Loading summary
Transcript137 lines
- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:05]
John Middelkopf
Summer is 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 nice tan? Sorry, a box fan? Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines? Yes. 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 region. See app for details. If you own a home, here's an interesting fact for you today. American homeowners are sitting on a record amount of home equity. That's the part of your home you own outright. Rocket Mortgage can help you turn your home equity into cash and that can help you fund a home renovation, pay for your kids college tuition, or pay off consolidated high interest debt. To learn more Call 804 Rocket or visit Rocket.com today.
- [01:05]
Commercial Voiceover
Rocket Mortgage LLC. Licensed in 50 states. Nmlsconsumeraccess.org Number 3030 Just like how true.
- [01:12]
John Middelkopf
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.
- [01:22]
Colin Cowherd
In any aspect of their game.
- [01:23]
John Middelkopf
So why would you settle for anything less from your SUV or what I love about my BMW IX is that it redefines the electric vehicle experience, seamlessly integrates powerful performance. It's 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.
- [01:45]
Commercial Voiceover
The new Dell AI PC with Intel Core Ultra helps you fast forward through busy work like editing images, summarizing meeting notes and responding to Jim's long emails. Leaving more time for you. Time. Get a new Dell AI PC starting at 7.
- [01:58]
John Middelkopf
$49.99 at Dell.com AI PC 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.
- [02:21]
Colin Cowherd
Now let's get this party started.
- [02:23]
Commercial Voiceover
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
- [02:27]
Colin Cowherd
Here we go. It's hour two tomorrow at this time, Rick Pitino, NBA Draft Nick Wright in five minutes live. We're in Los Angeles today. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. You know John like everybody else, I happen to be on my phone from time to time. I'm not a huge fan of sort of the sky is falling sort of narrative. Constantly on the phone, it gets a lot of clicks. It's grievance, it's outrage, it's the sky is falling, it's doom. I don't buy into that. My, my favorite sandwich is still peanut butter and jelly. I take naps every day. I still watch television. I've been hearing for years, TV's dying, everything's up on TV. So I was thinking about this a number John, and you're like me when everybody says you gotta get rid of your cable. I'm like, I like college football. How do I get rid of cable? Yeah, I need to watch my big ten football. There's games on cable. So I was thinking about this. Game seven on ABC delivered the most watched NBA finals game in six years. People are starving for content. I've been hearing for you. Oh, television is dying. I don't know. I watch a lot of it. The NFL's up. The WNBA is up. IndyCar racing is up. The Gold cup, our B team against Haiti was up from last year. I don't know. Everything's up, baseball's up. Now I do think there are challenges in hockey and basketball and baseball during the regular season because we're becoming a very much an event country. But I've never bought into the television. It's going away. I heard that about newspapers 40 years ago and I have never been a subscriber to more newspapers than I am today. I like content. The other thing I don't buy into is the NBA is doomed. Global League, $76 billion TV deal, Amazon and NBC and ESPN's involved. The Lakers just sold for $10 billion and their number one sponsor is YouTube. The NBA is just fine. The other thing I don't believe in is that market size. For years and years I banged on this. Stop being afraid of New York. Look at the NFL. The last five years you could argue the two New York teams in Chicago were the biggest tire fires. You know who's great? Buffalo, Kansas City, Green Bay Buff. Did I say Buffalo? Look at the NBA. Indy, Oklahoma City, boring. Denver. I mean Boston actually didn't get the number OkC and Indy just got. Look at the WNBA, the Indiana Fever and their star players from Iowa. So I've never bought into the NBA's dying. Everybody's getting rich in the NBA. It works with young people. It's amazing on social. Look at how much money the players now make on shoes and apparel. The league is fine. You may not like it, but there's a lot of 14 to 33 year olds. It's their favorite sport. It's fine. The TV deal shows that and the rating shows that. The other thing is, you know, big markets, the, the league is rigged for big markets. Let me tell you, if the NFL and the NBA are rigged for big markets, they're doing an atrocious job. The NFL's dominated by small markets. I mean, Cincinnati should have made the playoffs with Joe Burrow. We already got Buffalo, Baltimore, Green Bay, Kansas City. The New York team stink. I'd argue the New York teams are the most hopeless in the NFL this year, the two New York teams. So, I mean, we had a Pac 12 with all big markets. LA, San Francisco, Seattle. It dried up. They moved over to the Big Ten because there's a lot more money in the Big Ten than the glamorous Pac12. With the LA, San Francisco, Seattle markets, we're all going to be okay. Shaq talked about market size. We recently, you know, when I was.
- [06:13]
Commercial Voiceover
Coming up, it was small market. You're too small, you probably need to go to a big market. I took advantage of that. But now every market is the same. Nobody cares what city you're in anymore. This ain't, this ain't the 90s. Bigger market doesn't matter. Social media is the market now.
- [06:29]
Colin Cowherd
Yep, social media is the market. So yesterday, I don't know why I got heat for this. I thought it was incredibly rational. I said, over the last seven years, we've had seven different champions. We know they're not as good as the KD Splash Brothers Draymond team. We know they're not as good as the Duncan Ginobly, Parker Popovich. We know they're not MJ's bulls. They're not Shaq and Kobe. They're not Showtime. They're not the, the McHale bird, the Walton team. We know they're not that. It's more 70s, which I grew up with. I love the Rick Barry warriors and the Bill Walton Blazers and the in the DJ and Gus Williams, Jack Sick Masonics. I love those teams. The Washington Bullets with unselled Hayes Cheniere, Bobby Dandridge. I love those teams. But the following decade, sort of, there was a rebirth of the NBA. So Nick Wright is joining me. So yesterday I ranked, I ranked the last seven champions.
