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Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
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J Mac
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J Mac (News Segment)
Now, let's get this party started.
Fox Sports Radio Announcer
You're listening to FOX Sports Radio.
Colin Cowherd
Here we go on a Tuesday. I don't know if we can duplicate yesterday's massive NFL trades. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, watching, whatever the platform is, thanks for making us part of your day. So yesterday, halfway through the show, almost to the minute, Miles Garrett, Browns, Rams and Rams are now the first team that's ever had a reigning MVP on a team with the defensive mvp. So they're overwhelming super bowl favorites. And I've said this through the years, sport should be fun. I mean, it's a business, but I'm involved in a business. It's fun. It should be fun to come to work, right? I mean, in a funny business like comedy, take it seriously. In a serious business, you gotta have a sense of humor. Lighten it up. And Yesterday and the NFL's number one in this country. For a lot of reasons, I think we've become an event culture and, you know, one game a week, as we're more distracted on our phones, all the platforms, you know, football's kind of built for us now. But they also do a lot of really smart things. Like, for instance, they stay away from politics. I know the media loves when politics and sports are conjoined. The public doesn't. Most people go to games for escapism. They'll get their politics somewhere else. NFL's pretty good at staying out of that space. They constantly tweak their rules. They're never rigid or worried about 1950 or 60. The catch, the pat, the kickoff. They're always tweaking stuff. The rules committee. But more than anything, the NFL doesn't get in the way of fun. Yesterday was fun. It was easy to play along. Hey, Miles Garrett to the Rams and Jared Verson, three really good picks to the Browns. The NBA, I mean, between the second apron, the first apron, Google first apron, NBA and see what comes up. The more you read about it, the less I understand about it. The Larry Bird exceptions pick swaps. Now They've got an anti tanking 3, 2, 1. Try to figure it out. It's confusing, it's hard to follow. This is sports. Mid level exceptions, four teams trades, pick swaps. Yesterday was, hey, did you hear about the big trade? Great player, Browns goes to a great team, Rams and then really good young player, Rams and a bunch of picks go to the Browns and everybody can play along. We're not talking about the Larry Bird exception or pick swaps. I mean they've even got like anti tanking stuff now. It's so much. And because. And you see this in states like California when you have a lot of bureaucracy and regulations, it's tough on business. It's tough to get houses built, tough to get those solar panels put in. Well, it's the same thing in the NBA. They've got so many restrictions and so much bureaucracy that it's made trades very rare in the NBA. It feels like when I was a kid or I was younger, there was massive NBA trades. I mean, we're talking about Giannis. We'll probably talk about the Giannis deal till next trading deadline. It'll never happen. You just don't see a lot of trade. There's so much bureaucracy, so many swaps and picks and the salaries have to match. You're getting in the way of fun. The NFL big trades, easy to digest and they make it so easy that general managers in the NFL, I mean the Rams, the Browns redid a deal on Miles Garrett's. Miles Garrett's contract. And the Rams and Marks were like, all right, let's go. They decided in March. It even affected their draft picks. So sports should be fun. The NBA has got so much bureaucracy and so many regulations and salaries have to match that nobody makes trades. Fans love trades. I mean, yesterday was one of the great 90 minutes at the end of a program we've ever had because everybody can play along. Great player goes to great team, good young player goes to rebuilding team. And here's some picks. And I didn't have to worry about swaps and salaries matching and cap sheet regulations and anti tanking bureaucracy, which I can't figure out. Go ahead.
J Mac
You.
Colin Cowherd
I'm not a chef. I don't know what this apron stuff means. I went online, I read it. It's still confusing. Here's former Ram O lineman Rob Havenstein on the Miles Garrett to the Rams move.
Rob Havenstein
As good as Jared has been for the Rams over these last past two years, you know, you get to upgrade at that position. Obviously you spend a lot to do it but this kind of goes into, you know, the Rams. It's such an interesting offseason, Aaron, because it's, you know, you go first round and you go draft a quarterback that, you know, you just have Reny, NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. And then all of a sudden you make a splash play like this. And you know, my initial thought was, you know, hey, we're. The Rams are trying to win now and they're trying to win in the future and they're just trying to win.
