn't go number one, he went number three. Remember Portland had Clyde Drexler and passed on him. There wasn't a national outrage for Michael Jordan. And then he went to Chicago and the Bulls were a mess. Orlando Warrior, Quentin Daly, they were a mess of a franchise. Jordan didn't take over the league at that point. The Celtics were popular and the Lakers were popular. Michael Jordan took time to become like this. The fervor around him, you know, LeBron, the NBA was already established on TV. He didn't save the league, he didn't double the ratings. Conor McGregor was more gasoline on the fire for UFC. But it was always, it was already the fastest growing sport. You had Chuck Liddell, you had people, people that knew about UFC. Now Conor McGregor became their rock star, but it was already growing like wildfire. There have been a couple of musical acts that were just immediate hits. At least they feel immediate. Garth Brooks, I can remember now, U2 and Rolling Stones. The Eagles over time sold out. But Garth Brooks got hot fast. Beyonce hot fast. Taylor Swift, little slower growth, but there's not a lot out there like Tiger woods and Caitlin Clark. That's the comp where we didn't watch something and now we watch it all the time. I never talk wnba. The people who are opinionists in this country, we didn't talk WNBA was nothing against the wnba. It wasn't interesting enough. It just, it didn't have superstar players it just had a bunch of, you know, good players. The game wasn't that fascinating. It's really something to watch the merchandise sales. I mean, to be able to take a league that flew commercial and get it on private flight first year. That's Tiger. That's not LeBron. That's not Conor McGregor. That's not even Taylor Swift. So what we're seeing here, and I'll give the WNBA credit, they had no idea how popular she was going to be. Even Steph Curry, as popular as he was, there was a real argument in the Bay Area whether to keep Monta Ellis or Steph Curry. People talked about that. Like Jerry west was like, if you don't keep. If you don't keep, Steph, you're out of your mind. But Monta Ellis was hyper athletic. He was fun to watch. I think they were a playoff team. Like people were watching the Warriors. Michael Jordan, when Michael last two years in the tournament. People were more enamored with, if I recall, NC State and Jim Valmonto. They weren't the best team in his college state in one of his last years, if I recall. So there's nothing like this. And again, Conor McGregor was big, but the UFC was growing and had a rabid fan base and was selling out arenas. So I don't. I don't even. I don't know how to explain it. It's like, it's mine. Minecraft worldwide gross box office is nearly a billion dollars. It's in the top 75 of grossing movies of all time. And it was a video game. And if you had a young son. I can't, I can't. My daughter didn't play. If you had a young son in the last 10 years, they had to be on Minecraft. My son was easily distracted except for Minecraft. So I think the wnba, to their credit, they were overwhelmed the first year. They just. It was like Ticketmaster not having enough tickets for certain acts. Sometimes things pop in this country and I can't explain it. Like, I'll say this about Taylor Swift. She's great. My daughter, years and years ago, it's weird happenstance. My daughter, 15 years ago, I said, who's your favorite musical act? She goes, oh, I love Taylor Swift. And I said, you know, it's funny. Her dad works with a friend of mine in Nashville and she sent an autograph picture with a pick. I'm not really into that stuff. But my daughter had it in her room. She probably still has it somewhere. And that was like, oh, because, you know, I didn't But I didn't know who Taylor Swift was. And even when I listen to Taylor Swift now, it doesn't. It doesn't, like, move me. Like, it's just not. And there's been a lot of Amy Weingarten. I was like, oh, Lady Gaga. I mean, there. There have been. Is that Amy Weingart? Amy Winehouse? My bad. There's been music I've listened to. Alanis Morissette came out. I was like, oh, that's gravelly. That's rough. That works for me. I don't really get the Taylor Swift thing. I think it's a movement. A lot of stuff I don't get. And it pops. I'll tell you, with Caitlin Clark, I don't think it's that hard. She's shooting 28 footers. Women didn't. She takes NBA three pointers and she passes like Jason. Kidding. And I think whether it's some emotional connection. She played in the Midwest. I don't know if that's it. A lot of people played in the Midwest. I do think what has helped women's basketball and has hurt men's basketball is that women stay in college for three or four years and develop rivalries. So we have some level of emotional attachment. And, you know, the NBA, every other NBA draft is all European guys at the top. I didn't watch them play out. I'm not watching Dusseldorf on YouTube. I don't know who they are. This year's draft with Cooper Flag and the Rutgers guys will be more domestic. But we don't get these a lot. It may be every half decade in America. I remember Sopranos. Sopranos hit. And there are very few TV shows that change my lifestyle. But Tiger woods got me to a TV on Sundays. Sopranos got me to it. I like Mob stuff. Very few TV shows have ever changed. I remember when I was in college, I think it was Cheers on Thursday night, everybody. Because y' all went to bars in college. Cheers got me to a tv. Sopranos got me to a tv. Caitlin Clark does. She's got that sticky quality.