- [07:24]
Nick Wright
Catching a lot of heat. Colin Heat, which I know, listen, I know you're not checking your mentions, but I know you got plenty of people on your Multiple staffs that come to you and they're like, colin, the Internet's ripping you. So can I if I just can jump in? Yeah, my. My only major gripe would be I would. I would at the very least, flip flop. Thunder, Warriors. I think you're underselling the Thunder a bit. And I think that warriors team, it was a great postseason run and Steph was unbelievable. But when their second best offensive players, Andrew Wiggins, I think that there's. And they weren't a dominant regular season team. So I would have the Thunder at least at 4, if not at 3. But what people are ripping you for is a version of LeBron James Derangement Syndrome. How could you have the 2020 Lakers number one, when here are the facts about one of the most disrespected champions, maybe the most disrespected champion of the last 25 years. I agree that Laker team started the year 24. 3. They earned home court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs. Did not get that home court advantage because it was in the bubble and still swept through the west in five games in every series, and then won the finals in an easy six despite remarkable Jimmy Butler performance. They then followed that up. Well, how did they defend their title the day LeBron James got hurt when Solomon Hill did a somersault into his ankle? The Los Angeles lakers, they were 28 and 13. It was the midway point of the next season. They had the best record in the entire NBA halfway through the season following their title. I would then add this. Take the best player on all of those champions, 2020 LeBron, and is eye to eye with 23 Joker and 21 Giannis. And take the second best player on all those champions, 2020. Anthony Davis is markedly better than any of these other teams. Second best player.
- [09:43]
Colin Cowherd
That was my yesterday.
- [09:45]
Nick Wright
Yeah, it is. Here is the deal, Colin. Here's why you know that there is a fan and some media obsession with. With misremembering the career of LeBron James. Almost all of the NBA's biggest myths or biggest lies either have to do with tearing down LeBron or uplifting a guy he's competing with. There isn't a single NBA myth or lie that you're like, oh, that's interesting. That one works in LeBron's favor. No, they're all. They all go in one direction. And the idea is that the 2020 Lakers got lucky by the bubble. Being no home court advantage when they had home court advantage is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. But it's what everybody says.
- [10:37]
Colin Cowherd
And by the way, it should be noted, it was the only time in my life in the playoffs where young teams overwhelmingly flourished because the older married players missed their kids and family. And the Lakers were an old team. They were the only old NBA team with veterans that crushed all the other. So they had to fight, you know, because as you get older, you have kids and family. You have kids and family, you don't want to go to four week roadie in Orlando. So the bottom line is, I'm with you. I. People forget how good they were to start that season. They were dominant through 27, 30 games. Okay, go ahead.
- [11:12]
Nick Wright
Absolutely, go ahead. No, no, no. They were dominant that year. They rolled through the playoffs. They then had the best record in the NBA at the midway point of the next season, they were the favorites. The day LeBron got hurt, they were the Vegas favorites to go back to back. And so it's just total recreation of history we all agree with. I think the only real other controversy, you're probably underselling Thunder a bit, but otherwise fine list. You shouldn't have gotten dragged on Twitter. I have your back.
- [11:40]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, so I said this about Kevin Durant is that I didn't understand his lack of market. I'm like, listen, players like him. He doesn't need the ball in his hands. He's arguably the best jump shooter in the league. He's not a great defender, but Houston has so much damn length and so does San Antonio. I'm like, this guy is a. This is a mic. You don't have to bake him. He's a microwave player. You need about four practices in two games and he'll give you 25. I think Houston is a great fit. Let's start with this. Were you surprised at the pushback on. Well, you'd have to sign him a couple of big years. I'm like, bench guys make 15 million. I'm. I was surprised there wasn't a livelier market.
- [12:29]
Nick Wright
Well, so I, I wasn't surprised by the market because I do think you have to thread the needle of like, I don't think Kevin Durant would have made as much sense for San Antonio or Miami because neither one of those teams are Kevin Durant away from winning a championship. And when you trade for him, what you are really trading for is this coming season and you hope next season as well, the 27 season and then after that he'll be 40 and it's probably in a different situation. So I understood the market, but I agree with you wholeheartedly in this regard. This is the perfect trade for Houston. So Houston replaces Jalen Green, who in the playoffs, despite having, I think a 37 point single game, averaged 13 points on less than 40% from the field, less than 30% from three. He could not make a shot, he could not create a shot. And you replace him with one of the best shot makers and shot creators for himself in the history of the league. You have now a starting lineup of Van Vliet, who's a steady champ, Amin Thompson, who is a future star defensive player of the year caliber guy, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith, the top five pick, and Shin Goon. And you didn't decimate your bench.
- [13:58]
Colin Cowherd
That's right.