Colin Cowherd
Yep, it's a very good organization. Now the other move that happened right after we talked about this for months and months, everybody, a couple years ago I had said on this show they should trade A.J. brown in Philadelphia. I'm not sure he fits the scheme. Jason Jalen Hurts can't get the ball to him. He's obviously frustrated. They've got plenty of good players around him. AJ Brown deserves a great pocket quarterback. Well, he got one yesterday. He got traded to New England in the worst kept secret in the NFL. And Drake May is by far and away the best pocket quarterback and the best quarterback talent A.J. brown's ever had. So there's a lot of different angles to this. First of all, Philadelphia is going to be fine. They couldn't get the ball to him anyway. Jalen Hurts is struggled for years to get the ball to him. They have Saquon Barkley, they've got better than average tight ends. They already rebuilt their wide receiving core. Makai Lemon is going to be a big productive player for them. Devonte Smith Wicks out of Green Bay. Philadelphia is going to be fine. The roster's absolutely fantastic. So this is a trade I would have made years ago. I thought it was distracting last year. I also think, what does this do for the Patriots? Well, he changes the way everybody is going to be facing New England because when you bring in a star pitcher or a star wide receiver, you go back to Randy Moss and the Patriots. It helps the tight ends. You can't cheat, it helps the run game. So AJ Brown is going to fundamentally change the offense for New England and I. And I think what's amazing about A.J. brown, since he entered the league, he is top four in yards and receiving touchdowns, which is unbelievable because in Tennessee they had Derrick Henry and they were the number two run percentage team in the NFL. And then he goes to Philadelphia with Saquon Barkley and they're the number two rush team in the NFL. So he has been insanely productive into run heavy offenses with what I would consider to be pretty average pocket Quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Ryan Tannehill. So now he is the perfect icing to the New England cake. The O line there is not as good as Philadelphia, but Drake may can see over it. I think he's going to be super productive and Vrabel loved him in Tennessee. I remember when he got moved out of Tennessee, Vrabel went to the podium and, and, and literally was beside himself. Like they didn't have an answer. And, and, and by the way, Vrabel knew he was in trouble because Tennessee, for whatever reason, always feels like they're a receiver or a tight end. Shy AJ Brown left their offense. Brave old Titans never felt the same. So here's AJ Now, a Patriot on his reunion with Mike.
Isaiah Thomas
I mess up in practice, he's like, get out.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, like I'm like one time like, no, but he was just pushing me just to focus on the little things,
Isaiah Thomas
the details and, you know, he was holding me accountable.
Colin Cowherd
And we just grew close over the
Isaiah Thomas
years and, you know, my family became his family, his family came. My family. We looked out for each other.
J Mac
First text he fired off to you when he found out it was a
Colin Cowherd
go get open and catch the ball. That's what we always say. That's all you got to do. I mean, it's, it's interesting. A.J. brown and it's. Sports can be cruel. Like, you go, you come out of college, you work really hard, you're totally committed, and you go to the worst teams. And so, you know, got when guys like Kevin Durant, you know, are in Oklahoma City and decide, I'm going to go somewhere else. Now, I don't have to agree with all of Kevin Durant's moves, but I get it. He didn't have a choice. First it was Seattle, and then they moved to Oklahoma City and then he didn't get the ball enough. And then I get when players move. AJ Brown is one of those pro athletes and eventually it almost always works out that, you know, if you're great, Matt Stafford, eventually he got to the Rams, he got a great coach. It almost always works out. And A.J. brown is one of those guys where he's played on two teams, Philadelphia and Tennessee, that are heavy run teams. It would be like Steph Curry and the warriors constantly pounding the ball to the paint and not letting Steph shoot. So AJ Brown, I think could have a major spike in production and you may not get drafted to the team you want, you may not end up on your second team to the trade you want. But usually in pro sports, great Players at some point. Randy Moss eventually got Brady, and now A.J. brown eventually gets Drake May and a coach that loves him and a team that needs him. So, you know, you guys out there that play fantasy football, I think, you know, I talked about this yesterday. Miles Garrett now goes to the Rams. Miles Garrett was insanely productive on a team Cleveland that trails in the fourth quarter. So teams are running and trying to kill the clock. Short passes, kill the clock. Miles Garrett doesn't have a lot of opportunities in the last eight minutes of games in Cleveland. He, he now goes to the rams, which were second in the league last year in creating third and sevens. So Miles Garrett is going to get 75 more sack opportunities or around there over the course of a season because the Rams lead games in the fourth quarter and teams are playing catch up. And it's the same thing when you look at New England right now. He is the perfect player. He finally gets the coach, the coordinator. I mean, if you're A.J. brown, this is a birthday present. This, this is the greatest Christmas present of all time. Jmac, we have a couple of things that are fascinating today. I, I, I don't want to give one away because right before the show I teased you on it and I sent some stuff over. Yeah, there is a story with LeBron. You better take it seriously, folks. It's fascinating and I think it's got legs.
J Mac
It might, it might have legs. I know you're hot on it. I think I will push back gently as I normally do. But Colin, real quick on that A.J. brown move. So on a day where the Rams basically solidify their place as the super bowl favorites, for sure, Eagles are a top four team in the NFC and they lose AJ Brown and get nothing in the immediate in return. It's, it's a little bit of a tough morning I think, right now for Philadelphia Eagles fans.