Jason McIntyre (51:30)

Yeah. No, for sure. There is a parallel to Curry that I think you brought up. Curry went to Davidson. Small college was slaying the big dogs. I know Iowa's not small, but in the college basketball world, they're small. Caitlin Clark was taking down all the big dogs and taking down records, and I think people got behind that. We love an underdog in this country, Colin. You know that.

Colin Cowherd (51:49)

Yeah.

Jason McIntyre (51:50)

Okay. And Caitlin Clark with the ball in her hands all the time. Was doing magical stuff. And that's one of the things that, like, you know, some of the Angel Reese, for example, she doesn't have the ball in her hands all the time. She needs to get the ball to do something. Caitlin Clark always has the ball dribbling circles around everybody. Phenomenal story, I'll tell you. You know, my daughter plays some hoops. As soon as the WNBA schedule came out, my wife and daughter were like, when is Caitlyn Clark coming to play the LA Sparks? We want to go to the game again this year. So like that, that's, that's not happening in W. That's never happened before in our family. Like, we just haven't gone to a WNBA game before. Caitlin Clark.

Colin Cowherd (52:24)

Well, I remember when Taylor Swift was in Los Angeles, I think she played six or seven shows at SoFi, all sold out. You would go to restaurants in LA that week and you would see tables of eight to 10 to 12 women having dinner before they went to the show, all dressed up. Middle aged women, young women. I'm like, okay, I've never seen this. This is a phenomenon. I don't even know how to explain it. Every once in a while you get the chance to make a real difference, and this is one of those moments. Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. It's a powerful mission, honoring their sacrifice through the gift of education. But last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. Don't let financial needs stand in the way of their future. Visit foldsofhonor.org to donate. Any amount helps. Together we can close that gap one scholarship at a time. 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 capital1na member FDIC interested in investing in Bitcoin but not sure how to get started. Well, with the Gemini credit card, you can dip your toes into Bitcoin without even trying. Just spend like you normally do, groceries, gas or night out and instantly earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin or one of over 50 other cryptos straight to your account with no annual fee. The Gemini Credit card is pretty much a no brainer and right now you can grab a 200 bitcoin intro bonus. So go to gemini.com card to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply. Again go to gemini.com card start building your Bitcoin stash now. Terms apply the Gemini Credit card is issued by Web Bank. In order to Qualify for the intro $200 crypto bonus, your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend $3,000 in your first 90 days. Terms apply. Some exclusions apply to instant rewards in which rewards are deposited when the transaction posts this content is not investment advice and trading Crypto involves risk. For more details on rates, fees and other Gemini credit card terms, see Rates and Fees. Just like how true champs master both offense and defense, the BMW IX masters both ultimate performance and unbeatable space. Love mine. The greatest legends in sports never compromise in any aspect of their game. So why would you settle for anything less from your suv? What I love about my BMW IX is that it redefines the electric vehicle experience seamlessly integrates powerful performance, its bold, daring design, a refined interior, details cutting edge technology. Basically pushes the boundaries of innovation. Thousands of details went into creating the ultimate electric SUV. Compromise. Not one of them. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.