- [13:59]
Nick Wright
Coming off the bench, you still have Tari Eason, Stephen Adams, Reed shepherd, who they took in the top five last year. But Udoka didn't want to play a rookie. But he'll play a lot in Cam Whitmore. You go nine deep, you can defend, you have a great coach, you now have a bucket at the end of games and Shingoon is the connector. And so the critique on Durant has been about leadership stuff. Udoka will take care of that, I think. Right. As we sit here today. And you know, it's early, obviously, season ended two days ago, but when I look at next year, I think the Rockets have a real path to being the Western Conference champion. And I would, I miss seeing Kevin Durant in big games. Some of that has been bad luck, some of that's been bad choices, some of that's been bad teams like, you know, it's a big stew, some of it's on him, some of it's not. But the fact of the matter is this, Colin, in the six years before he went to Golden State, his final six in Oklahoma City, he made the conference finals. Four of those six years in the NBA Finals. Once in the three years in Golden State, obviously three straight NBA Finals. In the six years since then, he has won two playoff series. He has never been out of round two. For a guy who lived at, you know, mid May, end of May, beginning of June, NBA playoff basketball for the first decade of his career. I want him to have one last act. And I still think he's right around the 10th best player in the league. He is, it is a great addition. And I do not think they gave up too much at all.
- [15:39]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, so I'm, I'm looking at my topics here. I, I, I, I don't you get so agitated when I pick the Chargers over the Chiefs.
- [15:50]
Nick Wright
So you do it every year. And it's not. And I don't. It's not. I don't. And by the way, it's not out of chief's defense. It's out of Colin Coward protectionism. You know how much you've meant to me. You know how much I love you. And I hate that every year you do this to yourself. That every year it's either the Bronco, you flip a coin. Is it Sean Baten and the Broncos or is it my friends the Chargers who are going to beat the Chiefs? And then you're just wrong. But go ahead, I'll let you do it again, I guess.
- [16:18]
John Middelkopf
Okay.
- [16:19]
Colin Cowherd
So John and I. John, middle cop. Do you know John? Have you met John before?
- [16:22]
Nick Wright
Yeah, of course. Never in person, but I obviously know John. He does a great job and his three bold predictions made a lot of sense, unlike yours.
- [16:31]
Colin Cowherd
So let's just go to mine. Let's not. Let's not throw shade at John. So.
- [16:35]
Nick Wright
No, John's were great.
- [16:36]
Colin Cowherd
Okay. And you, and you probably do agree the Dolphins are no steak and a lot of sizzle. I think they're going to. I think they're. They're. And I think Steve. So the one that bothers you are the Chargers win the AFC West. And here's my take is that I've watched Harbaugh and year two everywhere. First year he builds the culture, but he needs two years to build the roster. And their roster is now really, really good. And I don't know what the Chiefs O line is. I don't know what it is. They're receivers. I hope they stay out of personal issues, but that's been sketchy. Don't you think it's time? Didn't you see the vulnerability of the Chiefs last year when they.
- [17:17]
Nick Wright
When Mahomes played and they went 15 and 1 and were 17 and 1 Mahomes playing going into the Super Bowl. Yeah. Listen, I said it before and I'll say it again. The 2024 Kansas City Chiefs were without a doubt the worst one loss, two time defending champion I've ever seen. Now they're the only one lost two time defending champion.
- [17:36]
Colin Cowherd
But.
- [17:37]
Nick Wright
Yeah, but I just. I somebody and the. I know the Chiefs looked bad in the Super Bowl. They did. I also know your beloved Justin Herbert is. I think he just threw another pick against the Texans. That game's been over for four months. But I'm sure they're flying high going into the offseason. But here is the problem. The problem is this. Patrick Mahomes in His career is 35, 5 against the AFC West. Patrick Mahomes in his career has started seven years. They have won the division seven times. They have played in the AFC championship seven times. They have won the conference five times. To pick against Reed and Mahomes is just lunacy. And I would evidence it by whenever you do your other divisions, every other team in the league that you believe clearly has the best coach and quarterback in its division, you will pick to win that division except for the team that always wins the division that is always there. And so I think that, I do think like maybe because sometimes, you know, there's like take Osmosis and J. Mac has just been, he's, you know, he is playing, he's betting zero on the roulette wheel every time. He's like, when it comes up, I'm going to be a genius. And so he's just betting against the Chiefs every year. And I think it has rubbed off on you a bit now. So maybe with Middelkopf there now, I thought Jon's predictions were excellent. I also though if he has the Patriots and who's the other team he has in the playoffs? Oh, the Colts. I respect that because that's going to mean there are some teams everyone has penciled into the playoffs that are going to be left without a chair. And so obviously the Bengals are one of them according to John. So I do respect the non chalky prediction. But I'll tell you this much. It's not going to be the Chiefs without a chair and it's not going to be the Chiefs not winning their division.
- [19:43]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, that's fair. Let's see. Okay, one more thing. The draft is tomorrow. I said earlier, I always, I never like going to a restaurant that's got a signature dish. Like just do everything. Well, last night I by the way, overlooking palm trees in the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, I had a Vichy swan, a nice cocktail, thinking of you. And as I had dinner I was in a restaurant where everybody ordered a bunch of stuff and it was all amazing. And my take is I don't want to go to a place that's got a 16 egg omelette, just dude. And I've always, I've always said LeBron doesn't have a signature move. And my take is because he does everything well, I don't need a sky hook. He just gets the best players, the best shots. So they're saying Cooper Flag doesn't have a bag. And my take is it's been the most overrated thing of my life. Kareem had one because he didn't have the ball in his hands. You didn't give centers the ball like you do now at mid court. Like you had to wait for the ball late in the shot clock. What do you make about the criticism? You know, LeBron, he doesn't have a go to signature move like MJ.
- [20:53]
Nick Wright
Yeah. So I also again, Cooper Flag's getting.
- [20:56]
Colin Cowherd
Back for this, right?