Colin Cowherd
I don't, I don't think so. I think they've already, I mean, they went and got Wicks and Lemon, Devonte Smith. I think they, they're not a first team. They couldn't get him the ball anyway. I mean, it's, we see this all the time in sports where there's a really talented player, but he's a bad scheme fit. He just doesn't work for the team. And then you see him go elsewhere and you're like, oh, yeah, he's a better fit here. By the way, Saquon Barkley in New York was a very good player, but they had a battle line. They often trailed in the second half of games. So the Giants had to throw to play catch up. So Saquon Barkley was a bad fit in New York. Philadelphia leads games because they have a better team in the second half. So they depend on Saquon Barkley to kill the clock. Better offensive line. So like Saquon Barkley is a great example. We knew he was good in New York. Then he goes to Philadelphia and you're like, holy hell, A.J. brown, we know he's great. Watch his numbers with Drake may explode. Watch that. And also if you look at the afc, he's in a division with Josh Allen. You're going to get in, you're going to get into some track meets in that you're not going to be able to stop Josh Allen. What do you have to do? You have to throw the ball. So I think it just, it happens a lot. You see it in a lot in the NFL where there's a really good player, but he's just in the wrong spot and he's very good, but what he really is is great in a bad scheme fit. So they Quan in New York is a prime example.
J Mac
So the Eagles got to two Super Bowls with A.J. brown. Will they get to another one in the next three years?
Colin Cowherd
Well, who knows? I mean a lot of it's health. I don't know if Jalen Hurts. Remember, Jalen Hurts is going into year four of a five year deal. They got him a new offensive coordinator, they got A.J. brown out of the building and there was some drama. Jalen Hurts after this season may not be there. He won't be if he's a one and done playoff quarterback like last year because Philadelphia moved off Doug Peterson who won a trophy. Carson Wentz was in the MVP. Philadelphia moves off successful people. Chip Kelly went 10 and 6, 10 and 6 had a winning record and they got rid of him. So I mean, I don't know if Jalen Hurts will be around after this season. I think there's real questions coming up next. Draymond Green says, I'm not impressed with the Knicks. The question is, is he wrong? Next, the Herd.
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Colin Cowherd
Subscribe hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs, and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more@electric for all.org Number one hits,
J Mac
millions of records sold awards, sold out tours. You think the Jonas Brothers are satisfied?
Saigon Podcast Narrator
Nope.
J Mac
It's podcast time.
Colin Cowherd
We get to ask other people questions
J Mac
because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Hey Jonas is available now and their first guest is a big one, Paul Rudd.
Colin Cowherd
You know Steve Carell is a great singer. Didn't he tell you not to audition the office or something? I told him, whoa, we were filming Anchorman. Clearly I was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to me, right?
J Mac
Listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Isaiah Thomas
What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas and I'm C.J.
C.J. Toledano
toledano. And our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.
Isaiah Thomas
Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luka and Austin Reed and finding ways
C.J. Toledano
to win no matter what.
Isaiah Thomas
He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before and he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves, I gotta manipulate the game.
C.J. Toledano
We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas
I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed, he has to guard Julius Randle and then he has to give us everything. He gives us on a night to night basis on offense.
C.J. Toledano
And when it's friends stop by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some cool playoff history too.
J Mac (News Segment)
Steve Nash would get that thing, that man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you Gonna get the ball.
C.J. Toledano
So listen to Point game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
J Mac
This is Saigon. The story of my family and of the country that shaped us.
Colin Cowherd
The United States was will not stand by and allow any power, however great,
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take over another country.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
From iHeart podcasts, Saigon, please allow me
Colin Cowherd
to introduce Joseph Sherman.
J Mac
You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much.
Colin Cowherd
I like hearing you talk.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
One city, a divided country and the war that tore America apart.
J Mac
This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire to Ray Dunn.
Colin Cowherd
They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.
Fox Sports Radio Announcer
I'm on a landmine for free.
Colin Cowherd
John, let's get out. Freedom. Bombay at night.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
Saigon. Starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.
J Mac
Staying here's madness. The world should hear about this.
Colin Cowherd
There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Colin Cowherd
You know, you'll see a lot of times where a lot of the premier universities in the country. You know, there are certain high schools in every state that are known for having, like, more rigorous curriculum, right? Like all 4 points and 4 twos are not equal. And everybody in the NBA knows it's not even a criticism, it's a reality. The Eastern Conference is mostly awful and the Western Conference and It's been like 20 to 25 years. And I don't know the exact reason. You know, maybe it's warmer weather and a lot of the Western markets in a winter league. I mean, Miami is the one stabilizing Eastern Conference team year in and year out. Generally, part of that is the allure to Miami in a again, October through May league, largely. So I. And maybe it's just better owners and GMs out west, but the east is awful. So Draymond Green is not impressed with the Knicks or their red hot run through the Eastern Conference playoffs. And he's not sure you can win a championship with a little guy, Jalen Brunson. And I say that because that's what Becky Hammond, the NBA assistant, said. You're not going to win championships in this league if you're led by a smaller player. And here's Draymond.
J Mac (News Segment)
It's going to be very tough to win a championship. And I doubled down on this. Just like Becky Hammond said, Prove me wrong. What y' all talking about?
Colin Cowherd
You get out of the east, you're
J Mac (News Segment)
supposed to get out of the East East.