- [20:57]
Nick Wright
Of course this is. But this is again, to go back to what I first said. Every NBA myth starts and ends with the same theme. We must elevate Michael Jordan at the expense of LeBron James. And so there's just there, there. It's never the other direction on the myths. There's some of that on the facts, but not the myths. So like, does LeBron have one single move? Like, you close your eyes and you think of LeBron and that's what he did. And the answer to that question is it's actually probably a chase down block, right? That's. You close your eyes, you think of it. But on offense, when you can do everything, then you don't have to do any one thing. Specifically, people will say for Jordan, his signature move was the mid range turnaround. But that's only, only young people think young. Ish. People think that because that was a 96 to 98 Jordan signature post. Baseball Jordan's signature early in his career was, I'm going to go down the middle of the lane, jump in the air and figure it out about four seconds later because I can hang and I'm such a great athlete that I can figure this out on the fly. He wasn't this mid range assassin he became later in his career.
- [22:14]
Colin Cowherd
That's right.
- [22:15]
Nick Wright
Here is what I will say about Cooper Flag. There is not a single person alive who was a finished product at what they ended up being at 18 and a half years old. The most important number with Cooper Flag is his date of birth. He reclassified. He is. When he gets to the league, since we're talking about LeBron, he will be only two weeks older. Two weeks older than LeBron was when LeBron entered the league. And LeBron skipped college. He turns 1919 in December of his rookie year. So the fact that Cooper Flag does basically everything pretty well is to me a brilliant place to start. He'll figure out a couple things he does great. But what I think sometimes happens to young star athletes, and maybe this is why signature moves can be at times overrated, is they figure out what they do really well and they end up spending all their time or a lot of their time perfecting that as other things atrophy a bit. It feels to me like Cooper Flagg, you know, is a B to an A minus at almost everything you can be. And so he'll figure out, you know, where his ultimate strength is. But listen, I do. I think he's a future league mvp. I think that's a little strong. Do I think he's a. No doubt consensus first overall pick? Absolutely. And I think he'll be just fine.
- [23:49]
Colin Cowherd
Nick Wright, bringing the heat. Really enjoyed it today. You know, basically, I'm. I'm your. A little bit of your speed bag, but I enjoy that. I enjoy our.
- [23:58]
Nick Wright
Well, no, I gave you credit. I had you. Listen, you. Our relationship on this show is actually a perfect. It's just a homeostasis where when you're right, I affirm you and when you're wrong, I try to prevent you from public embarrassment. And if I can't, then I just have to inflict it. That's all it is. Talk to you later.
- [24:19]
Colin Cowherd
And Nick Wright, first things first. Trustandwill.com makes it easy. Do the right thing. Protect your family. Visit trustandwill.com today for total peace of mind.
- [24:32]
Commercial Voiceover
One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.
- [24:42]
Colin Cowherd
Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paulie and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos, they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to the show. The hosts are two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell are you doing in our studio? Get him, Paulie. Ignore that fool.
- [25:04]
Commercial Voiceover
Listen to the Paulie and Tony Fusco.
- [25:06]
Colin Cowherd
Show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever.
- [25:08]
Commercial Voiceover
You get your podcast.
- [25:09]
Colin Cowherd
He's still moving. The NBA Finals are here, and this is your last chance to Bet on.
- [25:15]
John Middelkopf
The NBA until next season. And DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA, is pulling out.
- [25:20]
Colin Cowherd
All the stops to make this a finals to remember.
- [25:23]
John Middelkopf
One team will be crowned champ and.
- [25:25]
Colin Cowherd
The other will be lost to history. Who do you have winning it all?
- [25:28]
John Middelkopf
Put your hoops expertise to the test. All season long, DraftKings has been the go to spot for NBA player props.
- [25:35]
Colin Cowherd
And that doesn't stop now. Ready to place your first bet?
- [25:37]
John Middelkopf
Just download the draftkings Sportsbook app.
- [25:40]
Colin Cowherd
Now lock in your bets.
- [25:41]
John Middelkopf
Finish this season as a winner and here's something special new DraftKings customers. All you have to do is bet $5 bet five bucks to get $300 in bonus bets. If your bet wins, don't miss your last chance to bet on the NBA this season. Download the DraftKingsportsbook app. The code is heard H E R D Herd for new customers to get $300 in bonus bets. If your bet wins by betting just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours.
- [26:11]
Commercial Voiceover
Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction board. In Ontario, bet must win to receive reward minimum minus 500 odds. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co Audio.
- [26:42]
John Middelkopf
Summer is 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. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Everybody loves a good MVP story, and the story of Wasabi Technologies is one of the best. Wasabi is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company, becoming the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware. Wasabi has taken the lead in driving innovation in data storage, eliminating overhead where it matters to deliver you results you can count on and won't break the bank. In fact, Wasabi is up to 80% less than those other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi another championship story. Check them out for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum.
- [28:50]
Commercial Voiceover
Podcast Network the following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will Son. Your grandpa and I used to work on this car together and when I'm gone, I want you to have it.
- [29:00]
Colin Cowherd
Wow.
- [29:01]
Nick Wright
Thanks dad.
- [29:02]
Commercial Voiceover
Doesn't count. What you need is a will. Luckily, trust and will makes it easy. Designed by attorneys but customized by you, you can easily create a state specific, legally valid document that actually counts. Now let's let the engine do the talking. Am I right? Start your will@trustandwill.com use offer code count for 20% off and make it count. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. For details, see trustandwill.com.
- [29:24]
Colin Cowherd
A lot of things going on. NBA Draft tomorrow. There's an emerging. That sounds like trouble. Sometimes young people just get bad advice. We'll get to that in a bit. First, John Middelkopf with the news.
- [29:37]
Nick Wright
No, no, no, no.
- [29:38]
Commercial Voiceover
Heard on the news.
- [29:40]
This is the hard line News.
- [29:42]
Well, that NFL team up north, the 49ers, coming off the super bowl, had a disastrous season last year, obviously filled with a ton of injuries. The Niners moved off of Debo Samuel and with Ricky Pearsall, their former first round pick entering year two, he's expected to take a bigger role role on offense. He talked about his growing relationship with quarterback Brock Purdy.
- [30:02]
Ricky Pearsall
He's the same person no matter what. You know, I've. It's almost like I kind of knew a side of Brock when I seen him from afar. You know, being in college and watching him because he doesn't change. That's one thing about Brock that I really respect. You know, he's the same person and you know, I think everybody in the building feels comfortable and feels the same way about Brock just because the way he carries himself and you know, he's, he's about his business I didn't love.
- [30:26]
Colin Cowherd
The Ricky Pierce all pick because at the time it was like Debo and IUK and Jennings. I'm like, you don't, you're overdrafting. Wide receiver. Then there was the oh, near tragedy. Which, but I will say in that offense, and you know the Niners better than any person I know in that offense, the Shanahan offense, it does feel like he's. Now that Debo's gone, he's a good fifth.
- [30:50]
Commercial Voiceover
He showed signs of life last year at the end of the season after the catch is big with Kyle. Right. Get the ball in your hands, then make plays. That's what Debo became a star. Iuk's really good at that. The problem is. No, I mean his toughness. He got shot and played in the season. It was incredible. But he's been injured a lot with football injuries. When they drafted him, hamstring, shoulder, he was injured in OTAs, you know, the last couple weeks. Brandon Ayuk is hurt.
- [31:15]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [31:15]
Commercial Voiceover
Right now. So you have major question marks with the skill group. They need this guy to be a good player. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of pressure. Part of making a transition, how the Rams did it when they, you know, went through their roster, was they drafted well, so you draft a guy in the first round, there's a spotlight on Ricky Pearson.
- [31:33]
Colin Cowherd
Well, Cooper was aging and Puka Nakua emerged for sure. Otherwise they'd be in big trouble right now. Wide receiver. Yeah.
- [31:38]
Commercial Voiceover
I mean, Jennings a good player, but he can't be your one. So I mean, they need both these guys. They, Kittle McCaffrey coming back. I, I'm still bullish on the 49ers because they're scheduled, but a lot of question marks coming into the season.
- [31:49]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [31:50]
Commercial Voiceover
Speaking of, we, we just talked about this, the, the emergence of Daniel Jones mainly because Anthony Richardson has been shelved most of the OTAs in Minicamp with a shoulder injury earlier this month. And it's opened the door for D.J. according to a recent report, Jones has built a significant lead over Richardson to start for the Colts and his quarterback one moving forward.
- [32:11]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. I, I, I've always said he's not quite as fluid as Alex Smith. He's a little more, I feel like he's sometimes a little bit more rigid, but he's a bigger, stronger version of Alex the athlete. His straight line speed is good. He went to Duke. He's re, he's got to be bright. He's a big, strong, I mean, I, I had A friend who was next to him at an event about a year ago. He's way bigger than you think. So you know, I always felt they drafted him. They saw, physically, they saw the next D line, Manning and Eli's really special. But he did make the playoffs and he had no support system. I mean, the Colts have a better O line than the Giants. Sure. The Colts have better skilled people now than the Giants do. So he'll have more to work with. And Shane Steichen most like him more than day ball. I think they're both very good.
- [32:58]
Commercial Voiceover
I think football's a lot who believes in you. And you go back to Alex Smith. Jim Harbaugh believed in him a couple years ago. The Baker Mayfield, Tampa believed in him last year. The last couple years with Sam Darnold. From Kyle Shanahan to Kevin o' Connell, now to John Schneider, I think this team not only believed, they need this guy. And let's face it, Anthony Richardson, he is the new version of Trey Lance. They swung for the fences, they whiffed. This thing's over before it even started.
- [33:23]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, Richardson is one of those. He only played 13 college games at Florida. So you were taking a bit of a gamble. But again, I go back to Chris Ballard, I lose luck, I swing the fence on Wentz who people were like, whoa, he was very good, actually 27 touchdowns. And then you go get a really old Philip Rivers and that hit. They were looking to bridge the gap with the Kansas City's of the league in Buffaloes and Baltimores. They're like, listen, the kid physically is insanely talented. And I think they looked at the AFC and thought, well, we don't have a quarterback, we're going to roll the dice.
- [33:57]
Commercial Voiceover
I think it's hard sometimes when you pigeonhole yourself. The Steelers are going to be in this position. We've seen other teams where you've got to take a quarterback that's, you know, the Belichick did it with Mac Jones, the Steelers did it with Kenny Pickett. When you can just, let's just take this guy. Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, Jalen hurts in the second round. Sometimes it's an easier landing spot for that player and there's less pressure. This Anthony Richardson, Trey Lance, you go all in for him and then immediately high expectations. It blows up in your face real quick. Okay, how about Dodgers owner Mark Walter? He made headlines last week after buying the majority share of the Lakers for $10 billion. With the change in ownership, the belief is that LA is now in a position to make some Significant moves moving forward. And Draymond Green recognizes the position the Lakers are in.