Colin Cowherd
So the the biggest question for the Knicks in this series, there's a couple of them, is how much of this run is legitimate. So even in the weaker conference they beat a six, a seven and a four seed. Put the pom poms down. Those are bad teams. Even in the much better west, the 6, 7 and 4 seeds are the disappointing T Wolves, the injury ravaged Lakers and the Blazers. And that's in the West. That's not a tough road because we couldn't figure out Minnesota all year long and San Antonio disposed of them like yesterday's trash when they met in the playoffs. So history in college and pro proves the tougher the road, the more battle tested you are. So to be battle tested you have to be in battles. And the Knicks had one for about two games against bad Atlanta. So we've said this college football for years. The SEC was easily the best conference. Every year those teams would get to the championship and they were just better. Last three years the Big Ten's been amazing. Three straight Natties last year. Seahawks, Rams played much tougher schedule than the Patriots. So that's what would concern me is what do we make. All you need to know is Vegas. Think about this. San Antonio's coming off a grueling seven game series with their rival, New York has more experience, is on a historically hot playoff run and they're four and a half point dogs. So Vegas is telling you they have questions about the Knicks. The spurs were 26 and four against the east this year. Most of the games were not competitive. Now the Knicks were pretty good against the E West, but they weren't great. The Knicks were 18 and 12 against the west they were good. They weren't overwhelming. Look at the Spurs. And by the way, the spurs are the youngest team in the league. That's good. Look at the spurs record against the east and they're a much better team than they were before the trade deadline when they were a bunch of kids. Now they're battle tested, now they're older. So when you look at the Knicks against the west, they were in a lot of close games and they had a good record, not spectacular. Spurs are blown out, everybody in the East Now I do think the Knicks match up well with San Antonio and it should be a great series. Here's what I would worry about if I'm the Knicks. What Wemby has done to Chet Holmgren. Holmgren disintegrated. What he did to Rudy Gobert. Rudy Gobert was played off the floor. What he did to the Blazers, they just put a guard on him. They gave up. So Mitchell Robinson is not healthy. And Carl Anthony Towns. Good luck. Dumb fouls. He can get a little kooky and a little flaky. My guess is they put OG On Wimby and they just take Cat out of it. Because with Mitchell robinson Not being 100%, they cannot risk Cat being played off the floor due to dumb fouls. And I like Cat. I think he's a really gifted player. But everybody in the world knows he gets into these weird, you know, two fouls in two possessions, four fouls in the first half. That's just the kind of player he is. And you know San Antonio is going to attack Cat. They're going to attack him. So when you watch Rudy Gobert, an elite defensive player, get played off the floor by Wemby, homegrown, an elite defensive player get played off the floor, what does that mean for Cat? If I was the Knicks, I would just keep Cat away from Wemby. I'd put OG on him. Bridges, Josh Hart, anybody but Cat. So I. I think. But I think Draymond's point is we don't know the 6, 7 and 4 seed in the east are bad basketball teams. And San Antonio flew through Eastern competition. And I think one thing we have to be fair about is that the Knicks are a better team now than earlier in the season. But they were always experienced what the Knicks present today. They were the same team earlier in the season, same personnel. San Antonio is a much different team than four months ago. Their three best players are 20, 21 and 22. They are a different team today. They are not the team that played in the NBA Cup. Different club. J. Mac, with the news.
J Mac (News Segment)
No, no, no, no.
Colin Cowherd
Turn on the news.
Fox Sports Radio Announcer
This is the Herdline news.
J Mac
All right, let's revisit the Miles Garrett trade to the Rams. Obviously, a big one. Gives the Rams a formidable defense. They added Trent McDuffie earlier this offseason. Everybody's loaded on the Rams. Everybody's geeked they're going to the Super Bowl. And then people sparked some Aaron Donald. Could he unretire and return rumors, which is a little goofy. I mean, listen, we've been hearing this the last two offseasons, right? He hasn't played in two years, retired in 20, 23. Could Aaron Donald return? So people, like, look at his workout videos. That guy's an animal. So, Colin, of course, last night, his wife took video of. Of Aaron Donald on the sofa. And, yeah, it doesn't appear that early to bed. Notice it's sunny outside. Yeah. Doesn't look like he's returning anytime soon. His wife is echoing that. So I, I don't know, the Aaron Donald excitement, you know, maybe they add him past the deadline or something, you know, for a late season run back.
Colin Cowherd
No, first of all, he was tremendous. I mean, he could be playing out. You know, it's like Tom Brady. He would be a top five defensive lineman today if he played. He, when he retired, he was getting double and triple teamed. He was just over it. I mean, can you imagine if you put Aaron Donald? I think it's fun to speculate.
J Mac
I don't, I just can't get too worked up about a Hall of Famer coming out of retirement. Like, defensively, do they need him? I don't. All right, let's move on to the Eagles.
Colin Cowherd
Anybody could. Aaron Donald's one of those guys and maybe it's different in football, but, you know, I, five years after he retired, I looked at Brady and I'm like, he's better than 90% of the quarterbacks. Aaron Donald would start for every team in the league. I mean, he probably wouldn't start over Jalen Carter, but he start over almost for every team in the league.
J Mac
I just want to remember him as utterly dominant when he left football. I don't want him to come back and be like, not good, gets hurt.
Colin Cowherd
35. He's only 35 years old now today,
J Mac
for a defensive tackle, that's, that's very old.