- [34:43]
Jeannie Bus and the Buss family were one of the least wealthiest families as far as money goes. They had the. The big asset in which they just sold, but that was. That's kind of the source of their income. Now you got an owner with the deep pockets, he gonna say, well, no, I don't need that money. Take all of that money and put it back into the team and go, give me this guy. And go, give me that guy. Let's, let's, let's do whatever we want to do with this roster. We'll pay the tax. We'll do this. And so I think with getting this new ownership group, it makes the Lakers so dangerous.
- [35:22]
Colin Cowherd
Well, the downside to being the Lakers, well, here's one of the things that Laker fans have to realize. Your entire brand was built on the ability to seek and land the superstar. Those days are over now unless you want to pay just an inc. I don't even know what the penalties are now for blowing through calves, but if you look at the aprons and you look at the new cba, you may have a lot of guys that want to play for you. Once you pay Luka and for the next two years, LeBron's there. There's limitations on what they can pay. They need a center. There's limitations on what they can pay to get one unless they move Austin Reaves. So they always were the team, the Miami Heat with Riley and the Lakers were like, if there was a top free agent out there, you knew they always got a call. People like in a winter league, going to Miami and going to la, the league and the aprons and the cba, it's a different ball game now.
- [36:21]
Commercial Voiceover
To me, it's less about the players because of the aprons. And, you know, most of the teams are playing on the same level playing field in terms of how much you can spend. I guess you can spend more on tax money, but you can't really acquire more players that way. It's more about what you can do off the court. And to me, you know, one Bob Myers, LA guy, went to ucla Pelinka, remember, him and Magic have a weird relationship. Magic's part of Washington and the commander's operation. You know who I saw sitting in the draft room was Bob Myers for the Washington Commanders. A lot of connections there from Pat Riley to Phil Jackson to Jared. They like these big stars. Bob Myers looks the part, so does Polinka. But you wonder if this comes Full circle. Because that's what they did when they bought the Dodgers, right? They brought in their guy, Andrew Freeman.
- [37:04]
Colin Cowherd
Well, Bob Myers lives in Los Angeles.
- [37:06]
Commercial Voiceover
I'm telling you, you can see it coming from a mile away. He ran a team, you know, I think the warriors spent almost $700 million in tax money, but they were winning championships, and it was worth it. A guy that has experience with the dynasty. I. I do think that magic Palinka relationship could kind of come full circle here now with the Dodgers gaining control. Not great for Palinka, who in fairness, pulled off one of the greatest heists in the middle of the night.
- [37:29]
Colin Cowherd
Oh, they also got Austin Reeves. He's done a good job. He's done a good job. No, no, the Westbrook move, whatever. But they've done they, haven't they? I'll defend Palenque. He's made some nice moves. And the Luka one will go on, you know, his Wikipedia page as one of the great steals in league history. Just ran into Bob Myers. Lives right down the street. Just the part, huh? And he's one of the most gracious, likable people I've ever met in sports.
- [37:56]
Commercial Voiceover
Shuffle up.
- [37:57]
Colin Cowherd
Great guy. John Middelkoff with the news.
- [38:00]
Commercial Voiceover
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the Herd line.
- [38:05]
Colin Cowherd
Rick Pitino is going to come on our show tomorrow. And I mean, almost a savant with his knowledge and understanding of basketball and what he did for St. John's you know, when Louis Carneseca left, they just tried a lot of different people, capable people in St. John's and it didn't work. And Rick Pitino arrived and suddenly they were really good, really fast. I watched. I mean, I couldn't tell you the last time I was that into St. John's it was the Louis Carner second days. So he's going to come on tomorrow, the draft. There is one player in this draft, I think, making a big mistake. And we'll talk about that coming up next.
- [38:42]
Commercial Voiceover
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio Apple Summer is.
- [38:52]
John Middelkopf
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. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Everybody loves a good MVP story. And the story of Wasabi Technologies is one of the best. Wasabi is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know, the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company, becoming the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air, to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware, Wasabi has taken the lead in driving innovation in data storage, eliminating overhead where it matters to deliver you results you can count on and won't break the bank. In fact, Wasabi is up to 80% less than those other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi Another championship story. Check them out for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network.
- [41:00]
Commercial Voiceover
The following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will Son. Your grandpa and I used to work on this car together. And when I'm gone, I want you to have it.
- [41:10]
Colin Cowherd
Wow.
- [41:10]
Nick Wright
Thanks dad.
- [41:11]
Commercial Voiceover
Doesn't count. What you need is a will. Luckily, Trust and Will makes it easy. Designed by attorneys but customized by you, you can easily create a state specific, legally valid document that actually counts. Now let's let the engine do the talking. Am I right? Start your will@trustandwill.com use offer code, count for 20% off and make it count. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. For details, see trustandwill.com at the end.
- [41:31]
John Middelkopf
Of the season, there's only one team that can call themselves NBA Champs. Only one player that can call themselves.
- [41:36]
Colin Cowherd
The number one pick in the NFL Draft.
- [41:37]
John Middelkopf
Well, there's only one electric SU worthy of the title. The ultimate, the all electric BMW ix. What I love about the IX is that it delivers legendary BMW performance while its sleek design exudes innovative style from the inside out. Not to mention how much space and utility it provides. Over 75 cubic feet of cargo space. The IX is completely changing the game with an all electric suv. The greatest legends of sports never compromise.
- [42:05]
Colin Cowherd
Any part of the game.
- [42:06]
John Middelkopf
So why would you settle for anything less from your suv? After all, there's only one ultimate the BMW ix. Everything you love about the ultimate driving machine. Electrified.
- [42:20]
Commercial Voiceover
Alex Pullo looks to continue his legendary season and hold off award new Garden, Kirkwood and the rest of the pack as the IndyCar Series rolls into mid Ohio July 6th on Fox.
- [42:35]
Colin Cowherd
So a couple stories. First of all, Ace Bailey, who was not the best player on Rutgers this year, the best player is going to get drafted. Number two, the guard Harper. And Ace Bailey was a big, he's not a playmaker. One assists a game, takes a lot of tough shots. He's talented, he's long. But he is the mystery man of the draft. He's trying to manipulate the draft before he's in the league. He's not actually going to workouts. And I think it's a big mistake because I think this is a very rich draft.
- [43:12]
John Middelkopf
And so maybe it was.
- [43:13]
Colin Cowherd
If it was an awful draft, he'd have more leverage. And you know, this is a little bit of Shador Sanders and John, because he's a former scout and has a lot of sources in the league. You and I were talking this morning. This is a little what Dion and Shador did where we're going to try to pick the team before we're in the league.
- [43:34]
Commercial Voiceover
I think a lot of the good teams in the NFL, let's say the playoff teams, want to talk to Shador Sanders during the draft process. Well, he declined because of course they have quarterbacks and their mindset is, well, one, you're not going to go as high as you think. And two, people move now, right? GMs move. Quarterbacks are constantly traded. Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mack Jones. Look how many teams all these guys have already been on. Look at the NBA for example. SGA and Tyler Tyrese Halliburton were both traded within a year and a year and a half of the start of their career. So unless you are Cooper flag or LeBron James or Trevor Lawrence, it does, it does you a disservice to me in the draft process to literally not talk to everybody because that guy in two Years could be acquiring you and then extending you. I mean, it makes no sense.
- [44:24]
John Middelkopf
Yeah.
- [44:25]
Colin Cowherd
Now, John Elway, who, by the way, is still to this day, day the greatest quarterback prospect ever, he did say, using leverage, I'm not playing for this team. But Elway would talk to teams. Elway just said, I'm not playing for the Colts because they're a tire fire and I don't want to play for him. That's different than Shadour, who was a B to a B minus prospect, saying, I'm not talking to the good teams. And then his dad during super bowl week says, we're not going to the bad teams. So he shrunk his market to a tiny market. This kid in a very good draft and he's the kind of player, he's not a playmaker. He doesn't necessarily play well with others, which as we're watching the NBA, that's the league now.
- [45:05]
Commercial Voiceover
Yeah.
- [45:05]
Colin Cowherd
The league is not about your bag. The league is Halliburton. The league is sga. The league is Tatum. Can you. Because you can't stack stars. Do you play well with others? And Ace Bailey. Not necessarily. You know, he does. He's not a playmaker. You don't get any assists out of him. So I think this is a big mistake.
- [45:24]
Commercial Voiceover
Even Caleb Williams, remember the controversy with the dad. And yeah, know you had talked about it. He was going to meetings. We all knew he's going number one to Chicago. He's still meeting with Minnesota. Like you. It does you a big disservice, your camp. I think you know your brand to not talk to all these GMs and coaches. These aren't difficult. You're just talking about basketball or football. This isn't rocket science. It's not that complicated.
- [45:47]
Colin Cowherd
I think anytime you're going into any industry, have as many allies and friends as you can, 100, you talk to everybody. Here's the second thing. So yesterday, it's so funny. So we do prep. John's been sitting in on the prep here and he, you know, he's first time on our show as herd Line has been great and he kind of sitting in our process. It's about an hour and a half process. And we just go through the day's stories. And yesterday, the last thing we threw in, we were done with our prep and I said, you know, seven years, seven champs. I'm just gonna rank them. And we spent about five minutes on it. I said, bang, bang, bang, bang. This got apparently big play. I stay off my phone in the afternoons. This apparently got big play. So I put the Lakers number one. And my reasoning was, well, Anthony Davis was the two. And if you stay, is Anthony Davis better than Jaylen Brown, the Celtics 2? Yes. Is he better than Jamal Murray? The Nuggets, too? Yes. Was he better than, like, Andrew Wiggins or Draymond? The Warriors? Yes. Was he better than Chris Middleton? Yes. Is he better than Chet Holmgren or. Or. Who was the two for the Raptors? Fred Van Vliet, you know, whoever it was. My take is LeBron was, outside of Jokic, arguably better than all the ones, because LeBron was closer to his prime. And Anthony Davis was easily the best, too. And if you have the two best players and you forget that team had Caruso and kcp, but we didn't know what Caruso was. Well, Sam Presti at Oklahoma City did. He went to Chicago. He was excellent. He was excellent for okc. So people just didn't know what Caruso was. He's really good player who plays a lot and can defend multiple positions, and KCP has always been a shot maker. But Alex Caruso, who I like, I. I've seen him live play several times. He's a. He's a strong guy for a size, excellent defender. He was on the Laker team, and he's on this OKC team, and he downplayed a little of that previous Covid championship with the Lakers.
- [47:48]
Commercial Voiceover
Now I got a real one.
- [47:49]
Jamal Murray
Now nobody can say anything.
- [47:54]
Nick Wright
Yeah.
- [47:54]
Jamal Murray
I think just because of the way the team is constructed now versus the team I had in 2020. Like, it was much harder with this team just because of the experience.
- [48:04]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [48:04]
Jamal Murray
And everybody talked about you need experience to win a championship. For me, I've seen greats do it. So I knew. I knew the way. I knew. I knew the. The mindset. But to see these guys do it, man, it's really cool to see it in person. And I'm so happy for the guys.