Colin Cowherd
He was dominant when he was still in there.
J Mac
All right, let's move on to the Eagles. Colin and A.J. brown leaving the nest. He's going to New England now. This surprised me a little bit, but they showed some updated odds to win the NFC East. Eagles still on top. I, I, I, I'm feeling a little wobbly. You know, you're asking a lot from Mai Lemon and Don Tavian Wicks to come into a new offense with a first time oc, OC who's never called plays and according to you, a quarterback on the hot seat. A lot of question marks there. Eagles are the favorites. I'll ask you before we show it on screen, do you want to guess who 2, 3 and 4 are in the NFC East?
Colin Cowherd
I would say Cowboys. Giants. Commanders.
J Mac
Yeah, well, you got to flip flop. 3 and 4. The commanders are plus 500. Your giants, your G men. Colin, maybe you could put, you win a couple jet skis, putting some pizza money there on the, on the Giants. You love them.
Colin Cowherd
I, yeah, listen, it's still a coaching sport. And Brian Schottenheimer and Dan Quinn, I mean, Schottenheimer had a better than expected yet what's interesting about the division, Nick Ceriani, Brian Schottenheimer, Dan Quinn, like those are these coaches universally secure and beloved? I mean, if I told you next year after this season, Sirianni, Schottenheimer and Dan Quinn are all gone, would you be shocked?
J Mac
No.
Colin Cowherd
So it's a fascinating division where now if you go to what I think the best division is the NFC North. Ben Johnson is going nowhere. Kevin OConnell's going nowhere, Dan Campbell's going nowhere. I mean, you start looking at that division. Matt Leflore is going nowhere. This division is not, in my opinion, is not an elite coach division. It's got good players, good GMs, big brands. But you start looking at the Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton, Clint Kubiak division or like. So that division is so much in flux to me because I don't. There's not a team. John Harbaugh doesn't have the roster of Philadelphia, but I love him as a coach. And Schottenheimer's defensive front is excellent. But I still have questions. Sirianni, I've never bought into.
J Mac
Yeah, I, I don't disagree. But my guess is, you know, I know you love the quarterback matchups every week. Like, hey, I'm betting on the best quarterback. I think the odds are based on, you know, the, the best quarterbacks in that division in order. Jalen Hurts, the Super bowl mvp, Dak Prescott, Jaden Daniels, and then Jackson Dart. I still have questions about dart. I mean, when you go pick up three wide receivers on June 1, it might mean that you got a wide receiver problem. Like, I don't know when neighbors is coming back. You know, I know they're excited about the running back room and the first round draft picks, but there's still a lot of questions on this Harbaugh team.
Colin Cowherd
Man.
J Mac
Jackson Dart, Really?
Colin Cowherd
You're right.
J Mac
You're still riding with him. There's time to bail. There's time to jump off the old bandwagon cowherd.
Colin Cowherd
No, I think he's going to be fine. I don't know how great he is, but I think, I think he's a franchise quarterback. I think he's proven that. I don't know the level of it, but I, I'd like to see a second year. C.J. stroud has regressed. You know, I think the Giants O line's better. I actually worse. Yeah, I Yeah, I, I think he's a franchise quarterback. It's better than anything the jets have.
J Mac
That is true. He's better than Geno Smith. Thankfully, you can only say that for one more year. Final story Colin let's go to the Oklahoma City Blunder. Oh, my goodness. After losing in Game 7 at home, SGA couldn't do anything in the fourth quarter while the spurs couldn't miss. There's a lot of talk about how the Thunder can get better this offseason. Now there is a camp, Colin, that believes OKC is going to be fine. J dub's coming back. A.J. mitchell's coming back. We'll get Chet in the weight room, get it, get him a strength coach. We're going to be fine. There is another side of this, though, that says we're just not going to be able to compete with this ascending spurs team. And there's chatter right now that they are looking to move up, perhaps package their 12th and 17th pick to get into the top 10.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. So that's the advantage of having multiple picks is do they really. Can two players out of this draft actually make their roster? So I think to me, when you and I've seen this, I remember years ago, AJ Smith was the GM of the Chargers, and they were like 14 and 2. They had a great roster and they, they traded almost all their picks to get. They had. They had a hole at safety and they literally gave up a bunch of picks to get Eric Weddle, who had a great career. He was a safety out of Utah. And their argument was, guys, there's not four players that can make our roster. You know, like the, the positions where the draft is strong. We got Pro Bowlers and elite players. And so I look at Oklahoma City and they're obviously going to be fine. The question is, though, once you win, it's like Denver with the Jokic. I know Denver's going to be fine. I know with Jalen Brown and Tatum, the Celtics will be fine. These teams are all trying to get to championships, right? So OKC is going to be fine. But to me, your top nine players in this draft are just different. I would cobble picks together to go get somebody that, you know can be in the rotation. And it may only be. There may only be seven guys in this entire draft that could get into the rotation. And it's a great draft, but OKC's first nine are so deep and talented. Now Lou Dorrit's probably gone. I. My guess is when you're as good as OKC's roster construction, trade up and start. Start going through players. I mean, it would. It's hard to find anybody in this draft outside of the top four. I mean, Caleb Wilson's really good at a North Carolina. He couldn't start for okc. He's nowhere near good enough to start now. And I think he has as good a ceiling as anybody. But Darren Peterson.
J Mac
Yeah.
Colin Cowherd
So I, I have no problem with OKC saying, hey, we'll give away three or four picks to get Cam Boozer. He'll be the first guy off the bench or if Lou Dort's gone, you know, I mean, I. That's the kind of move you have to make sometimes. You know, you're a little bit of a victim of your own success. But Caleb William is great. Caleb Wilson for Carolina is great. He could not start right now for Oklahoma City. So I, I totally get. And he's a guy. I could see them. If he doesn't get picked in the top three, I could see, okay, OKC saying, we're all in to get this kid. He won't start year one. But that's the advantage to being having all these picks.
J Mac
Yeah. So I know you like Adai Mara a lot. You know, maybe at 11 or 9, Colin. We had a draft analyst on last week when you were out, Jonathan Gavoni, who was excellent.
Colin Cowherd
Excellent.
J Mac
I mean, besides him believing Cam Boozer is the number one pick in the draft, potentially, according to every analytics staff, he thinks Mara is going to fall in the 6 to 8 range. So OKC, I think they could use Mara. And listen, Hartenstein's making 28 mil next year. Okay. That's like four times what Deandre Ayton's making. Yeah, There's a lot of chatter Hartenstein won't be on the team next year. You could slide a Dai Mara in. And I know you take a step back, young kid, but ultimately it could be a step forward by the time the playoffs come around.
Colin Cowherd
I think Mara's really potent. First of all, Great feat for 7:3. Great rim protector. Excellent. I mean, he's just a tremendous player. Remember when Zach. I think he's a much more skilled player with better feet than Zach. And I think Zach Edie was really good.
J Mac
Yeah. He, Mara has, I believe, a nine foot nine inch standing reach. That's by far number one in this draft.
Colin Cowherd
This, this guy also outside of Giannis and maybe Mara, you start looking at when Chet Holmgren and Rudy Gobert get played off the court by Wemby. You have to think about that. If you're okc. We, you know, I mean now Hartenstein I do think can serve as a little bit of a deterrent because of his strength. His hips with Wemby can push him around a little bit. But I think Mara is the player and I think a lot of it's Wemby. It's a mostly a guard wing draft anyway. I think Mara is going to go much higher than people think.
J Mac
Yeah. And so anyways okc listen, it's a fun, exciting summer ahead. We'll see if they make a move for Giannis, they make a move for Mara. The front office has done very well last four years building this roster. So fun times ahead.
Colin Cowherd
J Mac with the news.
Fox Sports Radio Announcer
Well, that's the news and thanks for
Colin Cowherd
stopping by the Herd lie news top of the hour. Not only Nick Wright, but I talked about this to start the show. How much fun yesterday was for me, you the fans. People love big trades. Get the regulations out of the way. Stop with all these salaries have to match just like let the league be fun. Here we are this week we have a great NBA Finals, spurs and Knicks and the NFL steals yesterday's show and today's show largely because of massive trades. So you know the NBA thinks tanking is just this historically ugly, awful situation. I don't. I think it's a one year thing. This draft is great. Next year's draft is awful. There's nine legitimate all NBA ish level, all star level players and all these GMs are like guys we want, we're bad. We have to get good tank. Like I I don't think tanking is the issue. I think load management's the issue. But yesterday is a prime example of people like, you know, I know KD to the warriors tick people off, but the end result was one of the great teams in the history of basketball when KD was with the Warriors. Coming up next, rumors on LeBron and I buy him. It's the hero.
Fox Sports Radio Announcer
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
Colin Cowherd
Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric Learn more atelectric for all.org hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, Nick? Huge news. We created our own podcast called hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it.
J Mac
We.
Colin Cowherd
We just contributed to people to do podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts.
J Mac
Starting a trend.
Colin Cowherd
But this one's extra special. So how did we. How do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it and we were thinking, I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers were. This is how you guys remember it going down. Yes, I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast. People could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, hey Jonas. And offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.
Isaiah Thomas
What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas and I'm C.J.
C.J. Toledano
toledano. And our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.
Isaiah Thomas
Like LeBron heading into the playoffs, Luka
C.J. Toledano
and Austin Reed, and finding ways to win no matter what.
Isaiah Thomas
He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves, I gotta manipulate the game.
C.J. Toledano
We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas
I think Joker's gonna be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed, he has to guard Julius Randle, and then he has to give us everything. He gives us on a night to night basis on offense.
C.J. Toledano
And when it's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.
J Mac (News Segment)
Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.
C.J. Toledano
So listen to Point game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
J Mac
This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.
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The United States will Not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
From iheart Podcasts. Saigon.
Colin Cowherd
Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman.
J Mac
You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much.
Colin Cowherd
I like hearing you talk.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
One city, a divided country and the war that tore America apart.
J Mac
This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese brown fire. Do you read me?
Colin Cowherd
They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.
Fox Sports Radio Announcer
I'm on a landmine for freedom.
Colin Cowherd
Let's get out Freedom. Bomb it now.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
Saigon. Starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.
J Mac
Staying here's madness. The world should hear about this.
Colin Cowherd
There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything.
Saigon Podcast Narrator
Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
J Mac
Nine days and counting until the biggest World cup ever comes to America. Christian pulisic and the U.S. men's National Team kick off their World cup dream on a huge night of music stars and celebration in LA on Friday, June 12. Coverage begins at 6pm Eastern on Fox.
Colin Cowherd
So Tim Kawakami has been an excellent writer in the Bay Area for a long time, and you know, it's the off season for the Niners and the warriors, so Tim's writing an article. It's. It's fascinating to think about. Now, we know this for years that LeBron loves Steph Curry. He's been asked multiple times on podcasts, who would you like to play with? It you never have. It's always Curry. He also has a very good relationship with Draymond Green. They vacation together, so there's that. Also, LeBron is a really smart player. Steve Kerr is a really smart coach. LeBron fits their ecosystem. So Tim Kawakabi this morning writes an article, LeBron plus the Warriors a late marriage that might never be more convenient. I buy it, and there's a lot of reasons I buy it. First of all, he's a great fit. LeBron and Curry. LeBron has always been good playing with great shooters. Not only is he a tremendous passer, he, LeBron has a great sense of momentum and who's hot? Curry would love to play with LeBron and vice versa. Second, LeBron may be old, but he's rarely hurt on a team with old guys. This feels like it would be the Vegas residency stage of the Warriors. I get Draymond, I get Curry, I get LeBron, I get Butler, I'd get Pods and then I'd get Moses Moody, GI Santos off the bench and the number 11 pick. Now, this is where it's very interesting because you'd say, well, where are your bigs? Well, their offense is not big friendly. But I will say, if they have the 11th pick, and I looked at NBA mock drafts this morning, guess who the 11th pick is going to? The Warriors, A Dai Mara. I don't think he's going to drop to 11. I think he's going to get scooped up at 8 or 9 because of the Wemby reality. So my take is with the warriors, take their late second round pick and their 11th and move up to like eight or nine and get Mara. Because I'm telling you, that is a real squad. Mara would come in, high intellect, Spaniard, great feet, tremendous passer. He'd get the game. Pods, Draymond Curry, LeBron Mara, and a couple of veteran guys, Moody and Santos. I mean, guys that have been around the ecosystem there off the bench. That's a real team. Now, are they going to beat Wemby or stop Wemby? No. But I'm telling you, outside of Giannis, who in the league right now do you like in a matchup against Wemby? And Mara is a real talent. So. And there's a lot of different reasons that Tim Kawakami brings up. One of them is LeBron's not really getting the response he wants from the Lakers. And remember, they have new owners. They're not going to say it publicly, they're not going to disrespect him. But we've seen Rich Paul say some things publicly which would lead you to believe LeBron doesn't want to be treated like somebody's baggage. And we also know Luka Redick and Austin Reaves are the top three priorities for the Lakers and should be. Luka's in his prime, Austin's in his prime. And you can't let, you can't let Austin Reeves walk and get nothing. So the Lakers also, you know, they may privately be like, it would be great. You know, you know how in a breakup, sometimes it's. Somebody wants it but doesn't want to hurt feelings or doesn't want to make it uncomfortable. It's you, not me. I, I think there's people in the building in Los Angeles that new owners wouldn't be the worst thing to see LeBron go. And I think the warriors could pay him about 15 million bucks. And I, and I've never, I, you know, I'm not going to tell LeBron to take a pay cut. You guys do what you want with your money. But LeBron's a billionaire. It's very likely LeBron is thinking, I'm too damn good to retire. It's the Tom Brady issue. I may not be a favorite to win the super bowl, but I'm still top six in the league. I, I think that's where LeBron is on any given night. He's too good to retire. So why not go play Curry, Kerr, Draymond, with a rim protector out of college, that feels real to me. That doesn't feel kooky at all.
J Mac
So.
Colin Cowherd
And you say, well, a lot of things have to work. We know this. And I think this is difficult for LeBron when you're the man and run the league for 20 years. Outside of Adam Silver, LeBron was running the league. And now Lakers are kind of interested. Not really long term, committed. I mean, you don't, you don't have to give up anything. He's a free agent. 15 million bucks gets him. I don't know. Also, you fly that Gulf stream or that citation 10 from San Francisco to LA. Anytime you get an off day, it's a 40 minute flight. I don't know. Van Nuys is not that far. That airport's not that far from where LeBron lives. It feels like to me, this would have legs. And I also think when you get older, there are things that matter a little bit less. Curry, Draymond, Kerr would make it easy. It'd be an easy lift for LeBron, you know what I mean? It's the resident stage. You could play 65 games, you'd play a lot of games at home. You'd feel love because somebody would be going out to grab you. LeBron's going to have options. The Knicks could be interested if they get flushed out quickly by the Spurs. Don't think they will, but they could. Cleveland would love to have him. They got embarrassed. I doubt he'd go there. But I mean, the Knicks, Cleveland, The warriors show LeBron a little love. I don't think it's crazy, like, at all. Don't think it's crazy now. J. Max rolling his eyes on this. But things change. You and I know, here's what we know to be true. The Lakers new owners love Redick, love Luka, and they are absolutely committed to signing Austin Reaves. Outside of that, there are no guarantees. Do you think it's possible that the Lakers ownership would like to move out of the LeBron stage, but they don't want to break up. They don't want to be the team that does It.
J Mac
That's interesting. So that would essentially be. LeBron walked away from us. You know, that's right. We. We, you know, hemmed and hawed and didn't come up with a decision quickly enough. And LeBron left us. So that, that would be a good out. But Colin, I see online they're already starting with the new nicknames. You know, they used to be the Splash Brothers.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
J Mac
In the Bay Area. Now they're going to be the Sponge Bath Brothers, because that's what old people do. Because this would be one of the oldest rosters, I believe, in NBA history. So another one Steve Kerr coined the death lineup. This is going to be the life alert lineup because Jimmy Butler, Draymond, LeBron, Curry, average like 37 years old or something insane like that.
Colin Cowherd
All I know is this. If LeBron, Draymond and Steph Curry are playing and there's a television and you turn it and you see him, are you turning the channel?
J Mac
Yes, for sure.
Colin Cowherd
You're not turning the channel. If I was Adam Silver, I would love this.
J Mac
Now let me ask you, Colin. We just saw a series where a lot of young players picking up full court, going hard. The warriors would be completely zagging while the league is getting young, tough. And the warriors would be, let's just get old and smart. Is that going to work? Are they for sure getting by Anthony Edwards and Giannis or Anthony Edwards and Kyrie or whatever?
Colin Cowherd
No. Oklahoma City can't get through Wemby. We may be beginning this year, an eight to 12 year run where Wemby and the spurs are winning four to eight titles. That's not crazy.
J Mac
They may not win. I mean, Magic Johnson, you talk about this. Didn't he go to the Finals, like nine of nine years or something? I don't know. Something ridiculous.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I mean, I. I don't think now, I don't think Wemby's going to go 6 for 6 or when 11 like Russell. I think there's too much global talent and there's too much parody and the apron makes it impossible to keep all your good players. But I mean, would you be shocked if I said in 10 years spurs have five titles more?
J Mac
Not at all. But to go back to the LeBron point. So Bronny's got one more year.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
J Mac
You know, with the Lakers, obviously you don't. You don't really care that much about the Bronnie. But. But like losing LeBron, that's a big draw. Yesterday you had your top LA stars and LeBron was top three. We might have been number two.
Colin Cowherd
I think the Lakers always draw.
J Mac
Has anybody actively gotten out of the LeBron business in the last 20 years?
Colin Cowherd
Well, nobody, no. But the world's changed, okay? These owners, I've said it before. These, These Dodger owners who bought the Lakers have let go of Cody Bellinger and Manny Machado, Machado and Scott Seeger and Trey Turner, and I think Zach Grinke is. I forget. I mean, they've let go of all stars of guys that are going to get Manny Machado, likely will be a Hall of Famer if you look up in 20 years, and they've let them go. So this is. And again, with LeBron, there's. There's some maintenance behind the scenes and there's leaks, and there, I mean, stuff ends up magically, you know, on your Yahoo. Sports or, you know, on. On your blogs or your podcast, magically when LeBron's in a bad mood. And I love LeBron, but he is calculated and a bit manipulative with the media. And I could see the new owner saying, you know, we've been there, done that. We're moving on on his terms. Let him leave us. This is an I heart podcast, guaranteed human.
Episode: THE HERD - Hour 1 – NFL is Still the King, AJ Brown Traded to the Patriots
Date: June 2, 2026
In this high-energy hour, Colin Cowherd dissects why the NFL maintains its stranglehold as America’s favorite sport—highlighting the league’s fan-friendly approach and the excitement of blockbuster trades. The show’s big storylines include the Rams’ jaw-dropping acquisition of Miles Garrett and the much-debated A.J. Brown trade from the Eagles to the Patriots. Comparisons between the NFL and the NBA trade environments are central, as Colin explains why NFL trades are simple, dramatic, and fan-friendly.
This hour of "The Herd" perfectly showcases why the NFL dominates the American sports landscape: big personalities, fan-driven drama, and a willingness to make blockbuster moves. Colin’s critique of NBA bureaucracy doubles as a celebration of the NFL’s event-based, flexible, and transparent product. The show pivots seamlessly from major trades (Miles Garrett, A.J. Brown) to their ramifications for fantasy players and franchises, then shifts to the NBA’s competitive landscape (Knicks vs. Spurs) before closing on hot rumors about LeBron’s next act.
Fans are left with a sense of both how and why the NFL continues to lead, and what the other leagues could learn—and with a few spicy takes (and many playful quips) to argue about all week.