- [48:17]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. By the way, you know, I was harder this time because he didn't have LeBron in AD. That's why it was harder, because that team was better than this team. Yeah, that team had all the experience. That's why they would have beaten this team. Okay. LeBron, outside of Jokic, was better than all the other team's best player. Give me a break on Giannis. He still can't shoot a jumper. And AD was the best, too, and they had really good players behind them in good depth. So, yeah, it was weird. Here's how I look at Covid. Anybody in any industry who Succeeded deserves credit. I'm the opposite of the market. The market is telling you what a break, a break. Do you know how hard it was to perform with COVID I mean, here at Fox, in the building, there were arrows on what bathrooms you could use. Just getting through the building here was the matrix. So anybody in any industry, if you're a financial planner, if you're a nurse, if you're a basketball player, anybody that succeeded with all that sort of drama and trauma we were all dealing with for a year and a half, I got your back. I think it's. And Nick Wright talked about this earlier. We forget how good that Laker team was before the league shut down.
- [49:32]
Nick Wright
2020, LeBron is eye to eye with 23 Joker and 21 Giannis. And take the second best player on all those champions. 2020, Anthony Davis is markedly better than any of these other teams. Second best player. The idea that the 2020 Lakers got lucky by the bubble being no home court advantage when they had home court advantage is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.
- [50:02]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, they were 24 in league when the, when the league shut down and they would have had home court advantage where. When LeBron gets home court advantage when the best. The top two tandem have home court advantage. In NBA playoff history, unlike the Celtics this year, the Lakers were good at home. So it was a major, major disadvantage that they were the best team. Then they fly through it when all the other older veteran teams regressed and just kind of unraveled because they missed their families. Older players have families and kids. Older teams. The Lakers had to deal with a lot of drama. They had the two best players were older players and they just dealt with it. The following year they came back, they were still the best team in the league. And then LeBron got her rolled on his. Solomon rolled on his leg, as Nick pointed out. So I the way I always looked at Covid, it didn't matter the profession. I don't care if you're a podcaster or a physician, if you flourished during COVID you get credit. I'm just going to give you credit. I don't think it was easy and I think for the record, I acknowledge for the radio audience, I'm showing the seven best teams in order. It was Lakers, Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Bucks, Thunder, Raptors. I acknowledge the Celtics had the better overall roster, but it should be noted, you want to know who won championships during COVID Tom Brady and LeBron. The two most focused professional athletes of my life. Oh yeah, the Dodgers did too. So it's not like it was who won the World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates, you know who won. You know, start looking at who won. Brady, LeBron and the Dodgers. So this idea that it was this quirky Covid thing where all of a sudden the Washington Wizards won the NBA title, then I would discount it because they've been dog food for 20 years. But it was big brands, focus, stars. I'm good with it. And, and John hates the Lakers, so this doesn't go over well.
- [51:57]
Commercial Voiceover
It it pains me to say that the warriors, you could have had them last. It's kind of it was the defining championship for Steph Curry, but it was his worst team that their team stacking up.
- [52:09]
Colin Cowherd
I give him credit because I thought Wiggins was the best he ever was as a Warrior. I think Steve Kerr is arguably the best coach on that entire list, so. And Steph Curry had some phenomenal games in the playoffs. So I got a great player, a great coach, best defensive player at all time and playoff experience. I probably have the warriors, maybe a slot High.
- [52:31]
John Middelkopf
BMW didn't just design an electric SUV Every detail of the BMW IX was crafted with passion and precision.
- [52:39]
Colin Cowherd
With a BMW ix, you'll experience unmatched.
- [52:42]
John Middelkopf
Power, utility, spaciousness, versatility. My favorite feature cloud based navigation, monitors charge levels, locates nearby charging stations so.
- [52:52]
Colin Cowherd
I can drive electric with the ultimate ease.
- [52:54]
John Middelkopf
BMW lets performance do the talking and.
- [52:56]
Colin Cowherd
The scouting report is in.
- [52:58]
John Middelkopf
Experience the all electric BMW IX and witness dedication in every detail.
- [53:04]
Commercial Voiceover
The following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will Son, your grandpa and I used to work on this car together and when I'm gone, I want you to have it.
- [53:14]
Colin Cowherd
Wow.
- [53:14]
Nick Wright
Thanks dad.
- [53:15]
Commercial Voiceover
Doesn't count. What you need is a will. Luckily, Trust and Will makes it easy. Designed by attorneys but customized by you, you can easily create a state specific, legally valid document that actually counts. Now let's let the engine do the talking. Am I right? Start your will@trustandwill.com, use offer code count for 20% off and make it count. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. For details, see trustandwill.com looking to transform.
- [53:35]
John Middelkopf
Your business through better HR and payroll? Meet Paycor, a paychecks company. The powerhouse solution that empowers leaders to drive results. From recruiting and development to payroll and analytics, paycor connects you with the people, data and expertise you need to succeed. Their innovative platform helps you make smarter decisions about your most valuable asset, your people. Are you ready to become a better leader? Visit paycor.com leaders to learn more. That's paycor.com leaders. You've heard me talk about Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the Herd podcast. I love a good metaphor, so here's one for you. Green River Whiskey is like a big playoff win by your favorite team, always sure to raise your spirits. So pair the thrills of this playoff season with Green River Whiskey. To find Green river near you, head on over to greenriverwhisky.com here's the green River Whiskey Raise your spirits. A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume, varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com Please drink responsibly.
- [54:42]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast.